Case Study
Manual Handling Training DVD
Have you watched the Childs Play Manual Handling video? What are your thoughts on it? If you Google search 'Manual Handling Training DVD' you will find most (if not all) offer a production that only teaches lifting technique with some averagely presented information about Manual Handling laws and back anatomy and injury.
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At Osteopathic Solutions, we wanted to offer the UK market something different, something unique, something new, something better. A DVD full of useful practical Manual Handling content. A DVD that will teach. A DVD that will engage. A DVD of the highest production quality. A DVD that will reduce your Manual Handling Lost Time Accidents aiming for Target-Zero.
As the 4 most common industries (to Manual Handling tasks) across the UK are Manufacturing, Food Production, Distribution & Logistics and Council Services, Osteopathic Solutions Director Gareth Milner decided that filming in these settings would offer the highest quality Manual Handling Training DVD.
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After putting our project out there to our Clients, the following came forward allowing us to film at their sites, with Osteopathic Solutions providing the finished production for them. Essentially a Bespoke Manual Handling DVD Video for FREE!
Kimal is an innovative and trusted manufacturer and supplier of specialised procedure packs and vascular access devices to hospitals across the world. Their Bromsgrove site is a manufacturing facility and their Worcester site is a logistics warehouse. We have trained 12 Manual Handling Instructors over 2 Courses in 2016 and 2018. Their Health & Safety Coordinator Roxanna Cockerill-Maher gave our DVD Videos the following review ...
'' The videos are both informative & instructive. Talking you through the step by step of correct lifting, carrying, pushing & pulling. Having it from various work environments shows the different Manual Handling that can occur & the best practice in performing Manual Handling safely. I love the DVD case with the USB stored safely inside, great design.''
As part of our coverage of over 100 Councils nationally, our provision for Dacorum Borough Council started in 2012 where we provided Instructor Programmes for their Waste Services and Grounds Teams. Following this in 2019 we provided a Manual Handling Risk Assessment for their Refuse, Recycling and Street Cleansing tasks and in 2020 trained more Instructors and 180 of their workforce.
Pork Farms are bakers of delicious Classic Pork Pies and Melton Mowbray Pies made with 100% British Pork. Our team of Manual Handling Experts have provided Bespoke Manual Handling Programmes for their Poole Bakery and Dorset Foods sites. Pork Farms Market Drayton specifically produces sausage rolls and pies.
For the Food Production Industry and Council Services Videos within our Manual Handling Training DVD, we started filming in January 2020 at our client Pork Farm´s Market Drayton Bakery site and Dacorum Borough Council´s Cupid Green Depot. Our Business Director Gareth Milner teamed up again with Lawrence Fowler (pictured to the right) of Fowler Media. Gareth and Lawrence had previously worked successfully on Osteopathic Solutions Bespoke Manual Handling Training DVD for British Pepper & Spice that was produced in 2018.
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Day 1 of Filming at Pork Farms started with a full factory tour with the site SHE Assistant. The gallery below showcases some of the Manual Handling tasks, loads and environments that were filmed. Meticulous as ever, Gareth consulted his structure sheet throughout the day so that all tasks, loads and environments available in the factory were filmed. Whatever Industry your Business is in, your employees can consult any of the 4 Videos to learn the key principles of BackSafe Manual Handling Techniques and Practices. Whatever you are lifting, carrying, lowering, pushing, pulling and team handling, the principles are always the same.
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Tasks filmed included:
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Lifting & carrying of shortening & butter from pallets
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Lifting, carrying & lowering crates of pastry
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Lifting & carrying finished product boxes from roller conveyer
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Lowering finished product boxes to pallet
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Lifting & carrying bags of starch from pallet
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Pushing & pulling of pallet trucks/ palletized loads in the factory & warehouse
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Pushing & pulling of bakery cages, food totes & trolleys
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Single Person Pushing & Pulling of commercial bins
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Team Pushing of commercial bins
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Team Pushing & Pulling of commercial bins
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Single Person & Team Handling of pastry containers
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Single Person & Team Handling of pallets
Tip 30 - Become a Film Director
Here's a Tip 30 snippet from Gareth Milner's Sorry! We're Closed (recorded by our Voiceover Artist Sean Antony to the left) ...
