SECTION I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Subject
Article 1
1
This Directive, which is the fourth individual Directive within the meaning of Article 16 (1) of Directive 89/391/EEC, lays down minimum health and safety requirements for the manual handling of loads where there is a risk particularly of back injury to workers.
2
The provisions of Directive 89/391 /EEC shall be fully applicable to the whole sphere referred to in paragraph 1, without prejudice to more stringent and/or specific provisions contained in this Directive.

Definition
Article 2
For the purposes of this Directives, ‘manual handling of loads’ means any transporting or supporting of a load, by one or more workers, including lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying or moving of a load, which, by reason of its characteristics or of unfavourable ergonomic conditions, involves a risk particularly of back injury to workers.
Substituted by Corrigendum to Directive 90/269/EEC of 29 May 1990 on the minimum health and safety requirements for the manual handling of loads where there is a risk particularly of back injury to workers (fourth individual Directive within the meaning of Article 16 (1) of Directive 89/391/EEC) (Official Journal of the European Communities No L 156 of 21 June 1990).