Maunal Handling Training Course

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Manual Handling Training Course.

Module 1: The law as it relates to patient handling

Part VI of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 1993 transposes EU Council Directive 90/269/EEC on the minimum health and safety requirements for the manual handling of loads into Irish Legislation. The regulation is titled the Manual Handling of Loads Regulation. The main requirements of the 1993 Manual Handling of Loads Regulation are that employers must:

?Make efforts to avoid manual handling activities that present a risk of injury, if possible.

? Where it is not possible to avoid the manual handling activity, an

assessment of the manual handling activity must be carried out with

reference to the factors identified in the Eight and Ninth Schedule to the regulations.

Efforts must then be made to reduce the risk of injury, particularly back injury, by applying appropriate control measures.

where possible the weight of the load being handled and the centre of gravity of the load should be available for employees handling the loads.

The Regulations set no specific requirements such as weight limits. However numerical guidelines are available in guidance documents that take into account the weight of a load, the repetition of the task and the location of the load during the lift, as a means of identifying handling activities that involve risk (HSA 2005).

Module 2: Basic information on the anatomy and biomechanics of the spine and muscles. How injuries can occur?

The Lumbar Spine

The lumbar spine is made up of the last five vertebra of the spine. The vertebrae are the bones of the spine; their function is to provide support and protection to the spinal cord. Each vertebra is composed of a large piece of bone called the body, which is attached to a bony ring.
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When the vertebrae are stacked one on top of the other, they form a column on the front and a bony tube in the back. The tube formed by the rings in the back is where the spinal cord and nerves run.

The facet joints allow them to be linked like a chain, they provide mobile connections between each vertebra and shift and slide as we bend and twist our backs.

Purpose of the Vertebrae

The vertebrae are composed of many elements that are critical to the overall function of the spine, which include the ...

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