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'' I love the Cinema. The smell of freshly cooked popcorn. The booming sound systems. The visual spectacle. The grip of the story. The escapism from life. I remember as a boy it would be 4 or 5 quid to see Gremlins 2 or Turner & Hooch. Now you’re paying £20 with a tiny box of salted popcorn. Oh you like sweet?
Jobs can be boring can’t they? Let’s be honest. Sitting at a desk** all day. Relentless replying and writing emails. Dragging on meetings. Driving to work sites ... et cetera. So what can we do that is a bit more fun? Become a Film Director! ''
Like throughout the Book, Gareth takes a fun, and serious approach to Manual Handling Risk Management supported by our Creative Director Emma Farrell's remarkable illustrations. You can listen to Tip 30 below.
Like in all Food Factories across the UK, this site had awkward and hazardous (for the musculoskeletal system) Manual Handling tasks. One task involved lifting a roll of pastry from the trolley rack. 10 rolls of pastry (on a metal pole) with 5 on each side can be stacked on this trolley with lifting heights ranging from just below knee height up to head height. Gareth lifted the roll of pastry at head height and questioned the safety of this task with the SHE Assistant who informed him that lifting equipment had been purchased on one of the lines. 8 lines were in this factory room which would be an £80,000 spend. The pastry roll is then carried 1 metre and lowered onto the machine at waist height with the left arm holding the load away from the body for a short time. There is then a static forward bend of the body to allow the pastry to roll out automatically on the machine top.
To the left is the intro of the Food Industry Video. Like with our Bespoke Manual Handling Training DVD Videos, Gareth (with the agreement of the SHE Assistant) involved employees in the filming. In the gallery above Gareth is performing a team pull and push of a pastry container. Shown in the photo in the gallery, Gareth briefs the employee on best practice including pushing technique, and the communication Gareth would use to coordinate the team pull and push. Shown in the 3rd image in the gallery, what do you notice about the body use and positioning of the employee?
Email your thoughts to us at the bottom of this page and receive 50% (£125) off our 'Setting UK Standards' DVD.
Videographer Lawrence Fowler also got in the Manual Handling action. Shown in the gallery above Gareth and Lawrence perform team lifting, carrying and lowering of a CHEP pallet. Single person handling of CHEP practice is the norm in factories however 2 person handling or use of a vacuum lifter is simply best Manual Handling practice. After a long day of filming Gareth and Lawrence finished the day with a sausage roll and cup of tea. Much appreciated Pork Farms Market Drayton!
Day 2 of Filming at Dacorum Borough Council started with a cup of tea in the staff canteen to warm up for a day of outdoor filming, and a discussion with the Dacorum Depot Team in what loads we needed, in order to maximise the day’s effectiveness. Filming started in the Depot equipment storage building with squat lifting, carrying and lowering of a range of Grounds Maintenance bagged loads from pallets. After each task Gareth observed the camera footage making sure his practice, technique and body use was best practice. Throughout the day, Dacorum Borough Council´s Depot staff were taking a good interest in our filming, asking us questions about what we were producing. Staff were very helpful in arranging loads across the Depot and also providing us with a bit of photography. They would soon be watching the finished Council Services Manual Handling Training DVD Video as their employer Dacorum Borough Council was receiving a free copy.
Luckily this January day was nice and sunny aiding us to get outside to film pushing and pulling of wheelie, commercial and paladin bins; team handling of a fridge; throwing of a refuse bag and lifting of a traffic cone.
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Videographer Lawrence had some free Manual Handling Training himself as through Gareth´s coaching, Lawrence applied excellent technique and practice when performing team handling of a commercial bin, and team lifting and lowering of a fridge.
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Tasks filmed included:
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Refuse & Recycling
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Pushing & Pulling of Wheelie Bins
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Pushing & Pulling of Commercial & Paladin Bins
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Team Pushing & Pulling of Commercial Bins
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Throwing of Refuse Bags
Street Cleansing
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Team Lifting & Lowering of a Washing Machine
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Throwing of Refuse Bags
Grounds Maintenance, Park & Open Spaces
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Lifting & Lowering of Bagged Loads from pallets, Oil Drums, Petrol Hand Held Blowers, Hedge Cutters, Grass Trimmers & Traffic Cones
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Pushing & Pulling of Wheelbarrows & Mowers
To the left is the intro of the Council Services Video.
