Variable manual handling assessment chart (V-MAC) tool

The V-MAC is a tool for assessing manual handling operations where load weights vary. It should be used in conjunction with the MAC tool[79].

The MAC tool[80] was designed for assessing handling operations where the same weight is handled over the workday/shift. However, in practice, load weights are often variable (such as in order picking, parcel sorting, trailer loading/unloading, and parts delivery in manufacturing). The V-MAC was developed to help assess these kinds of jobs.

You may not need to use the V-MAC as it is more complex than is needed for assessing many manual handling operations. It is best suited for order picking and distribution systems which can automatically generate the data for importing into V-MAC.

You need to be aware that significant background knowledge is needed to use the V-MAC successfully. You can gain this from these support pages or through training.

There is more background information to the development of the tool in HSE Research Reports RR838[81] and RR1003[82].

HSE provides detailed guidance on the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992[83].

When can using the V-MAC help you?

When you are assessing jobs that involve regular manual handling operations and you find:

  • You can't assess manual handling using the MAC alone, as the weights of the loads vary. The V-MAC is an alternative graph to be used alongside the MAC to give a more accurate indication of the level of risk for the load weight/frequency risk factor. Then use the MAC for the other risk factors and enter the data into the MAC score sheet[84].
  • You can't assess the job using the Assessment of Repetitive Tasks (ART) tool[85]. The ART[86] can help you assess repetitive tasks mostly involving the upper limbs.

Before starting to use the V-MAC, find out more about its advantages and limitations[87] and what you need to know to use it successfully[88].

Detailed risk assessments

There is general advice from HSE on risk assessment related to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Some manual handling operations need a detailed risk assessment that considers all the potential risk factors. The HSE guidance on the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992[89] will help you do this.

Next page: Advantages and limitations of the V-MAC[90]

Link URLs in this page

  1. MSDshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/msds.htm
  2. Back painhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/backpain/index.htm
  3. Upper limb disordershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/index.htm
  4. Lower limb disorders https://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/lld/index.htm
  5. Display screen equipment (DSE)https://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/dse/index.htm
  6. Manual handling at workhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/manual-handling/index.htm
  7. Overview - MSD toolkithttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/toolkit.htm
  8. Overview - MAC toolhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/index.htm
  9. Introduction to MAChttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/introduction.htm
  10. Developmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/development.htm
  11. Score sheethttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/scoresheet.htm
  12. Overview - Liftinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/liftintro.htm
  13. Lifting from pallet videohttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/liftvid1.htm
  14. Lifting creels of wire videohttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/liftvid2.htm
  15. Lifting control measureshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/guidance01a.htm
  16. Overview - Carryinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/carryintro.htm
  17. Carrying from conveyor videohttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/carryvid1.htm
  18. Carrying task in pastry factory videohttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/carryvid2.htm
  19. Carrying control measureshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/guidance02a.htm
  20. Overview - Team handlinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/teamintro.htm
  21. Team handling pallet videohttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/teamvid1.htm
  22. Team handling container videohttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/teamvid2.htm
  23. Team handling control measureshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/guidance03a.htm
  24. Psychosocial risk factorshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/psychosocial.htm
  25. Individual differenceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/individuals.htm
  26. MAC assessment tipshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/tips.htm
  27. MAC FAQhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/faq.htm
  28. Overview - V-MAChttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/vmac/index.htm
  29. Advantages and limitationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/vmac/1-advantages-limitations.htm
  30. What you need to knowhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/vmac/2-what-you-need-to-know-before.htm
  31. How to use the V-MAChttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/vmac/3-how-to-use.htm
  32. Which jobs and workers to assesshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/vmac/4-which-jobs-workers-to-assess.htm
  33. Entering datahttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/vmac/5-entering-data.htm
  34. What does the V-MAC tell you?https://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/vmac/6-what-does-vmac-tell-you.htm
  35. Values in the summary tablehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/vmac/7-summary-tables.htm
  36. Recording and usinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/vmac/8-recording-and-using.htm
  37. Worked exampleshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/vmac/9-worked-examples.htm
  38. V-MAC FAQshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/vmac/10-faqs.htm
  39. Overview - ART toolhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/index.htm
  40. What is the ART toolhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/whatis.htm
  41. Overview - Learning to use the ART toolhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/learning.htm
  42. Preparationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/preparation.htm
  43. Risk factorshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/riskfactors.htm
  44. Observationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/observation.htm
  45. Overview - Making an assessmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/assessment.htm
  46. Task descriptionshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/task.htm
  47. Overview - Assessment guidehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/assessguide.htm
  48. A. Frequency and repetition of movementshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/freqrep.htm
  49. B. Forcehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/forceassessment.htm
  50. C. Awkward postureshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/awkpostures.htm
  51. D. Additional factorshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/addfactors.htm
  52. Score sheethttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/score.htm
  53. A walkthroughhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/walkthrough.htm
  54. Overview - Try it outhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/try.htm
  55. Book bindinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/bookbinding.htm
  56. Jogging sheetshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/jogging.htm
  57. Collating papershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/papers.htm
  58. Whisky carton assemblyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/cartonassembly.htm
  59. Croissant curlinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/croissant.htm
  60. Overview - Analysis and actionshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/analysis.htm
  61. What the scores meanhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/scoresmean.htm
  62. Analysing task rotationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/rotation.htm
  63. Overview - Taking actionhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/action.htm
  64. Repetitionhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/repetition.htm
  65. Forcehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/force.htm
  66. Posturehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/posture.htm
  67. Durationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/duration.htm
  68. Physical environmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/environment.htm
  69. Psychosocial issueshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/psychosocial.htm
  70. Art Tool Resourceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/resources.htm
  71. Frequently asked questionshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/faq.htm
  72. Overview - RAPP toolhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/pushpull/index.htm
  73. Push/pull riskshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/pushpull/risks.htm
  74. Push/pull risk assessmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/pushpull/assessment.htm
  75. The lawhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/legislation.htm
  76. Health monitoringhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/health-monitoring.htm
  77. Workershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/workers-msds.htm
  78. Resourceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/resources.htm
  79. MAC toolhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/index.htm
  80. MAC toolhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/index.htm
  81. RR838https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr838.htm
  82. RR1003https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr1003.htm
  83. Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l23.htm
  84. MAC score sheethttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg383.htm
  85. Assessment of Repetitive Tasks (ART) toolhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/index.htm
  86. ARThttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/index.htm
  87. advantages and limitationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/vmac/1-advantages-limitations.htm
  88. what you need to know to use it successfullyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/vmac/2-what-you-need-to-know-before.htm
  89. Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l23.htm
  90. Advantages and limitations of the V-MAChttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/vmac/1-advantages-limitations.htm
  91. MAC toolhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/mac/index.htm
  92. ART toolhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/uld/art/index.htm

Glossary of abbreviations/acronyms on this page

MAC
Manual handling assessment chart tool
ART
Assessment of Repetitive Tasks

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Updated: 2025-02-18