Manual handling in healthcare – preventing injuries due to lifting
If you work in the health care industry you may need a manual handling certificate. A manual handling course provides employees with the knowledge required to prevent injuries due to manual handling. Many organisations have introduced ‘minimal lifting’ or ‘no lifting’ approaches as a part of their manual handling risk management, which also involves manual handling training. This type of approach focuses on the use of equipment to reduce injuries caused by patient lifting and other patient handling. The provision of manual handling equipment and aids is a risk control measure that attempts to control risks at their source.
This approach involves:
- consulting with staff in the trial and purchase of manual handling equipment
- providing appropriate lifting aids and equipment to assist staff in moving/transferring patients
- manual handling training of staff in the correct use of the aids and equipment, in manual handling
- techniques and in patient assessment
- assessing patients to determine their specific manual handling needs and standardising the method of handling
- encouraging appropriate patient mobility and independence
- prohibiting manual lifting (including team lifting) except in emergencies;
- providing adequate levels of appropriately skilled staff
- enforcing the use of equipment through supervision and post- manual handling training support.
Manual handling training provides advice on the principles of the minimal lifting approach. It assumes your organisation already has policies and programs supporting the implementation of risk management strategies.
Nursing unions have introduced no-lift policies from about 1997. Ideally, all facilities would follow a ‘no lifting’ policy, where lifting is eliminated or minimised. Any handling which involves manually lifting the whole or a substantial part of the resident’s weight is avoided. Facilities implementing ‘no-lift’ policies have drastically reduced their manual handling injuries.
Manual handling training – learning to work with your body
You only get one body. Most of us get it in good order and condition. Then spend the rest of our lives trying to break it, ruin it or just plain neglect it. A manual handling course will help you understand the effects of manual handling injuries and the value of, and the need for, correct manual handling practices.
The more wear and tear the body gets the shorter it’s useful life. You don’t want to be reckless at work and find that you cannot enjoy the later years of your life because of chronic injury and pain. You only get one body. Look after it!
If you are involved in any form of manual handling in the office, warehouse or as a healthcare worker, manual handling training will help you understand the requirements of the Manual Handling Regulations and Compliance Code, and earn you a
The human skeleton is made up of all the bones in our body. Where the bones connect is called a joint. This is where bones may pivot to provide us with flexibility and movement. Joints are usually coated with a smooth surface to make movement easy and painless. It is this coating and the cushioning material that often damaged when we put too much stress on our joints. Especially in the spine.
The power and strength in our movements is caused by our muscles. Muscles attach to the bones with ligaments so that the effective result is tugging on a lever to produce movement and power.
Our arms are designed as levers. Muscles act on the bones and the joints are designed for bending, twisting and lifting forces. The arms are designed for us to pick up and move objects.
Our legs are also designed as levers. Muscles act on the bones and the joints are designed for bending twisting and lifting forces. The legs are designed to be very strong and powerful to lift us up and move. The leg muscles are very powerful and the bones are strong. The legs should be used for any safe lifting.
Manual handling training is also important in showing you the basic anatomy and function of the spine. Up to one third of all work injuries in Australia occur during manual handling. Most of the reported accidents involving manual handling tasks cause back injury although hands arms and feet are also vulnerable.
Sometimes the person injured never fully recovers or requires a long period of rehabilitation before they are able to work again. This is why having a manual handling certificate is so valuable.
Manual Handling Training for Healthcare Workers
Managing manual handling risks should be regarded as a cyclical process aimed at continuous monitoring, review and improvement. Manual handling training can get your staff up to speed on what are some of the things to be aware of before they receive their manual handling certificate. An online manual handling course (more…)
Manual handling training – an employer’s legal obligations
Manual handling law is managed by Acts of Parliament in each State and Territory in Australia. Each State and Territory has an Act (the Law), which enforces Regulations (the framework), which are supported by Codes of Practice (the guidance). (more…)
Manual handling training – reducing injury for healthcare workers
Statistics from the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission for the aged care industry show that in 1996–97 strains and sprains made up three-quarters of all the workers’ compensation injuries that occurred. It is important to remember that manual handling injuries can be the result of lots of stresses and strains over time. (more…)
Manual handling safety – how to protect your back
Lifting objects is part of our daily life and fortunately the strength of your back and the rest of your body allows you to do this. However, lifting (or manual handling as it is often called) is also a common cause of back pain. (more…)
Manual Handling Training Certificate
Are you looking for a workers course for manual handling trainer that can be used for refresher training? We offer an online course for healthcare workers including those who work in aged care.
Organisational Duty of Care
For organisational heads, we provide online training will enable you to meet legal requirements. Manual handling also known as manual tasks, includes the task of assessing risks associated with various related activities.
Safe manual handling policies and procedures enable businesses to provide a secure working environment. Typically push pull carry techniques is something you cannot do without proper training. Training will also help in reducing claims for compensation which prompts insurers to charge lower premiums and is bound to increase output due to reduced absenteeism by workers.
What better than to get a training course that meets all state Occupational Handling and Safety (OHS) or Work Health and Safety regulations and all at your convenience? It is done either in a span of 3 hours face-to-face or 45-60 minutes online, whichever suits you better.
How often should I undertake Manual Handling Refresher Training?
Manual Handling training is something that needs to be refreshed from time to time. Refer back to your workplace to find exactly when you need to undertake refresher training. As a guideline though, the risk of injury increases the longer you leave it, particularly if you perform manual handling tasks on a regular basis.
You should not leave the refreshment of your manual handling training longer than 3 years. In many cases, it may be advisable to do a manual handling course earlier than this, particularly if you need your manual handling certificate for compliance reasons.
Manual Handling in the Healthcare / Aged Care Sector
In the health care industry, many employers require proof of manual handling training. One simple way to do this is by getting your manual handling certificate of completion online. You’ll need to put aside a couple of hours in total to do your manual handling course, but once your manual handling training is done, and you’ve passed all the quizzes you’ll be able to print out your certificate on the spot to give to your employer.
Online is becoming an increasingly popular way of getting a certificate particularly for those who are just refreshing their prior accredited manual handling training. Our course includes all the necessary manual handling best practice.
You can find out more about what is manual handling here to go to the relevant page.
Manual handling training
Manual handling has often been associated with a high risk of injury; in fact, a recent assessment of causes of such risks ranks lack of proper training in the top five. (more…)
