Manual Handling Training

The Manual Handling Training Course from Davis Access is designed to provide employees with the knowledge, practical techniques, and confidence to carry out manual handling activities safely while complying with current UK health and safety legislation. Whether your role involves lifting, lowering, carrying, pushing, pulling, or moving loads, this course helps reduce the risk of injury, improve workplace safety, and ensure best practice when undertaking manual handling tasks.

Manual handling is one of the most common workplace activities across almost every industry. Construction workers, warehouse operatives, delivery drivers, engineers, healthcare professionals, retail staff, facilities management teams, manufacturers, and office employees all carry out manual handling activities during the course of their working day. Unfortunately, incorrect lifting techniques continue to be one of the leading causes of workplace injuries throughout the UK, resulting in thousands of lost working days every year due to back injuries, muscle strains, repetitive strain injuries, and other musculoskeletal disorders.

The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 place a legal responsibility on employers to avoid hazardous manual handling activities wherever reasonably practicable. Where manual handling cannot be avoided, employers must assess the risks involved, implement suitable control measures, and provide employees with adequate information, instruction, and training. This Manual Handling Training Course has been developed to help organisations meet these legal obligations while reducing the likelihood of workplace injuries and improving employee wellbeing.

Throughout the course, delegates will gain a thorough understanding of why manual handling injuries occur and how they can be prevented. Learners will explore the importance of carrying out suitable risk assessments before undertaking lifting activities and understand how poor planning, incorrect posture, awkward loads, repetitive movements, and unsuitable working environments all contribute to manual handling injuries.

A key part of the course focuses on the recognised TILE principles of risk assessment, considering the Task, Individual, Load, and Environment before any manual handling activity begins. Delegates will learn how to assess each of these factors to determine the safest method of completing the task while reducing unnecessary strain on the body.

The course also provides practical guidance on safe lifting techniques, including maintaining good posture, adopting stable footing, keeping loads close to the body, avoiding twisting movements, and understanding individual lifting capabilities. Delegates will learn when mechanical handling aids should be used instead of manual lifting and appreciate the importance of asking for assistance when handling heavy or awkward loads.

Manual handling is about far more than simply lifting boxes. This course covers pushing, pulling, carrying, lowering, holding, team lifting, repetitive handling tasks, and working within confined or restricted spaces. Delegates will also understand how environmental factors such as uneven flooring, poor lighting, slippery surfaces, obstacles, and weather conditions can increase the risks associated with manual handling activities.

The manual handling training course reinforces the importance of maintaining good housekeeping standards, wearing suitable personal protective equipment (PPE), communicating effectively during team lifting tasks, and reporting any hazards or injuries promptly. These simple but effective measures help create a safer working environment while reducing the likelihood of accidents and lost productivity.

By completing the Manual Handling Training Course, delegates will gain practical knowledge that can be immediately applied in the workplace, helping both employees and employers reduce injury risks, improve efficiency, and maintain compliance with UK health and safety legislation.

FAA Level 2 Award in Manual Handling

Duration
This is a 6-hour classroom based manual handling training course. Dependant on the learner’s experience, there may well be some pre-course or post-course reading.

Syllabus

A range of subjects are covered in this manual handling training course that will equip delegates to:

• Understanding the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
• Employer and employee legal responsibilities
• Understand the reasons for safe manual handling
• Understand how manual handling risk assessments contribute to improving health and safety
• Understand the principles, types of equipment and testing requirements associated with manual handling safety
• Be able to apply safe manual handling principles
• Common causes of manual handling injuries
• Understanding musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
• Correct lifting and lowering techniques
• Safe pushing and pulling methods
• Carrying awkward or bulky loads
• Good posture and body mechanics

Who Should Attend?

This Manual Handling Training Course is suitable for:

• Construction workers
• Warehouse and logistics operatives
• Manufacturing employees
• Facilities management teams
• Healthcare professionals
• Retail staff
• Engineers and maintenance personnel
• Delivery drivers
• Local authority employees
• Supervisors and managers
• Anyone whose role involves manual handling activities

Certification
Practical assessment is on-going by the instructor, culminating with a written test.
This manual handling training qualification does not expire, but refresher manual handling training and keeping up to date with changes to policies and procedures is vital to keep the qualification current.

Numbers
A maximum of 12 students are allowed and must be a minimum of 14 years of age and a Manual Handling training certificate can be offered to all, subject to assessment.