Virtually all companies have manual handling – the use of people to shift things. Under health and safety legislation, there is a duty to identify where this shifting could lead to a significant risk of injury and then to take common sense measures to reduce the risk. Avoidance of the shifting is always the best option, typically followed by the use of machinery. However, for most businesses, physical handling by people will always be required for some tasks – as will manual handling training, to ensure that they do it as safely as possible.
There are plenty of external suppliers of manual handing training, but since the recession started, an increasing number of companies are looking to bring such training in-house. According to Dr Alistair Bromhead, who specialises in manual handling instructor training, “companies recognise that in-house trainers generate a quick financial payback as well as being more convenient. You can run the training when it suits, for a duration which is convenient, with a trainer who knows your business intimately”.
To give an idea of payback, the cost of bringing a manual handling trainer onto your site for a day will vary from £300 to £1000. The cost of a manual handling trainer training course is likely to be £400 to £600 and if the right course is chosen, you should end up with a certified competent person to conduct your manual handling training for many years to come.
However, when looking at the manual handling train the trainer course options, you need to be sure of exactly what you are getting. At the lower end of the food chain are some very cheap courses and some very short duration ones – reflecting the fact that anyone can potentially set up such a course. Similarly, some courses will include everything a trainer needs to get going, others will charge an extra few hundred pounds for an instructor pack with suggested presentations, lesson plans and notes etc.
So what should you look for in a course if you are considering becoming a manual handling instructor? The first thing to check is that it is a recognised qualification – which will help to attest to your competence if it is ever challenged. One example of a nationally recognised course is the City & Guilds Manual Handling Train the Trainer course. There are few better known certification bodies – so you know that the course has a good pedigree.
Another consideration is the length of course – which varies from 1 to 5 days. Experience shows that a minimum of 2 days is required to cover the technical knowledge plus the training preparation and delivery issues. 4 or 5 days are unnecessary for inanimate load handling, typically containing lots of repetitive exercises. However, a 4 day course would be appropriate for the more technical areas of patient and people handling.
Finally, the individual trainer that you have on the day is a vital contributor to the success of the course. A skilled trainer will make the sessions enjoyable, interactive, productive and varied (in terms of learning methods). A less skilled individual can turn the shortest of training sessions into a painful experience. Therefore, don’t forget to check up on exactly who would deliver the course and what gives them the qualifications to do so.
Further information
Alistair Bromhead Ltd
Tel: 07932 674707
City & Guilds course code 5618 201-203 offered through the approved centre – FFINTO 028538. City & Guilds and the City & Guilds logo are trade marks of The City and Guilds of London Institute and used under licence.
