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Manual Handling Course
This course provides the students with vital skills and information for the safe handling of goods and equipment. This course will go through the main topics you need to know to increase your safety and the safety of others in the workplace. The Manual Handling Course is entirely practically based with no exam, but all candidates will receive constructive comments on their practical performance.
Reasons To Undergo a Manual Handling Course
- Save yourself and your company money
- It reduces your risk of injury
- It raises awareness
- It increases work productivity
There is always going to be some manual labour involved with every job but knowing how to safely lift and move loads will help to reduce the risk of injury for everyone in the workplace and will help increase work productivity.
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About This Course
Course duration – 3 to 4 hours
All employees are suitable for this course.
This is an attendance course and is not examined, but all candidates receive constructive comments on their practical performance.
Content.
- What is manual handling?
- Relating injuries to manual handling
- Cost of manual handling, Employers, National Economy and Personally
- The Health and Safety At Work Act and the Manual Handling Regulations
- The spine
- Risk Assessment, Load, Individual, Task and Environment
- Making a stable base
- Pushing, pulling of trolleys
- Practical work in manual handling
Cost £50 + VAT per candidate
You can book a course to be held at your venue, or book one of my open courses.
Special Offer: use the code Guardian at checkout & receive a free first aid kit!
FAQs
Q. What is the maximum weight a person can be asked to lift?
Currently, there is not a specific maximum weight as different people are classed as having different capabilities. While weight is ultimately a significant factor, other elements are important. It is for this reason why the employer must undertake a Risk Assessment to establish safe parameters for all manual handling tasks.
Q. What constitutes a Manual Handling operation?
Manual Handling is any task involving supporting or transporting any load by human effort. This includes the following actions;
– Pushing with hands, shoulders or torso
– Putting something down
– Carrying
– Pulling a load
– Holding or supporting something in a static position
– Lifting
Q. What are my responsibilities as an employer under the law?
A. Every employer must remove the need for employees to undertake hazardous manual handling activities. When this is not reasonably practical, steps must be taken to reduce the risk as much as possible. To achieve this a risk assessment must be written so that appropriate risk reductions measures can be implemented.
The employer also has the duty to, when possible, provide information about the load. This includes the total weight of each load and the heaviest side if the centre of gravity is not positioned centrally.
Q. What is a Risk Assessment?
A Risk Assessment is an examination of which activities at work could harm people. You can then identify if you have enough precautions to prevent an accidents or whether you need to do more to prevent harm. Everyone who comes into contact with your business, including employees or members of the public, have the right to be protected from harm caused because of a lack of reasonable control measures.
Accidents can ruin lives and affect your businesses if output is lost, equipment is broken, insurance costs increase or you are required to go to court.
You are legally required to assess risks in your workplace so that implement plans to control risks.
Q. How do I assess Risks in my workplace?
There are 5 steps to assessing the risks in your workplace.
Step 1 – Identify the hazards
Step 2 – Decide who is at harm
Step 3 – Evaluate any Risks and establish any precautions
Step 4 – Record finds and implement any findings
Step 5 – Review results and adapt if needed.
Q. What Risk factors must be considered in a Risk Assessment?
Factors covered by the Risk Assessment can fall into the following categories;
The Tasks
- Holding or handling loads away from the body.
- Awkward movements such as twisting or stooping
- Excessive lowering or lifting distances
- Excessive carrying distances, pushing or pulling
- Sudden movements of loads
The Load
- Heavy weights
- Bulky or difficult to hold loads
- Unstable loads – beware of contents that may shift
- Loads that may be damaging to hold. E.g. Hot, cold, sharp or slippery loads
The Working Environment
- Changes in floor levels
- Trailing wires
- Vehicle routes
- Rough or Slippery floor surfaces
Individual Capability
- Lack of understanding or knowledge. E.g. New or young members of staff
- Physical incapabilities as a result of health or mental conditions
- Whether the individual is pregnancy
Q. How can manual handling be avoided?
Mechanical aids are a prime example of ways to avoid manual handing tasks. The following are some of the most common mechanical aids;
Conveyor belts
Pallet Trucks
Electric Hoists
Wheeled Trolleys
Q. Do employees have responsibilities?
A. Yes. Every employee has a legal responsibility to cooperate with their employer’s efforts to improve health and safety, for example, they must wear personal protective equipment if it is provided.) Perhaps most importantly they must be vigilant for each other.
Q. I share my work place. Do I have to do anything?
A. You should tell other employees and self-employed people there about any risks your work could cause them, and inform them of any precautions you are taking. Think about the risks to your own workforce for those who share the workplace.
Q. The work I do varies a lot. Should I do anything different?
A. Identify any hazards that you expect and assess the risk from them. A general assessment will stand you in good stead for the majority of your work. When you do take work to a new site, cover any new or different hazards with a specific assessment.