NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Manual Handling Risk Assessment

The NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Manual Handling Risk Assessment is designed for anyone who needs a practical, foundation-level understanding of manual handling risk assessment and HSE-supported approaches to reducing risk at work.

It’s ideal for those involved in identifying, reviewing, or helping manage manual handling risks, including:

• Workplace safety and wellbeing champions
• Employee or trade union representatives
• Supervisors and team leaders
• Occupational health or workplace support staff
• Managers overseeing manual handling activities

No entry requirements are needed. It’s perfect for those new to manual handling risk assessment, as well as those with some experience who want to build confidence using recognised HSE tools and approaches.

The course gives you a clear, practical introduction to assessing and controlling manual handling risks in line with HSE guidance. It is not intended to provide advanced ergonomics training or specialist-level expertise.

The qualification will help you to:

• Explain the importance of reducing risks associated with manual handling activities
• Understand responsibilities in relation to manual handling
• Explain what manual handling risks are and how they may result in injury
• Demonstrate and practice appropriate manual handling risk assessment technique
• Apply wider elements of risk management for manual handling.

Employers who are looking to put staff onto this course will also gain a number of benefits from the skills that their employees will learn, including using this qualification to build in-house expertise to:

• Protect team members from one of the main causes of musculoskeletal disorders
• Have confidence that the approach adopted to manual handling risk assessment reflects best practice and utilises HSE manual handling tools and templates.

The one-day NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Manual Handling course is split into three elements:

Element 1 – Principles of manual handling

• Why manual handling should be avoided, the moral, business and legal reasons for assessing and managing it, and common types of injuries that arise.

 Element 2 – Identification of manual handling risk

• Understand risk factors associated with manual handling, the application of HSE’s manual handling assessment tools (such as MAC) and what makes a risk assessment suitable and sufficient.

 Element 3 – Control of risk

• The NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Manual Handling course focuses on the reasons for avoiding manual handling, and includes information on risks, common injuries and how to use the HSE tools and resources.
• How to avoid manual handling risks with the use of mechanical assistance and recognition of good handling techniques.

The NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Manual Handling course is assessed with an interactive, video-based assessment. Learners will complete an assessment of manual handling using a provided template and video, and use HSE tools to perform an assessment of risk. They will then score risks observed, and propose controls for any factors that have been scored as amber or red.

The NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Manual Handling Risk Assessment course takes approximately 7 hours of study to complete. This involves 6 hours of taught and 1 hour for the assessment.

• When studying through classroom, in-house, or virtual classroom learning, the course is typically completed in a single day.

This course is supported by a NEBOSH Study Guide, which covers the course syllabus and content in detail.

It is not only helpful for learners studying the qualification, but also an invaluable reference source for those involved in ensuring staff are not put at risk completing manual handling tasks, as well as those who want to confidently identify sensible and proportionate precautions to control these risks.

The book contains practical activities, examples and key terminology definitions. It can be used during a taught course or as a reference once studies are completed. NEBOSH HSE Certificate in Manual Handling Risk Assessment should help managers, supervisors and H&S professionals to understand their responsibilities for manual handling, as well as developing an understanding of manual handling assessment. NEBOSH hopes the book will also become a valuable reference source once the learner is back in the workplace.

The NEBOSH Study Guide is available as both a hardcopy and an e-book for all learners taking the course.

Manual handling injuries are some of the most common workplace injuries and they can cause serious damage to individuals. They often require the injured person to take time off, or return on light duties and failing to adequately assess the risks associated with manual handling tasks could result in civil action being taken against your organisation.

• It is always cheaper to train staff to manage risks, than to defend yourself from a civil suit or even a HSE prosecution.
• The course focuses on the HSE’s best practice for manual handling assessment so you can align your management.
• It’s conveniently delivered over one day by an expert H&S tutor (virtual or classroom).
• The HSE tools are free to download and use, but training can make sure they’re used correctly.

The NEBOSH one day courses are designed to give you an understanding of a single topic, such as manual handling risk assessment. After achieving the Certificate in Manual Handling Risk Assessment, you could move on to other one day courses such as the Incident Investigation, Managing Risks and Risk Assessment at Work, Managing Stress at Work, Environmental Awareness, or the Health and Safety Leadership. They are great bitesize courses to introduce you to each topic, which could then be further specialised in the Certificate or Diploma range.