Manual handling of loads in Germany: assessing lifting and carrying correctly
Picking cartons, carrying sacks, pushing trolleys: for adults, German law sets no fixed weight limit. How to assess manual handling with the key indicator methods, what applies to pregnant workers and young people, and which measures work.
Last updated on 7 min readAMS Go editorial team
Key points at a glance
- The German Manual Handling Ordinance (LasthandhabV) requires employers to avoid hazardous manual handling through organisation or work equipment; where this is not possible, they assess it under Section 5 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act using the characteristics in the ordinance's annex (Section 2 LasthandhabV).
- The ordinance contains no fixed weight limits for adult workers – what matters is the combination of load weight, frequency, posture, distances and working environment.
- Pregnant workers may not, without mechanical aids, regularly lift, hold, move or carry loads of more than 5 kg or occasionally more than 10 kg by hand (Section 11(5) of the Maternity Protection Act, MuSchG).
- For the assessment, the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) published six key indicator methods in October 2019; if the strain is substantially increased, occupational health checks must be offered (ArbMedVV Annex Part 3(2) no. 4).
What does manual handling of loads mean?
Manual handling is any transporting or supporting of a load by human effort – lifting, putting down, carrying, holding, pushing, pulling or moving (Section 1(2) LasthandhabV). The employer must assess it as soon as the load or unfavourable conditions can endanger safety and health, in particular the lumbar spine. Loads can also be people, for example when repositioning patients in care.
The topic affects far more than construction: picking in warehouses, loading machines, drinks delivery, assembly, hospitality and care are all included. Years of lifting or carrying heavy loads can lead to disc-related disorders of the lumbar spine, which can be recognised as occupational disease no. 2108 in Germany.
Duties under the German Manual Handling Ordinance
The ordinance is short – it consists of four sections and an annex. It supplements the general risk assessment (Gefährdungsbeurteilung) under Section 5 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act:
Section 2(1)
Employer's dutyAvoid hazardous manual handling through organisational measures or suitable work equipment, in particular mechanical equipment
Section 2(2)
Employer's dutyAssess unavoidable manual handling using the annex and keep the hazard as low as possible
Section 3
Employer's dutyTake the physical suitability of workers into account when assigning tasks
Section 4
Employer's dutyIn the instruction, give precise information on correct handling and on the dangers of incorrect handling
The annex lists the characteristics to be assessed: for the load, weight, shape, size, position of grip points, centre of gravity and possible unexpected movements; for the task, posture and twisting, distance of the load from the body, lifting and carrying distances, frequency and duration, work pace and recovery time; for the workplace, vertical space, differences in level, climate, lighting, floor and footwear.
Physical suitability under Section 3 is not about blanket judgements based on age or sex, but about the person's actual capabilities. DGUV Information 208-033 recommends including individual factors such as physical fitness and experience in the assessment – for example for new staff or after a long illness.
Is there a legal weight limit in Germany?
For adult workers, no. The Manual Handling Ordinance deliberately sets no kilogram values, because weight alone says little: moving 15 kg once a day at table height is different from lifting 15 kg two hundred times from the floor onto an overhead shelf. Fixed limits only exist for specially protected groups:
Pregnant workers
RuleWithout mechanical aids, not regularly more than 5 kg or occasionally more than 10 kg lifted, held, moved or carried by hand; with aids, not if the strain is comparable (Section 11(5) MuSchG)
Young people
RuleNo work that exceeds their physical capacity (Section 22(1) no. 1 of the Youth Employment Protection Act, JArbSchG) – the law sets no kilogram limit
Children over 13
RuleFor the few permitted light tasks, not regularly more than 7.5 kg or occasionally more than 10 kg (Section 2(2) of the Child Labour Protection Ordinance, KindArbSchV)
Assessing with the key indicator methods
A tiered approach has proven effective: first a rough screening – for example with the BAuA's basic check and initial screening or the checklist in DGUV Information 208-033 “Musculoskeletal strain – recognising and assessing”. If questions remain, an in-depth assessment with the key indicator methods (Leitmerkmalmethoden, LMM) follows. The BAuA developed them further in the joint MEGAPHYS project with the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) and published six methods in 2019:
- LMM-HHT: manual lifting, holding and carrying of loads from 3 kg
- LMM-ZS: pulling and pushing, for example trolleys, pallet trucks or overhead conveyors
- LMM-MA: manual work processes with repetitive movements of the arms and hands
- LMM-GK: exertion of whole-body forces
- LMM-KB: body movement, for example climbing
- LMM-KH: awkward postures such as kneeling, squatting or working above shoulder height
- 1
Define the task
Choose a typical sub-task, for example “moving cartons from a pallet onto a conveyor”, and determine the appropriate method. Different types of strain are assessed separately.
