As part of a new approach to training, the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST) has launched a planning support tool for safer manual material handling. Researchers worked with an assessment checklist for handling situations in designing this new tool, which was then tested by occupational health and safety (OHS) practitioners to render it as user friendly as possible. The tool is designed to help OHS practitioners gain a better understanding of material handling situations and plan changes and training activities appropriate to the work setting.
Knowing and acting
Five worksheets are provided to help OHS practitioners do the following:
- Identify problems associated with certain work stations or handling tasks
- Determine which situations must be changed and which require training
- Understand the characteristics of each situation identified to optimize the planning of changes and training
- Determine what needs to be improved in each situation
- Organize training, recording information to take into account and forwarding it to the trainer for planning and follow-up of the training
Customized training
According to authors Monique Lortie of UQÀM and Marie-St-Vincent of the IRSST, manual material handling is a very widespread activity in industry that causes work accidents on a daily basis. Close to 30% of all occupational injuries compensated by the CSST are attributable to manual material handling, say these authors. The tool developed, explain the authors, is designed to support OHS practitioners in applying appropriate preventive measures through transformation of hazardous situations and customized training to make manual material handling safer for those who must lift and carry loads.
The planning support tool for safer manual material handling can be consulted and downloaded free of charge at: http://www.irsst.qc.ca/media/documents/PubIRSST/RF-816.pdf.
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Source
Jacques Millette
Manager, Public Affairs
IRSST
514 288-1551 ext. 210