Musculoskeletal disorders such as back pain and a host of other painful conditions are, according to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), the most common cause of occupational ill health in Great Britain. With one million people affected every year, around 11.6 million working days lost and a cost to society of £5.7 billion, it is clear to see the vital importance of carrying out effective manual handling risk assessments in the workplace.

Risk factors can be found in pretty much every working environment, regardless of the industry. Of course, risk assessments are only going to be beneficial if they are conducted correctly by people who understand their importance, and have a good working knowledge of the level of the risks posed.

Manual Handling Risk Assessment Training

There is a range of useful guidance provided by the HSE, and it is important that those responsible for carrying out manual handling risk assessments are familiar with it. It is also important that those people possess sufficient levels of competency.

Manual handling risk assessor training is a good way to bring skills like this in-house. Doing so will provide you with more control, and you’ll benefit from cost savings too, due to not having to engage external assessors. What’s more, in-house risk assessors will have a well-honed ability in applying their knowledge to situations that are specific to your business.

Hands-on, Practical Training

Alistair Bromhead Ltd offers a 1-day manual handling risk assessor certificate course designed to equip staff with the competency to conduct manual handling risk assessments. The great thing about the course is that it is held onsite and fully tailored to the specific needs and circumstances of a business. It involves practical, hands-on, interactive training where participants are taken around the workplace with a highly experienced instructor and get to conduct live assessments on a range of real situations.

This course has proved very popular with one particular university. The scope of their operations, and the diversity of tasks, made learning how to carry out risk assessments something of a challenge. The solution in this case was for the university to take videos of ten key manual handling operations. These were passed to Alistair Bromhead who went on to mould a tailored course around them.

Overcoming Barriers

Risk assessment templates are provided as part of this course and the instructor ensures all participants become familiar with the useful guidance provided by the HSE. The aim is to assist would-be assessors in overcoming one of the most challenging barriers, which is deciding whether risks are high, medium, low or irrelevant.

The course is carried out onsite and can be fully tailored. It ranges from half a day to two days depending on group size, existing knowledge and experience, the levels of risks present and the diversity of tasks within the particular workplace. Course documentation is provided.

To discuss any specific needs, or to book your course, call 07932 674707 or email info@abromhead.co.uk.