- 2
Record the key indicators
Observe on site and talk to the workers: load weight, frequency or duration per shift, posture, execution conditions and work organisation.
- 3
Award points and read off the risk range
The BAuA form leads to a point score. It assigns the task to one of four risk ranges: under 20 points low, 20 to under 50 moderately increased, 50 to under 100 substantially increased, 100 or more high.
- 4
Derive measures
The indicators with the most points show where an improvement has the greatest effect – for example lifting height, load weight or frequency.
The BAuA provides the forms free of charge, including an interactive version with a calculation aid. The methods are screening procedures that require good knowledge of the workplace. If a strain cannot be assessed adequately with them – for example moving people in care – more complex procedures are needed, usually involving external experts.
Occupational health checks
For work involving substantially increased physical strain on the musculoskeletal system from manual handling, repetitive work or awkward postures, the employer must offer occupational health checks (Angebotsvorsorge) under the Ordinance on Occupational Health Care (ArbMedVV Annex Part 3(2) no. 4). When strain counts as substantially increased is described in Occupational Medicine Rule AMR 13.2: it means the risk ranges “substantially increased” and “high”. Irrespective of this, workers can request a health check if they suspect a link between their complaints and their work – unless, based on the risk assessment, no damage to health is to be expected.
The core of the check is medical advice; physical examinations may not take place against the worker's will (Section 6(1) ArbMedVV). Company doctors can draw on the DGUV recommendation on strain on the musculoskeletal system including vibration, the former principle G 46. If there are indications that the protective measures are insufficient, the doctor informs the employer and proposes measures (Section 6(4) ArbMedVV).
Measures following the STOP principle
- Avoid: change processes so that lifting by hand is no longer necessary – for example delivery straight to the point of use
- Technical: lifting tables, vacuum lifters, balancers, roller conveyors, pallet trucks and height-adjustable work surfaces; provide loads at grip height between hip and shoulder
- Organisational: order smaller containers, carry loads in pairs, shorten distances, alternate strenuous and less strenuous tasks, plan recovery time
- Personal: instruction with practical exercises, suitable shoes and gloves, occupational health checks
Checklist: manual handling in your company
- Tasks involving lifting, carrying, pulling and pushing identified
- Checked whether manual handling can be avoided
- Rough screening carried out, critical tasks assessed with a key indicator method
- Technical and organisational measures defined and implemented
- Physical suitability considered when assigning tasks
- Rules for pregnant workers and young people checked
- Health checks offered where strain is substantially increased
- Instruction on correct handling given and documented
Free templates for this guide
As PDF and Excel, free – to use in your own company.
Frequently asked questions
How many kilograms may you lift at work in Germany?
There is no statutory kilogram limit for adults. Whether a load is too heavy depends on how often, how far and in which posture it is moved – this is clarified in the risk assessment, for example with the key indicator method for lifting, holding and carrying. Fixed limits only apply to pregnant workers (5 kg regularly, 10 kg occasionally) and to children doing permitted light tasks.
Who has to assess manual handling?
The employer is responsible as part of the risk assessment. They can appoint competent persons such as managers; the occupational safety specialist and the company doctor advise. Involving the workers pays off, because they know how often and how the loads are actually moved.
Is the key indicator method mandatory?
No, the Manual Handling Ordinance does not prescribe a specific method. However, the BAuA key indicator methods are widely used and recommended by the accident insurance institutions. Anyone using a different procedure must use it to assess the characteristics in the ordinance's annex in a traceable way.
When must occupational health checks be offered?
Where there is substantially increased physical strain on the musculoskeletal system, for example from lifting, carrying, pulling or pushing (ArbMedVV Annex Part 3(2) no. 4). According to AMR 13.2, these are the risk ranges “substantially increased” and “high” – with the key indicator methods, from 50 points.
Terms from the glossary
This guide gives a general overview of German occupational safety law and does not replace legal advice. The regulations in force and the rules of the statutory accident insurance institutions are authoritative.
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