I do agency 7.5T work at the moment, and I was working for a timber company the last two days. Last week, I worked for a steel supplier. Both were multi-drop, with some of the drops being really write heavy stuff - heavy duty thick joists, large half inch ply sheets, even RSJs - not too bad if you are delivering to a site, but domestic drops and farms tend to leave you to get on with it, whereas a builders sure or engineers will assist you to unload. Neither job saw me having the assistance of a driverās mate, and, although I managed the job, out got me to thinking - are these companies puling a bit of a fast one?
When I did a few days work for wickes, a drivers mate always came along, and it made a big difference - it also meant I got more jobs completed.
Can you lift it and carry it safely where it needs to be?
If so atop moaning.
I think the French say 35 kilos but we know what theyāre like
Whateverās comfortable with you as it depends on your build etc.
Have a look on websites about safe lifting methods.
1 person is 25kg max. 2 (or more) people, no limit.
I am not [zb] moaning, it is a genuine question! How much support do you reckon I would get as an agency bod if a gust catches a 4āx8ā sheet of 1/2" marine ply, and my back goes? The square root of [zb]-all, thats how much. And itāll be my own fault for not seeking assustance ir something.
Can I not seek advice on these newbie forums? So I can make informed decisions in future?
Anyway, to address the responses given by non mouth-breathers:
Yeah, I seem to remember something about 25kg from a manual handling course I did at work, back in the 90s - seems ridiculously low to me, I am comfortable with more, probably twice that, actually. But there had to be a cut off somewhere. I want to be able to say ānoā at the depot when I see something bring craned or fltād on, which looks dodgy, so itād be good to kn ou w where I stand, legally like.
Language edit. The rules havenāt changed. L.
The most recent manual handling Iāve had suggested the tilt test. Try it and if you think itās too heavy then itās too heavy.
The 25kg limit is not AIUI an absolute legal maximum but H+S guidelines. Iāll be corrected if Iām wrong though 
With a trolley pump truck it is 500 kgās or half a ton.
Anymore than that a one ton pallet should be split down to two pallets.
On farm drops the farmer will have a bad back or be at the market when he knows a handball is on the way.
He will leave a note āPlease unload the ten pallets behind the barnā
The regular drivers do it.
Over pebbles or a shingle drive and the pump truck is useless.
mrpj:
The 25kg limit is not AIUI an absolute legal maximum but H+S guidelines. Iāll be corrected if Iām wrong though
Iām pretty certain you wonāt be corrected on that, there is no legal maximum weight you can carry at work.
Though Iām sure some EU bureaucrat is probably working on it 
Itās H&S advise for one person not to carry over 25kg without help, be it human help or mechanical help.
There are no statutory limits on what you can or cannot be expected to lift/carry at work - and there is a world of difference between carrying 25kg in the form of say, a single heavy box with handles that can be carried at waist height over a short distance and repeatedly carrying awkwardly shaped sheet material or having to lift it to head height, take it upstairs etc.
This HSE leaflet explains it pretty well: hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg143.pdf
Iāll happily throw gearboxes around for my current job, 40kg each but you can hold them fairly well.
But no chance Iād be lifting the same weight or even less in beams and sheets. As you say, one gust of wind and youāre on your arse.
Used to supply wood myself and had a few wondering if it was a good idea. Tried to double man anything over an 8x4 12mm but the moneys not always in it.
Same with the long stuff, you walk in to a door frame carrying a few lengths of angle on your shoulder, thatās you needing two hands to put your seatbelt on for the journey home.
And also re farms, I always ensure I have a few lads or a fork lift handy, guy who brings my steel sits watching 
Used to do B&Q home delivery kitchens used to get washing machines up flights of stairs oak worktops freezers used to be a pain in the arris but any mention of elf&safety used to get the āits a kitchen what you expect?ā.
Radiators were another one awkward bloody things lol.
go with your instinct, if you find it a strain & need help donāt shift it! as you say yaself, when on agency no one gives a toss if you bust ya back/slip a disk whatever! so if ya feel ya cant ā ā ā ā um!
there is a big difference throwing 20kg sacks on ya shoulder compared to 20kg unusual pieces of steel you have to grip in one hand
I can at best lift 35 kg for short distances, but I have knackered cartridge in my knees from 2 minor bike accidents so removels or white good I wont move unless its for myself at home
A bacon sarnie and a brew ā¦ just go steady if you get a full English in a roll though 
i use t do garage doors for garidor in Yeovil a few years ago and they were bloody heavy. especially double garage doors with the full frame attached, try getting that up someones drive with just a small set of dolly wheels, just getting it off the trailer was a feat in its self 
Garador deliver double solid oak garage doors.
It has changed now.If you ring ahead to arrange a time and nobody is there just ring Dave Reed to say you are bringing the door back.
There must be help on arrival.
The best drops are on pallets or metal L shape ones that hold a dozen or more doors that can be fork lifted off.
Every client must be rang on Fridays to arrange delivery day and time.
Dav1d:
1 person is 25kg max. 2 (or more) people, no limit.
Yeah me and my mate regularly lift 1 ton togetherā¦
To ACCURATELY sum it up you should only be lifting what you are comfortable with and this includes when using pallet trucks.
OK, well thanks all for your replies - some interesting and useful stuff in there. Its nice to know its not just me being a wuss (well not all the time anyway ).
Now I know that it is kind of up to me, to lift what I feel comfortable with, I can judge when to say ānoā, rather than thinking I am being unreasonable, and that others would lift it. I am pretty robust, with decent core and upper-body strength, so I wonāt be collapsing under the weight of an empty pallet or anything - just wanted to gauge what was the norm.
Legally the company you are working for, regardless of if itās through an agency or not, should put you through a manual handling course and assessment if this makes up part of your job. It is on this course you should be directed on weights you are permitted to handle safely and if you should be using any MHE, PPE etc.
In the majority of cases, this is a Cover Your A**se tool for insurance prurposes for the company so its in their best interest.
At HDNL now Yodel, it was 33kg for 1 person lift! Whatever a company deems a safe max lift is not always what YOU can lift - be extremely careful, and only carry what YOU deem manageable! Anything else, ask for help, or refuse