TILE stands for Task, Individual, Load and Environment. It is a useful way to organise manual handling checks.
For Aberdeen and Grampian businesses moving deliveries, stock or equipment, it helps teams look beyond a parcel’s weight and consider the whole job.
Manual handling includes pushing, pulling, carrying and lowering loads as well as lifting them. A familiar job can still become hazardous when the route changes, the pace increases or a different person carries it out. The first question is whether hazardous handling can be avoided, rather than how someone should lift the item.
The four TILE checks
Task: consider the movement from start to finish. Reaching over a pallet, twisting towards a shelf, carrying a load a long distance or repeating the same movement can increase the demands. Moving the storage point closer, changing its height or using suitable handling equipment may reduce those demands.
Individual: consider the person doing the work, including their capability, relevant training and any health conditions or temporary circumstances that affect the task. A new starter should not be expected to manage a job simply because an experienced colleague can. Workers’ feedback can reveal difficulties that are easy to miss.
Load: check its weight, dimensions, stability and grip. A lightweight but bulky carton can obscure the route ahead, while loose contents may shift unexpectedly. Sharp edges, slippery packaging and an off-centre load can create additional problems. Splitting a consignment into smaller, manageable loads may help where appropriate.
Environment: examine the route and destination. Uneven floors, poor lighting, cramped doorways and wet surfaces all deserve attention. Check that there is enough room for the person, load and any trolley, including at corners. A clear-looking aisle is not necessarily suitable for moving every type of load.
A delivery-room example
Consider a fictional trade counter receiving several cartons for a rear stockroom. The cartons are repeatedly carried from floor level through a narrow doorway. Staff then twist to place them on shelving. Recording only the carton weight would miss much of the problem.
A TILE review could lead to a nearer receiving point, storage at a more suitable height and an appropriate handling aid. The aid needs checking too: wheel condition, route width and the effort needed to start, stop and steer it all matter. The assessment should cover the complete movement, including loading and unloading the trolley.
Is 25kg a safe lifting limit?
There is no universal safe lifting weight, and the Manual Handling Operations Regulations do not set a specific weight limit. HSE’s guideline figures are screening aids, not permission to lift that weight in any situation. Even a lighter load can present a risk when it involves awkward posture, repetition or unsuitable conditions.
TILE and the next step
TILE is a memory aid, not a safety certificate or a complete assessment method. Where a task needs closer examination, HSE’s MAC tool supports assessment of lifting, carrying and team handling, while its RAPP tool addresses pushing and pulling.
The useful outcome is a change to the work. Employers should avoid hazardous manual handling where reasonably practicable, assess unavoidable risks and reduce them. Relevant training supports those measures but cannot replace a safer task or layout. Staff should understand the agreed method and know when to stop and seek help.
For businesses improving delivery areas, Ready Set Supplied offers line-marking materials and site supplies that can support a planned layout. Clear routes are one part of the picture: keeping the task, person, load and environment under review is what makes TILE useful in day-to-day work.