The manual handling course is aimed at all levels of employees who may undertake manual handling operations, including the transporting of a load of items by lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying, or moving thereof by hand or by bodily force. This includes, but is not limited to, professions such as:
- Warehouse and factory staff
- Heavy manual labourers
- Unloading and loading of vehicles
- Construction and building site workers
- Office workers
- Delivery drivers
- Farmhands
- Anyone who Lifts, pushes or pulls loads in their workplace
Manual Handling accounts for 33% of Accidents reported to the Health and Safety Authority. Manual handling includes the use of the human body to lift, lower, fill, empty, or carry loads and also includes climbing, pushing, pulling, and pivoting, all of which pose the risk of injury to the back. The load can be inanimate (an object) or animate (animal or person) and manual handling injuries occurs in most industrial sectors including manufacturing and warehousing, retail, construction, transportation, agriculture, and the health care sector.