Build Your Manual
Handling Skills
Manual handling means using your body to exert forces to lift, lower, push, pull, carry, move, hold or restrain any
object or person. Incorrect manual handling can lead to many injuries including muscle sprains or strains,
abdominal hernias, back injuries and soft tissue injuries to the wrists, arms, shoulders, neck or legs. These
conditions are known as musculoskeletal injuries or disorders.
While care and therapy staff will be subject to some manual handling during their daily duties, it is essential to
follow the correct manual handling guidelines and procedures especially in dealing with patients and residents.
It is also essential to understand patient mobility status and use the correct equipment. Learn these skills in
our professional online manual handling course.
Course Outline
Manual Handling Training Deliverables
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Theory Presentation Content
- Rights and Responsibilities
- Causation/Relationship of Injury
- Defining Manual Processes
- Protecting yourself
- Practical and modular lifting techniques
- Strategies to avoid lifting
- Workplace Specific Manual Handling Techniques
- Preventing common injuries
- Preventing RSI injuries to the elbows, wrists and hands
- How to use visual and verbal cues in order to manage the patient’s position.
- General prevention strategies
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Outcomes
- Identify the way in which staff perform their daily duties and the physical effect it will have
- Developing appropriate movement patterns for bending, leaning and reaching tasks.
- Identify which bending, lifting and reaching movement patterns can contribute to detrimental effects on the body
- Identify specific techniques for use in tasks associated with the Aged and Community Care Service Industry.
- Understand the rights and responsibilities of injury management
Enrol in Online Manual
Handling Training
Simply enroll online or contact us with your enquiry and
our Australian staff will help. Please know that:
- This course is self-paced learning
- Our course works on any computer, laptop or mobile phone
- There are course videos and graded quizzes
- You will earn a shareable certificate upon completion
We Offer In-Person Manual Handling For Organisations (Min 6+ People)
We offer Manual Handling Training in-person throughout
Melbourne, Victoria.
- We visit your facility or you are welcome to book our office
- Pricing and curriculum is tailored to client requirements
- Suitable for aged care facilities, disability organisations and homecare package providers
- Staff will earn a certificate of compliance upon completion
Who is Eligible for Manual
Handling Training?
Can I use this certificate to gain employment?
Absolutely! Aged care facilities, Home care package providers and companies that employ disability support workers require you to have basic manual handling training prior to joining their organisations and you can use this certificate as proof of completion of an online manual handling course in order to gain employment with these companies
Is this course suitable for aged care workers?
It certainly is suitable for aged care workers – this course is used as the fundamentals of manual handling at an aged care facility that Total Health Choice provides in-house Physiotherapy for. Total Health Choice provides this manual handling training to carers, nurses, other allied health professionals, catering staff and volunteers at aged care facilities.
Is this course suitable for those employed by a disability service organisation?
Definitely! We partner with disability organisations and support coordination companies to provide this online manual handling course to their support workers. The course covers wide range of manual handling techniques that is relevant to both disability and aged care workers.
Is this course suitable for healthcare workers?
Conducted by highly experienced Physiotherapists this course is suited to healthcare workers who want to brush up or improve their manual handling skills. The team at Total Health Physio have all completed this online manual handling course as its important to keep up to date with the latest equipment as well as optimising the best manual handling techniques.
Earn a Manual Handling Training Certification
At the completion of the training, participants are signed off as
being competent in manual handling. Total Health Physio
provides Manual Handling certificates which are suitable for the
majority of Australian employers.
Your certification is valid for 365 days after completion.
Manual Handling Training FAQ
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Have you had feedback about your manual handling training?
Yes. At Total Health Choice we pride ourselves on delivering quality training and this is reflected in the feedback we receive from our participants.
Recently we delivered manual handling training to a cohort of volunteers and we had really strong feedback, particularly highlighting how engaging the participants found the training to be.
We find care staff are appreciative of this training, as it is an investment into their wellbeing and knowledge whilst performing their duties.
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What outcomes does manual handling training lead to for the facility involved?
Manual handling training creates a safer environment for residents and for staff. It reinforces safe lifting practices, which in turn prevents workplace injuries. It also contributes to a supportive care environment for the patient.
Manual handling training is also integral for facilities to achieve their NDIS and Aged Care Standards compliance.
Manual handling training results in various positive outcomes. Most importantly, this improves the quality of life and independence of our patients, and also leads to a safer workplace with care staff being trained appropriately for their role.
There is the added benefit of better staff retention and performance in their role.
For all of these reasons, manual handling training is a very important part of residential care for staff and residents.
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What are some scenarios where family members would require manual handling support?
There are many daily tasks family members perform for their family members, such as helping them out of bed, getting out of a chair, wheelchair, etc, these can lead to injuries for those family members.
People in scenarios like these would benefit from professional manual handling instruction.
Total Health Choice addresses each patient holistically, we will assist family members with manual handling if that is appropriate.
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How important is manual handling in the duties of a clinician?
Manual handling is an essential part of therapy in the community. It plays a significant role for clinicians because it informs what we do and how we interact with our patients. It is also critical to preventing workplace injuries and accidents.
As therapists, our role often involves transferring patients in a range of ways. Manual handling also relates to specialised equipment such as hoists or standing machines too; it becomes very important to learn about and understand how to use the equipment safely and effectively. This is particularly important for patients that are using Assistive Equipment.
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Can manual handling training help care staff with patients with complex conditions? (i.e. spinal cord injuries)
As per the first question in this FAQ, every resident at an aged care facility will have a care plan in place. This care plan is based upon assessments to determine exactly what is required for each individual.
An overview of the patient’s care plan is located in their room to ensure that each carer is aware of that person’s ability and mobility status.
For example, there are patients who require hoists. In those cases, this is clearly indicated in their care plan so that any carers involved know exactly what is required to best support that person. For a patient who is non-ambulant due to a spinal cord injury, their care plan may include the requirement of either a standing or hoist machine which means they will require two people supporting them
