The importance of manual handling training in the workplace
When you think of manual handling there is a good chance that you will only think of businesses that require heavy lifting and transporting parcels or packages around. Of course, these businesses need to be fully aware of manual handling, but manual handling training, such as the training that we offer here at The Training Terminal, can be applicable to a range of business types.
To understand more about manual handling in the workplace, we first need to learn the definition of manual handling. The 1992 Manual Handling Operations Regulations define manual handling as:
« Any transporting or supporting of a load (including the lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying and moving) by hand or bodily force. »
With this in mind, it makes sense that the majority of businesses, some that you may not even realise, should be attending manual handling training. But why is manual handling training so important?
The importance of manual handling training
With so many different businesses approaching manual handling in a variety of ways, manual handling is an incredibly important part of any training schedule. There are two main reasons for this, it reduces injuries and it increases productivity too. But how?
Reducing injuries in the workplace
Getting injured at work is more common than you may realise and incorrect manual handling can be one of the main culprits of this. The most common injury from incorrect manual handling is Musculoskeletal, which covers a wide range of different parts of your body and are not only painful, but can also cause long-term issues too.
Knowing how to correctly lift and carry an item is going to be a huge helping hand in ensuring that you don’t end up injuring yourself, which means that manual handling should definitely one your list of training to offer staff.
Increasing productivity
If a staff member ends up injuring themselves at work, then chances are that they won’t be at work for some time. This is going to have an impact on the business as a whole. Affecting the amount of work that the person who was injured who is going to be able to do, then having a knock effect on the other staff members around them. The sheer volume of this can be reflected by the fact that HSE state that 25.7 million working days were lost in 2016/17 alone due to work-related ill health. Is that time that you are able to lose?
As you can see, manual handling is an incredibly important training course to arrange. Not only does it cover everything that your staff are going to need to keep themselves injury-free, but it protects your customers and your business too.
Want to know more about manual handling training? Why not get in touch with us today at The Training Terminal and source the perfect training course for your business and of course, for your staff too.
Find out more about our Manual Handling training course.
