The empty weight does not decide whether one person can handle a loaded container; the loaded weight, its distribution and the route do. The Turkish Manual Handling Regulation sets no kilogram limit that fits everyone: the employer first provides mechanical means that make manual handling unnecessary and, if it cannot be avoided, reduces risk according to load, floor and task (Articles 5 and 6, Annex 1).
Weigh the container full first, and record whether the load is evenly spread and, for liquids, whether it shifts (Annex 1 lists an unstable load as a risk factor). Then watch the worker on the real route through pushing, thresholds, turning and loading; floor, level changes and repetition go into the record.
If the weight is too much there are three routes:
- A castored base, turning lifting into pushing; the Ministry of Labour guide prefers pushing to pulling, hands at chest height, effort from the legs.
- Split the load across two containers, or limit liquid fill by weight.
- Move to a smaller volume.
A container that needs a second person on every delivery is a large item in the annual wage bill; a size down or a castored choice reduces it. Staffing starts with the equipment choice.
