This course is designed for employees who regularly undertake manual handling activities and would benefit from both underpinning knowledge and practical training.

Learners develop an understanding of manual handling risks and risk assessment before applying safer movement principles to practical activities.

The course includes practical training and competency checks across individual manual handling, use of handling aids or equipment and team manual handling.

Who Should Attend?

Practical Manual Handling Training is suitable for employees whose work regularly involves lifting, lowering, carrying, pushing, pulling or moving loads.

This can include employees working in:

• Warehousing and distribution
• Manufacturing
• Construction and trades
• Engineering
• Logistics
• Facilities and maintenance
• Retail
• Hospitality
• Grounds maintenance
• Utilities
• Outdoor and land-based environments
• Other workplaces involving regular movement of loads

The course is also suitable for new employees, those returning to manual-handling work and employees requiring refresher training.

No previous manual handling qualification is required.

What Does the Course Cover?

Manual Handling Risks & Responsibilities

Learners develop an understanding of:

• What manual handling means
• Common workplace manual handling activities
• Potential injuries and ill health
• Common causes of manual handling injuries
• Individual and task-related risk factors
• Employer and employee responsibilities
• Safe systems of work

Relevant principles from workplace health and safety legislation are also covered, including the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992.

Manual Handling Risk Assessment

Before attempting to move a load, employees need to recognise when a manual handling task presents unnecessary or unacceptable risk.

The course also considers appropriate control measures and the hierarchy of control.

Practical Individual Manual Handling

Learners practise safer principles for moving an appropriate load individually.

Practical training includes:

• Assessing the task before starting
• Checking the load
• Testing the load before attempting to lift
• Recognising when a load should not be manually handled
• Checking the route and destination
• Establishing a stable position
• Positioning close to the load
• Maintaining natural spinal curves
• Moving under control
• Changing direction safely
• Lowering and positioning the load

The underlying practical specification requires learners to assess the load, route and final destination and demonstrate safer movement principles.

Using Manual Handling Aids & Equipment

Manual handling equipment can significantly reduce the physical demands of a task when it is suitable and used correctly.

Learners consider:

• Selecting suitable equipment
• Pre-use equipment checks
• Checking equipment condition
• Correct positioning and control
• Moving loads using wheeled equipment
• Changing direction safely
• Maintaining control of the equipment and load

The source course specifically includes practical application of safer principles when using manual handling aids and equipment.

Practical Team Manual Handling

Some loads require more than one person to move them safely.

Learners practise the principles of team handling, including:

• Assessing the load
• Checking the route
• Deciding whether sufficient people are available
• Identifying suitable hand holds
• Selecting a team leader
• Agreeing instructions and commands
• Clear communication
• Coordinated movement
• Lifting and moving in unison
• Controlled lowering
• Reducing hand, foot and crush injury risks

These elements reflect the team-handling requirements within the practical specification.

Practical Competency Checks

Learners are observed undertaking practical manual handling activities during the course.

Competency is checked across three key areas:

• Individual Manual Handling
• Safely assessing and moving an appropriate load individually.
• Using Equipment
• Safely completing an appropriate manual handling activity using a handling aid or item of equipment.
• Team Manual Handling
• Planning and undertaking a manual handling task as part of a team.

These three areas mirror the Solo Manual Handling, Team Manual Handling and Using Equipment practical assessments within the source qualification.

Course Duration

6 Hours

The course is delivered face-to-face to allow sufficient time for both underpinning knowledge and practical training.

The source Safe Moving and Handling specification allocates 6 guided learning hours to the qualification.

For employees who only require general manual handling knowledge and do not need practical competency checks, our shorter 3-hour Manual Handling Awareness Training may be more appropriate.

Certification

Learners who successfully complete the course and required practical activities receive an:

Optimal First Aid Ltd Practical Manual Handling & Safe Moving Certificate of Completion

This is an Optimal First Aid Ltd workplace training course and is not an RQF or awarding-organisation accredited qualification.

Practical Manual Handling Training at Your Workplace

This course is particularly suited to on-site delivery.

Where safe and appropriate, training activities can be contextualised around the types of loads, handling aids and manual handling tasks employees encounter within their actual working environment.

This could include:

• Boxes and stock
• Workplace equipment
• Tools and materials
• Trolleys and handling aids
• Awkward loads
• Team-handling tasks

This makes the training relevant to the work employees actually undertake rather than relying entirely on generic classroom examples.

Practical Manual Handling Training in Devon

Optimal First Aid provides workplace training for businesses and organisations across Newton Abbot, Exeter, Torquay, Plymouth, Devon and the wider South West.

Courses can be delivered at your workplace, subject to having an appropriate environment and equipment for the practical activities.

For organisations with multiple sites or larger training requirements, contact us to discuss your requirements.

Why Choose Optimal First Aid?

We believe effective workplace training needs to reflect the environment employees actually work in.

Our Practical Manual Handling & Safe Moving course combines risk awareness, decision-making and practical application, giving employees an opportunity to practise safer techniques and receive feedback from their instructor.

Where appropriate, training can be adapted to reflect your organisation’s workplace activities and manual handling risks.