Essay 29 - Embrace the World of Digital
In Essay 29 from Sorry! We're Closed, after taking a brief look at the history of the Digital era Gareth Milner investigates Online Manual Handling Training Programmes and Manual Handling Training DVD Videos, and their benefits.
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He also takes a contrarian view on Practical Manual Handling Training and its issues including Employees suffering from pre-existing Musculoskeletal Disorders; possible Language Barriers and Employee Concentration Levels.
Day 3 of Filming at Kimal's Bromsgrove Factory
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For the Manufacturing and Distribution & Logistics Videos of our Manual Handling Training DVD, we continued filming in February 2020 at our client Kimal´s Bromsgrove and Worcester sites. Gareth Milner again teamed up with Expert Videographer Lawrence Fowler.
Semi-Squat and Full-Squat lifting from a pallet were filmed. Essential best practices that any Manufacturing Business would want their employees to practice to reduce the likelihood of Manual Handling Lost Time Accidents, and Musculoskeletal Injury at Work Claims.
Working with a Professional Videographer like Lawrence made the filming an enjoyable and simple process as he imparted his filming experience into each capture including bringing the camera smoothly into the shot which helps viewer engagement. Oblique views, side on views and posterior views of the squat lifting and lowering practice were captured aiding the DVD’s Manual Handling learning experience.
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A quick pit stop to the employee canteen. When onsite at client´s venues Gareth doesn´t really switch off and when sipping his coffee he came across a poster on Manual Handling. This photo will return shortly.
Fluid drums are a common load within manufacturing sites. As they are not especially big in size they are commonly handled hazardously for the spine and shoulders. Throughout the DVD (purchased as a DVD Hard Copy or USB or Dropbox Login), we cover both hazardous (natural habitual) and BackSafe techniques and practices. Lifting fluid drums with a side bend lean of the spine was filmed as well as squat lifting gripping with the left arm and squat lifting with the right arm. Our DVD is full of coverage like this, giving all the permutations of handling techniques, informing employees what hazardous practices are and why, and then informing them the safest possible Manual Handling practices, supported by our Expert knowledge of Human Biomechanics. Read our Biomechanics Blog '' Human Biomechanics - Kept Simple '' here.
Filming then moved onto Manual Handling with regards to shelving. There is something about a camera. In this part of the factory employees were keen to see what we were doing with Gareth joining in with their interest. Some even wanted to get in the clips, well not intentionally. The Outtakes video for those ones!
A common practice in manufacturing facilities is lifting heavy engineering loads from pallets. Of course, some factories have lifting equipment like hoists, vacuum lifters etc. however lifting still plays a heavy part of engineering employees´ roles. Lawrence filmed Gareth performing best practice full squat lifting from the pallet, carrying and full squat lowering back to the pallet.
For each industry within our Manual Handling Training DVD we have an intro and a finishing summary. For these parts within the Manufacturing and Food Industry sections we have included employees performing their work roles, generally with natural, hazardous Manual Handling practices. Here we filmed an employee batching up finished products, which displayed his natural forward bending and twisting practices when lifting and lowering loads. To the right is the intro of the Manufacturing Industry Video.
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Kimal’s Bromsgrove factory was an interesting type of factory. In some parts it was like a hospital. Pushing and pulling a variety of loads including cages and trolleys were filmed including natural, hazardous practices and BackSafe techniques and practices.
Lawrence and Gareth then moved into the final area of the day of filming, into the finished product part of the factory, including filming of pushing and pulling of palletised loads with a pallet truck. In the Manufacturing, Food Industry and Distribution & Logistics Videos of our ‘Setting UK Standards for a Manual Handling DVD’, single person and 2 man pallet handling is comprehensively covered.
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For only £95 via Credit Card or Paypal, your employees can learn and put into practice BackSafe pallet handling. A small cost to pay to prevent Manual Handling Lost Time Accidents. Injury at Work Claims from single person pallet handling are highly probable as in an ideal world pallets would be team handled or lifted by pallet handling equipment.
