Manual handling is any task in which a load is lifted, lowered, pushed, pulled, carried or moved by hand or by bodily force. The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007 oblige Irish employers to assess the risks of those tasks and to give suitable Manual Handling Training to every employee who carries them out. Good practice rests on a few principles: plan the lift, hold the load close to the body, bend the knees and not the back, avoid twisting, and assess each job with TILE (Task, Individual, Load, Environment).
Manual handling is one of the most frequent causes of injury at work in Ireland and accounts for over a third of the injuries reported to the HSA every year. Poor lifting technique leads to back injuries, sprains, strains and musculoskeletal disorders. A Manual Handling Course is therefore more than a legal requirement: it protects your health, prevents injury and supports your career.