When employers have arranged manual handling training for their members of staff, they might think that’s all that is needed for about three years, both to comply with health and safety rules and to avoid injuries due to bad handling techniques. But even after a three hour training session, when the dangers have been clearly presented and good handling techniques have been practised, the habits of a lifetime are hard to break. Over time the unsafe habits can creep back in, so your employees still need to be well supervised and observed, and more training may be required to reinforce what has been learnt.
Recognising a Need
Identifying the need for refresher training is always best done through observation, and not just where large volumes of items are normally moved about. Staff in all areas may occasionally be required to lift and carry heavy loads. For example, when a large parcel was brought into your main reception area to be signed for, how did the receptionist shift it into a convenient place? Of course the accident book should be regularly perused as well, and the results of risk assessments can often throw up areas of concern that can be addressed by further training.
Satisfying the Need
As new recruits come on board, according to regulations, you need to get them assessed and trained as soon as possible. You can always add a few other members of staff to an in-house course to reinforce what they have been taught before. If you have in-house trainers who hold the City & Guilds Certificate in manual handling training and attend regular refresher courses themselves, they will have a wide range of course materials and interactive exercises to avoid boring delegates with totally repetitive content.
If you don’t have an in-house training team, Alistair Bromhead Ltd offers qualified and highly experienced trainers who will attend your premises and run the courses for you. The courses will be devised to fit your circumstances and requirements, in terms of length of time and appropriate content, for up to 12 employees at a time. Two or three courses can take place in a day, depending on numbers of delegates and course duration.
Don’t let your manual handling training investment be wasted. Give your staff reinforcement and manual handling refresher training each year, or whenever they need it.