Day 4 of Filming at Kimal's Worcester Warehouse
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The final day of filming for our Version 1 Manual Handling Training DVD. Kimal’s brand new Worcester warehouse facility was the perfect venue as it had a huge range of different sized boxes, and the standard cages, trolleys, pallet trucks, pallet stacks etc. Filming started in an area that luckily was very quiet, aiding a smooth process of filming i.e. employees not getting in shot and disrupting the clip taken. Gareth filmed hazardous lifting practices as well as BackSafe lifting, carrying and lowering with a variety of different shaped and weighted boxes.
This part of our ‘Setting UK Standards’ DVD extensively covers lifting and lowering practice, more so than the other sections of our DVD. The other sections of our DVD are important to watch should you want to buy the DVD (remember only £150 via Paypal or Credit Card) as they cover lifting and lowering practice with a broader range of loads, featuring different grips.
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Filming then moved onto Manual Handling and shelving. It was nice for Gareth to see boxes from clients of his business. In the last photo on the gallery below left, Gareth takes a VernaCare box from the shelf, a Company we have had an 8 year business relationship with (as of 2020), supplying them with Onsite Manual Handling Instructor Courses.
In our Practical Manual Handling Courses we specialise in, either Onsite or at our Public Centres, our team of Manual Handling Experts embrace awkward tasks. Like in our Courses, we have covered awkward tasks in all sections of our Manual Handling DVD as we are aware that a perfect manual handling environment is not the real world. With the shelving, Lawrence filmed a variety of shots featuring Gareth lifting boxes off the different levels of the shelving including above head height, and also lowering boxes to the different levels of the shelving. Filming then moved onto pallet handling. In our Manufacturing and Food Industry sections of our DVD we also extensively cover single person and team handling of pallets. Gareth flexed his muscles and started with single person pallet handling. Are you getting problems with manual handling injuries from pallet handling?
Tip 40 - Sign on the Dotted Line
Here's a Tip 40 snippet from Gareth Milner's Sorry! We're Closed ...
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Judge Rinder … '' You can sit down too! We have seen the MRI scan evidence as well as the Orthopaedic Surgeon’s report of The Plaintif ’s spinal injuries. We have seen no evidence from The Defendant of the necessary Health & Safety Training. This is a very serious Case of Employer negligence and therefore I give the following Judgement awarding The Plaintif £160,000 which is to be paid to them within 5 working days. Does your Client accept this award? ''
Plaintiff’s Legal Shark … '' Yes he does … Your Honor. ''
The Plaintiff smiles from ear to ear whilst the Business Owner looks down, shaking and scratching his head. The next day the Business’ Finance Director wires the £160,000 payment to the Bank Account of The Plaintiff’s Legal Shark.
Osteopathic Solutions Team of Occupational Osteopaths recommend as much team handling of pallets as is possible, and even better still, pallet lifting equipment. If your employees have to handle pallets on their own, our Manual Handling Training DVD will give your employees the best possible chance to avoid a Manual Handling Injury, and its effects on your business. To the right is the intro of the Distribution & Logistics Video.
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Handling under racking is an essential part of the day for any warehouse operative. Gareth filmed how to safely handle loads from under racking, and practices to avoid. The video (below left) features the best practice way to pick and handle boxes from under racking.
The final part of the day, and the final part of our 4 Day filming marathon, was pushing and pulling of palletised loads using pallet trucks, as well as pushing and pulling of cages and trolleys. As the World Strongmen like Eddie Hall do, in the clip (below right) Gareth maximises his leg power to pull the heavy 500kg pallet of fluid drums, although not quite a plane that Eddie Hall pulls.
'' The quality is excellent throughout, and it’s very useful to see lifting procedures that are relevant to many manufacturing sites around the country that the trainers can relate to. The DVD will make a great addition to our health and safety induction programme within the company ''
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Andrew Donovan
Health, Safety & Training Officer
The Bury Black Pudding Co
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(pictured to the right)
'' I look forward to using the Manual Handling Training DVD for in-house training going forward. It has given myself lots of great pointers on how manual handling training has changed since I was last trained on it. ''
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Stephanie Stainton
Compliance Manager
(pictured to the left)
