You will be assessed via your theory and practical assessment, on the following criteria:

• Be aware of parts of your body that are at risk of injury due to poor handling techniques
• Understand how common injuries occur
• Recognise the risk of manual handling and how to reduce them
• Take suitable safety measures before lifting, to protect yourself and other people
• Use approved lifting and handling techniques
• Check that any equipment to be used is in a good condition and working order
• Use lifting and handling equipment in line with company guidelines and manufacturers’ instructions
• Make sure that you understand your responsibilities when you ask others to help in lifting and handling operations
• Know the principles of safe lifting to minimise risk of injury
• Identify what you can lift safely and when to ask for assistance or use manual handling equipment
• The risk factors involved in lifting and how to control these: size, shape, weight of load, how often it is being lifted, distance carried, space constraints and posture
• Identify When a more detailed risk assessment is required to complete a manual handling task
• How to assess the weight and centre of gravity of the load to be lifted
• Understand why you should plan your route when moving loads and how to plan a route
• Use approved techniques for manual handling, including use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and multi person lifts
• Understand what is meant by muscular skeletal disorders, the causes, how to avoid them and the importance of early reporting of any symptoms
• Know the range of tools available from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to help identify risks in manual handling

Assessment

The course includes both practical and theory assessment.

• Practical Assessment – where you will demonstrate your knowledge of practical tasks
• Theory test which is composed of multiple choice questions

Certification

This Smart Awards certificate is valid for 3 years, you will then need to complete a refresher course to renew your qualification.

This qualification is available to anyone over the age of 16 years old. There are no formal entry requirements and Smart Awards will not restrict access on the grounds of prior academic attainment, age, employment, geographic location or any other grounds. There are no barriers that restrict access or progression, thereby promoting equality. It is expected however, that learners will have a level of literacy adequate to cope with both the theory and practical assessments.