When is manual handling training required

If we are unable to avoid the task and the associated risk i. Once the manual handling risk assessment is complete, we should seek to reduce the risk of injury as far as is reasonable.

This step is an easy one to get our heads around as there are some questions we should ask ourselves:. When you cannot avoid the risk of injury from hazardous manual handling, you must move on to completing a manual handling risk assessment; this will help you determine what health and safety measures you can put in place to manage the risks involved.

E , also known as the four key areas of manual handling. The HSE have some comprehensive toolkits available to help employers complete their risk assessments. The tools are split by the type of task, with some tasks needing you to consider using more than one tool.

The tools available include:. One thing that I find many organisations missing is the importance of consulting their employees; this means making sure that your employees are fully involved in the risk assessment process, using their knowledge and experience to inform a full and detailed assessment of risk. Who better to understand the risks than the people doing the job!

Through the risk assessment process you will uncover ways and means controls to reduce the risk of injury. There are many ways to reduce risk, here are just some of them:. The guide is based on TILE, covering ways to reduce risk by focusing on:. However, where manual handling does involve a risk of injury the employer needs to act.

A third of all workplace injuries reported to the HSA are caused by manual handling activities, and those injuries are a leading cause of work disability. The first option should be to remove or reduce the need for manual handling.

Just providing training will not reduce injury rates and will not protect anyone. Manual handling training needs to be specific and relevant to the tasks involved. So, if your job involves moving heavy barrels around a warehouse, the training should reflect this.

Healthy, safe and productive lives and enterprises. Please Note Our website uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience and to collect information about how you use this site to improve our service to you. Evaluate the risks. You should evaluate the risks and decide whether you can eliminate the risk factors. Record your findings and implement them. This is required by law if there are more than five employees. You need to implement your precautions and show that the remaining risk is low.

Review and update. A risk assessment must never be conducted and forgotten about. You should frequently review the assessment, re-assess the risks to see if the level of harm has increased, and update accordingly.

Who Needs Manual Handling Training? Heavy manual labourers. Construction and building site workers. Office workers. Delivery drivers. Kitchen staff. As do damaged goods, which employees must be able to identify. This comes from knowledge gained in training. Employee duties also include attendance at compulsory training sessions. If you fail to attend, you are liable for any workplace accidents that you cause.

This is because you will not know about the most up to date practices and procedures. A manual handling training course is an absolutely crucial part of any workplace. For a greater understanding, you can view one of the many online eLearning courses. Our course is wide-reaching, detailed and RoSPA approved. You can view our online manual handling training course here.