Manual Handling for Staff
Practical training for anyone who lifts, carries, pushes or pulls. Spot the risks in your own tasks, lift safely with the 5 P's, and get signed off on the job by your manager.
Aligned to the learning outcomes of NZQA Unit Standard 17459. Workplace training, not an NZQA assessment.
Manual handling causes about a third of workplace injury claims in New Zealand, and almost all of it is preventable. This course gives your team the practical skills to lift, carry, push and pull without hurting themselves. In plain language and short interactive lessons, staff learn what manual handling really is, how to spot risk in their own tasks, and how to protect their bodies with proven technique.
What you will cover
What manual handling is
Why it matters, and the health and safety duties everyone on the team shares.
The four types of risk
Spot load, task, individual and environmental risks in your own everyday tasks.
Safe lifting with the 5 P's
A simple, repeatable technique that protects your back every time you lift.
Team lifting
How to move long or awkward loads together, safely and in step.
Trolleys and pallet jacks
Use the right mechanical aid the right way, with a quick pre-use check.
Warm-ups that keep you well
Short stretches that ready your body before manual work.
By the end you will be able to
- Recognise the four types of manual handling risk in your own work.
- Lift, carry, push and pull using safe, proven technique.
- Choose and use trolleys and pallet jacks correctly.
- Handle a real load safely and get signed off on the job by your manager.
Common questions
What is the Manual Handling for Staff course?
It is a practical online workplace training course for anyone in New Zealand who lifts, carries, pushes or pulls at work. You learn to spot manual handling risks in your own tasks, lift safely with the 5 P's, use trolleys and pallet jacks, and get signed off on the job by your manager.
Who should take this course?
Frontline workers who handle loads as part of their day, across warehousing, retail, manufacturing, healthcare, trades and similar workplaces.
Does this course award NZQA credits?
No. It follows the learning outcomes of NZQA Unit Standard 17459 as best-practice guidance, but it is not an NZQA assessment and does not award NZQA credits or a unit standard.
How is the course delivered?
Online and self-paced, in short interactive lessons that work on any device. You can start, pause and finish in your own time.
Is there a practical assessment?
Yes, a simple on-the-job check. Your workplace manager watches you handle a real load safely and signs you off.
About NZQA Please read
This is workplace training. It uses the learning outcomes of NZQA Unit Standard 17459 as guidance so it covers the right things, but it is not connected to the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF), it is not an NZQA-registered assessment, and completing it does not award NZQA credits or a unit standard.
Practical competence is confirmed on the job by your workplace manager.
Ready to handle loads the safe way?
Join the course and give yourself the skills to lift, carry and move without injury.
Get started