Manual Handling Awareness Questions and Answers

Whatever your role in construction, manual handling training is an essential part of your professional development. Workplace injuries do harm to you and your business resulting in physical injury, costly payouts, attendance issues, unexpected spending and a damaged reputation.

None of the outcomes of poor manual handling practices are what you want for yourself or others. Correct handling of equipment and goods is an important part of compliance and good practice for industry health and safety.

By ensuring all staff attend a manual handling training course you can be sure every member of the team knows how to keep themselves and others safe on site. Relevant for everyone from labourers to managers and supervisors, here’s all you need to know about manual handling training and how it can help you and your team stay safe on site.

What is manual handling training?

Manual handling training is an important part of professional development for anyone working on a construction site. Workplace injuries on construction sites are common, with lots stemming from poor handling techniques.

Many of the most frequent injuries involve damage to the back, joints, shoulders, repetitive strain injury, torn ligaments and other types of musculoskeletal disorders. In too many cases, injured staff were not aware they had been lifting or handling goods in a dangerous way.

Musculoskeletal disorders are known to affect productivity, attendance and well-being yet these injuries are preventable. Manual handling training will teach you how to move equipment and goods safely. You’ll discover how to keep yourself and others free from injury as you: lift, pull, push, bend, transport, steady, twist, carry and move resources on-site.

Who is a manual handling training course for?

Construction is probably one of the most physical sectors you can work in. Lifting, carrying, manoeuvring and transporting goods is central to the work of any construction worker. That’s why manual handling training is necessary for all staff across the industry. Managers must know how to plan, implement and monitor safe practice whilst staff need to understand how to carry out their work correctly.

Whether you’re a labourer, driver, administrator, site supervisor or manager, this course is not to be missed.

What does manual handling training involve?

Your manual handling training will be a 3-hour course that you can attend in person or take online. You can also arrange for training to be delivered to you and your colleagues/team on-site or at a location of your choice.

The thorough course programme will guide you through all the practical skills and background knowledge you need to know to keep yourself and others free from harm when handling goods on-site.

You’ll be taught in a small group of up to about 10

The purpose of the course is to ensure every member of staff has solid knowledge and understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe from injury at work. Workplace safety is everybody’s business.

If health and safety is seen as a top-down action, accidents will inevitably happen. For workplaces to be safe environments, it’s really important every member of staff is properly trained, vigilant and educated about the role we each play in operating safely in the work environment.

From legislation to mechanical aids, best techniques and appropriate load weights for lifting, your manual handling training will cover all you need to know about handling and lifting goods without causing yourself or others harm.

During the manual handling training course you’ll learn:

• current industry regulations and requirements for manual handling, including the 1992 Manual Handling Operations Regulations and HSE guidance.
• your responsibilities as an employee when handling resources, goods and equipment.
• your employer’s responsibilities to provide staff with a safe work environment.
• established techniques and principles for handling resources, goods and equipment safely.
• the types of injuries which commonly occur when good practice is not followed.
• how to spot and address potential dangers in the workplace within the context of manual handling operations.
• how to plan and conduct risk assessments, ensuring adequate controls are in place to mitigate possible accidents.

What is a manual handling test?

The importance of safe practice when working on construction sites cannot be overestimated so it’s really important your knowledge and understanding of safe manual handling is evidenced and proven.

Competence in health and safety is invaluable to employers, particularly in the construction industry where accident rates are high. You’ll be able to cite manual handling training when applying for jobs in future so though assessment may feel like an unnecessary hassle now, you’ll certainly reap added benefits in future.

The assessment for manual handling training involves a 20-question multiple choice test. Test questions will be about the topics covered during training and you’ll need to achieve an 80% pass mark to successfully complete the course.

If you fail your manual handling assessment you can re-take the test. There is no limit to how many times you can re-take the manual handling test but if you use our free practice tests beforehand, you’ll pass first time. Our mock manual handling tests are free and available for you to use online to revise as often as you wish.

What is manual handling training certificate?

