While it might not seem like manual handling is a considerable risk to your business, it’s one of the leading causes of workplace injuries. It doesn’t matter what the principal duties of your employees may be, whether you are filing paperwork in the office, stacking shelves in a shop, or bricklaying on site. Goods and materials, tools, and equipment must be moved, lifted, and carried throughout the day, presenting a risk if carried out incorrectly.
So, let’s evaluate the impact poor manual handling can have on your business (and employees) and explain why investing in accredited manual handling training is a good idea.
Why is Poor Manual Handling Such a Risk to Your Business and Employees?
While you might not have given much thought to manual handling (after all, you probably pick up objects all the time), when it goes wrong, there can be serious implications for your employees’ health and your firm’s productivity.
You may not be aware, but manual handling is the country’s leading cause of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). According to the HSE, these disorders, which affect the muscles, joints, and tendons of the body, contribute to as many as 8 million lost working days every year. In fact, work-related musculoskeletal disorders account for 24% of all working days lost due to work-related ill health. That’s how serious this problem is.
While manual handling is never likely to be fatal, using the incorrect techniques can lead to long-term harm and can leave employees in pain for life. While it’s true that manual industries such as construction carry a higher risk associated with manual handling, an office worker is just as likely to sustain severe injuries from lifting a heavy box of stationary incorrectly (for example).
How Can You Protect Your Employees and Business from Injuries Caused by Manual Handling?
How Can You Protect Your Employees and Business from Injuries Caused by Manual Handling?Given the seriousness of manual handling and the potential it has to wreck the long-term health of your employees, what can you do to reduce the impact of the stress we put on our bodies every time we lift something?
One of the best ways to mitigate the risks associated with manual handling is to invest in accredited training that teaches the safest techniques for lifting and carrying items and how to risk-assess each manual handling action using frameworks such as LITE (Load, Individual, Task, Environment).
One of the fundamental tenets of reducing the impacts manual handling can have on your business and employees is to employ methods that avoid manual handling in the first place, which is also covered within manual handling training.
Book Your Manual Handling Training Today with TL Training
Manual handling, when carried out incorrectly, poses not only a serious threat to the health of your employees but also has implications for your operations with long employee absences, reduced mobility, and restricted productivity.
An investment in a single manual handling course can save thousands of pounds in lost productivity and better protect your employees’ bodies from the wear and tear of the workplace.
At TL Training, we offer professional, affordable, and accredited manual handling training solutions to ensure your employees (and business) are safe when handling or carrying items. We can deliver these courses on-site or at our accredited training facility in Bromborough, with finance also available to new and established businesses.
So if you want to install safe lifting and carrying practices within your workforce to enhance employee welfare and productivity, don’t hesitate to contact a member of our team on 0151 343 0588 or via email at [email protected] to learn more about our latest course availability.
