TRAINING & EDUCATION
Staff understand the difference and with that understanding comes the confidence to challenge.
But, with poor handling technique, supervisors are less confident about what is actually right, even if they instinctively know something is wrong. That’s because they don’t have the knowledge to correct poor technique, nor the confidence to challenge that behaviour, so poor form prevails.
So not only do you need to train the workforce, you also need to train front line managers on how to spot and rectify incorrect technique. Simplicity is the watchword again here – as simple as spotting a PPE violation. Your Lifting Principles not only need to be simple, they also need to be binary; either right or wrong, with no grey areas, and you need an auditing mechanism that deals with both.
The trick is giving the supervisor the skills to deal with both elements effectively. Get this part right and you’ll see some amazing results because the training is now being properly sustained through effective supervisory auditing.
Combine that with an easy mechanism for recoding the audit’s findings and you’ve got the beginnings of quite a sophisticated management tool that shows where more effort can pay dividends, improving results even further. Then check those findings with your own observations and take a healthily sceptical view on any that claim 100% compliance.
Finally, support managers to maintain momentum and deal with the scenarios you hadn’t planned for. There will always be new ways of doing things, new plant and new processes, new equipment and new tools, so your handling techniques need to adapt to that change. Think about how you’ll address the things that aren’t an issue today but might be tomorrow, how you’ll stay abreast of the latest technological best practice affecting your industry, accident trends and their avoidance, the civil scene and what’s happening with personal injury claims trends.
Think about how to keep the programme’s momentum going and look for ways that you can redeliver
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Key failings with conventional manual handling advice and instructions:
• “Use the correct technique” – which is?
• “Use technique as per your training” – are you really in the business of lifting empty boxes?
• “Bend your legs and keep your back straight” – the spine is naturally curved, what does straight mean?
• Generic training that bears no resemblance to the tasks individuals actually undertake
• Watch the video, sign the book, off you go, sorted – always fill in the Accident Book
similar messages differently, so people remain energised by it. Refresher training is a given, but think more creatively about how that’s going to be done without it becoming just another boring “elf ‘n’ safety” refresher.
Don’t just focus on the emotional negatives of failure either, like accident statistics. Celebrate the positives, such as the results which good auditing will undoubtedly deliver when done properly, especially when it’s reinforcing good habits. Make sure you can evidence that positive progress is happening and then share that positivity with everyone because, let’s face it, people like to be associated with something that’s successful.
If someone does get injured, make sure you include reference to their anatomical technique in the investigation. Be prepared to challenge inconsistencies and only ever record facts, not presumptions or opinions.
Organisations that consistently satisfy all three see significant reductions in their manual handling risk profile, in their manual handling accidents and in the total cost to the business of those accidents.
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