Once you pass your manual safety handling test you’ll receive a valuable certificate you can use to evidence your knowledge when applying for future roles. Manual handling certificates last for up to 3 years. Before the certificate expires you’ll need to take a refresher course to ensure your learning is up-to-date with the latest regulations and guidance.

The 3-year time span is consistent with all health and safety certification because it’s crucial trained staff remain in step with current practice.

Why take a manual handling training course?

Workplace injuries are a major concern for the construction industry which has historically had a much higher rate of workplace accidents than almost every other sector. Amongst a number of initiatives to improve industry performance for health and safety, training is a top priority.

Attending a manual handling training course is one of the best ways to ensure all staff know how to lift and handle the many pieces of equipment and resources workers use on construction sites daily. Construction is an extremely physical sector with staff lifting and carrying all sorts of objects all day.

To raise standards, it’s critical everyone takes responsibility for their own safe practice. Those in leadership must be able to manage, implement, monitor and plan for safety. Meanwhile team members should be able to follow protocols and support colleagues correctly.

Your manual handling course will ensure you have a secure knowledge of everything from: common injury risks on site to how to use support equipment correctly, the best ways to handle goods, how to organise handling on site efficiently and how to monitor practice.

In taking manual handling training, you’ll ensure you know how to keep yourself safe on construction sites and can also help others remain free from injury. A secure knowledge of good practice for handling loads will see your productivity and performance increase as you work through more efficient methods and are able to keep your body in top condition.

You can cite training on application forms to show future employers you know how to stay safe on site and follow company protocols for health and safety. Both are important skills, highly regarded by employers who don’t want to have costly, ruinous accidents and injuries occurring on their premises.

What are the main principles of manual handling?

During the course you’ll learn more about the key fundamentals for safe manual handling. Safe practice involves making an honest appraisal of your own capabilities, the type of item you need to handle and the nature of the environment in which you are working, before taking any action.

1. Evaluate the load: Heroics can lead to accidents so it’s critical to look at the type of load you need to move or stabilise. Think about the load realistically and consider how well-equipped you are to manage that resource in the existing environment. From your age to your height and degree of fitness, what challenges might you personally face if you handle the load? Can you move the load on your own or do you need help?
2. Prepare: Make the environment and yourself safe for handling. Depending on what and how you need to move, you may need to put on protective clothing or equipment. Ensure you’re wearing stable, sturdy shoes which enable you to stand flat on the floor and keep your feet covered. If you think you need help, now’s the time to get it.
   Your body should be free from anything which could become trapped such as: loose sleeves, necklaces, trailing shoelaces, rings, earrings and bracelets. Restrictive clothing won’t allow you to flex and bend so check the clothes you have on give you the freedom of movement you need.
3. Ready yourself for the load: We forget the important role our feet play in keeping us steady. Before taking any action you’ll need to ensure your feet are in a secure position so they can keep you body stable. During manual handling training you’ll learn and practice how to accurately position your feet to keep yourself free from injury.
4. Correct technique: Your back is at high risk of injury when you handle equipment, resources and goods. The type of grip you use and how you carry the load will make a huge difference to your safety. Keep your back, muscles, joints and bones safe by following the correct procedures for gripping and holding equipment you’ll be taught and have to time to practice on the course.
5. Posture: It’ so easy to slip into postures which force your spine into awkward positions. Poor posture alone can cause damage to the spine. If you attempt to handle a load whilst maintaining a poor posture you’ll put your spine under serious strain, likely to result in an injury. That’s why manual handling training includes both information-giving and practical activities so you can try out correct techniques for handling loads and ensure you get them right before returning to your own setting to use them daily.
6. Smooth movement: When you do handle the load, the movement you use should be smooth and co-ordinated. The 1992 Manual Handling Operations Regulations sets out clear instructions for how you can do this safely. Learning the full range of correct procedures for moving a load during manual handling training will enable you to carry out your work more efficiently as you confidently move goods using tried and tested techniques.

Take a free practice manual handling quiz above and make sure you pass first time.