Manual Handling for Staff is online manual handling training built for New Zealand workplaces. Manual handling causes about a third of workplace injury claims in New Zealand, and almost all of it is preventable. Most of those injuries are not one dramatic moment; they build up quietly, from the same lift done the wrong way hundreds of times. This manual handling course gives your people the practical skills to handle loads without hurting themselves, in plain language and short lessons they can do on any device, anywhere in NZ.
Who is this course for?
Manual Handling for Staff is for frontline workers who handle loads as part of the job: warehouse and store teams, manufacturing and production staff, healthcare and aged care workers, tradespeople, drivers and anyone who lifts, carries, pushes or pulls. No prior training is needed. If a person moves loads with their body, this course is written for them.
See it first
Spot the risk in your own work
Most handling injuries hide in ordinary tasks: a long reach into a low bin, a quick twist to stack a pallet, the same lift done all shift. Your team learns the four types of risk, task, individual, load and environment, so they notice the danger before it becomes a strain.
Do it safely
Lift with the 5 P's
Good technique is a routine anyone can learn and repeat. The 5 P's keep the back straight and the legs doing the work, on every lift. Tap each card to see what it means on the floor.
Tap or select a card to flip it.
Work smarter
Let the equipment do the lifting
The safest lift is the one a machine makes for you. Staff learn to choose and use trolleys and pallet jacks properly: load them so they stay stable, push rather than pull, and keep a clear line of sight. A quick pre-use check on the wheels and handles keeps the aid working for them, not against them.
Share the load
Move awkward loads as a team
Some loads are too long, heavy or unbalanced for one person, no matter how good the technique. The course shows staff how to plan a team lift, agree who calls the moves, and keep everyone in step, so a two-person job never turns into a one-person injury.
What the course covers
Six short, interactive lessons build in order, from understanding the risk to proving the skill on the floor:
- What manual handling isWhy everyday tasks, not just heavy loads, cause injury
- The four types of riskTask, individual, load and environment
- Safe lifting with the 5 P'sPlan, Position, Pick, Proceed, Place
- Team liftingHandling long or awkward loads together
- Trolleys and pallet jacksUsing mechanical aids the right way
- Warm-ups that keep you wellSimple routines before physical work
Why it matters
About a third of New Zealand's workplace injury claims come from manual handling. Almost all of it is preventable.
An hour of the right training, and a manager who signs off the real thing, is the difference between a safe shift and a sore back that keeps someone off work for weeks.
Prove it
Signed off on the job, not just certified
The course does not finish with a quiz alone. It finishes with a simple on-the-job check: the worker's manager watches them handle a real load safely and signs them off. That gives you what a certificate cannot, evidence the person can actually do it, recorded by the person who supervises them. It is exactly what WorkSafe expects to see when it asks how you know your people are competent.
Is this an NZQA qualification?
About NZQA: 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, 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.
Enrol your team
$59 per person, NZD
Enrol one worker or your whole team. Access is immediate, the lessons are self-paced, and the on-the-job sign-off gives you a record of competence for every person.
Enrol nowSelf-paced online · works on any phone, tablet or laptop
Common questions
How long does the course take?
It is self-paced and made of short lessons, so most people finish in about an hour. They can stop and return at any time, and it works on a phone, tablet or laptop.
Do we get a record for our health and safety file?
Yes. The on-the-job sign-off, completed by the worker's manager, is your practical record that the person can handle loads safely. It sits alongside the completed lessons.
Can we enrol a whole team?
Yes. The course is 59 dollars per person and you can enrol as many people as you need. Get in touch if you want to arrange a larger group.
Should leaders do this course too?
Supervisors and team leaders are better served by Manual Handling for Leaders, which covers assessing tasks, choosing controls, designing risk out and signing off their team. This staff course teaches the hands-on skills; the leaders course teaches how to manage the risk across a team.
Is this manual handling training available across New Zealand?
Yes. It is a fully online manual handling course, so teams anywhere in New Zealand can enrol and complete it on any device. The training is written for NZ workplaces and aligned to New Zealand health and safety law.