15/10/2026
A client asked us for manual handling training. We suggested something different.
Their staff were regularly changing 20-litre water bottles, roughly 20 kg each. It was an awkward lift: a heavy load, lifted high onto a cooler, with poor posture every time.
Training would have taught them to lift more safely. But the better question was: why lift at all?
After a risk assessment, the client switched to a plumbed-in water system. The bottles disappeared, and so did the manual handling hazard.
Irish law asks employers to avoid manual handling where reasonably practicable before relying on training. Training matters, but it's the last line of defence, not the first.
Before booking training, ask:
• Can the task be eliminated?
• Can it be automated or mechanised?
• Can the load be made smaller or lighter?
Our manual handling risk assessments look at the task first, then the training.
👉 https://guardiansafetytraining.ie/manual-handling-risk-assessment-consulting/