All people handling activities are a potential source of injury and the risks associated with this hazardous manual task must be eliminated or minimised so far as reasonably practicable.

Research shows that the manual handling of people is the most frequent cause of back pain and injury in the nursing profession.

This tutorial is a guide to managing the risks arising from manual handling/tasks, particularly when assisting patients to move. Legislation requirements, correct use of relevant equipment will be discussed along with a workplace checklist for assessing competence in manual handling/tasks in the workplace.

1)             Introduction

2)             History

3)             Minimal or No Lifting Policy

4)             Legislation

5)             Incidence & Injury

6)             Anatomy & Physiology

7)             Biomechanics

8)             Ergonomics

9)             Common Manual Handling Injuries

10)           Preventing Manual Handling Injuries

11)           Assessing Manual Handling/Task Risks

12)           Patients/Residents’ Rights & Responsibilities

13)           Controlling the Risks

14)           Evaluate the Risks

15)           Patient Handling Principles

16)           Correct Use of Equipment

17)           Rules for Minimising Risk in Manual Handling

18)           Back Care

19)           Practical Assessment Tool – Printable Resources