Manual handling training is a necessary part of keeping safety levels high within the workplace, especially with manual handling related injuries being one of the biggest causes of lost work days within the workplace.
Lifting or carrying heavy objects can lead to injuries such as minor aches to long-term muscle disorientation so it is important to present the correct training systems within your working environment.
A constant cycle of repetitive strain can become a huge problem, especially handling very heavy items on a regular occurrence, leading to a high level of complications later on in life.
Why do I need Manual Handling Training?
If injuries occur within your environment of business, this will have a significant impact on your workforce and overall productivity.
The highest number of injuries are recorded within the industrial sector such as employees in warehouses and factories, but the number of injuries that occur within offices and retail stores are on the rise.
There are many causes of injuries within the workplace and this can be due to poor health and safety management within your company. These injuries can range from lifting heavy items to producing repetitive poor posture – resulting in a damaging effect on your employee’s physical health and general comfort levels.
To reduce the risk of these events, it is important to be trained and gain core information about manual handling within the workplace. Training your staff the importance of self-care and understanding the consequences of not undergoing vital training.
What precautions should I take when lifting heavy items in the working environment?
There is a range of procedures and levels of training that should be taken into account and analysed when pursuing heavy objects such as:
- The weight and size of the item/items at hand
- An individual’s sole strength and ability to carry items
- The condition of your working environment e.g. is there much space to move around within your working environment, is there any health hazards that could potentially produce an injury.
- The levels of training e.g. do you have trained health and safety staff.
- Is there a sufficient level of organisation within your working environment?
Here are just a few questions and items that you should consider when analysing your team’s capability and working environment.
When possible, allow heavy items to be carried by machinery – especially in working environments such as warehouses and factory backgrounds. This will make sure that your injury levels are lower within your company, producing a safer place to work.
Manual Lifting procedures
When pursuing manual lifting, it is important to know what body movements are the safest to take and the overall steps to lift and place heavy items effectively.
Of course, the below points are just a few things to consider but you can apply these tips straight away within your working environment to provide a safer and more productive team.
- It can be a natural pursuit, but try to avoid the act of lifting heavy items from floor level or above shoulder height as this will cause a strain of the back, spine and lower back.
- If it is necessary to lift heavy items, consider splitting the weight with another member of the team or if possible, take weight off the item and proceed in parts.
- Avoid where possible the acts of reaching high heights, crouching in small spaces and the amount of spinning/twisting your team proceeds with as this could cause workplace injuries and strain.
- Analyse your working environment and see if there can be more appropriate places for items to be and limit the amount your team carries to these destinations.
It is important to always try to optimise your working environment and where possible, reduce the risk of injuries by organising items in a safe way and create available space for you and your team.
The consequences of poor risk management in the workplace
We hear about injuries occurring in the workplace but never really pursue the necessary actions in order to make sure they don’t take place.
Annually, a vast amount of injuries take place in the working environment, leading to an average sick day time of 21 days for every injured employee.
Injuries such as slipping, falling from high heights and long-term strains can lead to devastating results for employees and also productivity within the workplace.
Costs are also a vital part of injuries as businesses can experience large losses due to employees not being able to work, resulting in a loss in customer loyalty and reputation of the brand.
It is vital to you, your business and workforce to comply with health and safety procedures within your working environment in order to sustain a healthy team and to provide a reliable brand to your customers.
How to find a reliable health and safety provider
Choose 1st Choice, the professional health and safety provider for you and your business.
With a variety of courses on-site and externally at our training headquarters and various locations across the country, we provide you with the best manual handling training course for you.
Our main objective is to reduce the risk of injury from manual handling and to train delegates to use the correct procedures to lift heavy objects and provide safety for both themselves and people around them.
Get in touch with 1st Choice today and enquire on our manual handling course now to provide safety and security to your employees.
