Health and Safety
Manual Handling Awareness for Healthcare Workers
Assessment type
Training only (attendance)
Minimum duration
30 Minutes
Course delivery
E-learning
Description
The Manual Handling Awareness for Healthcare Workers eLearning course provides learners with an understanding of the risks associated with manual handling activities in healthcare and care environments and the principles that can be applied to reduce the likelihood of injury.
The course explores common handling hazards encountered by healthcare workers, including moving equipment, supplies and other loads. Learners will consider how to assess manual handling activities, recognise factors that increase the risk of musculoskeletal injury and apply safer handling principles. This course focuses on general manual handling awareness and does not provide practical training in moving or handling people.
Who Should Attend?
- Healthcare workers.
- Care and support workers.
- Employees working in hospitals, clinics, residential care or community settings.
- Employees who move equipment, supplies or other loads as part of their role.
- New starters within healthcare and care environments.
- Managers and supervisors responsible for healthcare employees.
- Anyone undertaking general manual handling activities within a healthcare or care environment.
What You Will Learn
- What is meant by manual handling.
- Common manual handling activities within healthcare environments.
- How manual handling can contribute to injuries and musculoskeletal disorders.
- Common manual handling hazards and risk factors.
- Understanding the importance of avoiding hazardous manual handling where reasonably practicable.
- Assessing a manual handling activity before beginning.
- Considering the task, individual, load and working environment.
- Recognising loads that may be heavy, bulky, unstable or difficult to grip.
- Considering individual capability and personal limitations.
- Recognising environmental factors that may affect safe handling.
- Planning an appropriate route before moving a load.
- Principles of safer lifting and handling.
- Maintaining a stable position when handling loads.
- Keeping loads appropriately positioned in relation to the body.
- Avoiding unnecessary twisting, reaching and sudden movements.
- Safe principles for lowering and placing loads.
- Risks associated with repetitive handling activities.
- Awareness of safer pushing and pulling practices.
- Using appropriate mechanical handling aids where available.
- Recognising when assistance from another person may be required.
- Recognising when a handling activity should not be attempted.
- Reporting manual handling hazards, injuries or concerns.
- Following workplace risk assessments and safe systems of work.
- Recognising that moving and handling people requires additional task-specific training and competence.
- Contributing to safer manual handling practices within healthcare environments.
Course Delivery
This course is delivered as self-directed eLearning through the ELMO learning platform.
Learners can work through the course at their own pace and can move backwards and forwards through the learning content as required. The course does not need to be completed in one sitting, allowing learners to leave and return to their training where necessary.
Interactive activities may be included throughout the course to reinforce key learning points.
Assessment
Knowledge and understanding are checked through online assessment activities. Depending on the course content, these may include multiple-choice questions, matching exercises, drag-and-drop activities and image-based questions.
A minimum score of 70% is required to successfully complete the course.
Certification
Upon successful completion of the course and assessment requirements, learners will receive a UK Rural Skills (UKRS) Accredited Certificate of Training.
This is an awareness-based eLearning course and does not provide or demonstrate practical competence in manual handling techniques or the moving and handling of people. Employers must ensure workers receive appropriate task-specific information, instruction, practical training and supervision for the handling activities they are required to undertake.
Course Duration
The course is self-directed and learners can progress through the content at their own pace. Completion time may therefore vary depending on the individual learner.
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