Principles of Manual Handling

1
Principles of Manual Handling

• To introduce you to the principles of and issues
  involved with manual handling relevant to field
  practice

2
Manual Handling

• What is manual handling?
• Any activity requiring the use of force exerted
  by a person to lift, lower, push, pull, carry or
  otherwise move, hold or restrain any person,
  animal or thing (OHSW (Manual Handling)
  Regulations, 1990)
• You need to comment on manual handling in your
  field practice workbook any policies, training
  or experiences you have on field practice

3
Manual Handling

• More than lifting
• How you use your body in the most effective and
  safe way in relation to a load may involve
  lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, lowering or
  sustained postures
• You have a duty of care and legal obligations to
  work safely

4
Manual Handling

• Back injuries represent 25 of work related
  injuries in SA
• As a student, you may encounter circumstances
  that could place you at risk of a back or other
  type of injury
• setting up materials for a treatment session
• assisting with transfers and mobility including
  using a mechanical lifter
• moving equipment into and out of a vehicle
• poor posture when making a splint

5
Principles of MH

• Safety of yourself and your client
• Work within your capabilities
• NEVER attempt a transfer or other activity if you
  are not confident that you know exactly what is
  expected of you and that you have the skills and
  capability required
• Number 1 rule
• STOP AND THINK

6
Assessing risk factors

• Stop, look and think
• Can you minimize the need for and risk involved
  by
• Modifying the object
• Modifying the environment

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Assessing risk factors

• Stop, look and think
• Can you minimize the need for and risk involved
  by
• modifying the object and/or the environment?
• Person (you)
• Strength, fitness, health, MH skills, body
  position
• Environment
• Start and finish, help available
• Occupation (what you will be moving)
• An object, a person

8
Planning for transfers

• Consider the following rules
• Evaluate the task
• (Assess the patient)
• Organise assistance
• Check environmental safety factors
• Arrange furniture / other environmental aspects
• Care of your own body position
• PLANNING TAKES UP 90 OF MH TIME

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Evaluate the task

• What needs to be done?
• Is there anyway the task can be made easier (eg
  take wheelchair apart)
• What is in the way?
• Is there any equipment needed?
• Will you need help?

10
Evaluate the task

• What can the patient/client do for themselves?
• Never help more than you need to try verbal
  instructions, demonstration
• Understanding normal biomechanics of a task is
  important
• Eg assisting someone from sit to stand

11
Check environmental safety factors

• Environment
• Adequate space available? surface (eg sloping
  driveway, water on floor)? Adequate length of
  attachments, obstacles in the way
• Brakes on beds and chairs
• Prepare environment
• Start position (brakes on chair moving from)
• End position (brakes on, chair in suitable
  position and prepared, eg with sheet on it)
• If the patient has a distance to walk, you might
  want to place chairs at convenient places in case
  breaks are required as well.

12
Looking after yourself

• Maintain natural spinal curves
• In standing
• When getting lower down
• When bending forward

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Looking after yourself

• STABLE CORE
• Abdominal bracing
• A little anatomy revision transversus abdominus
• Scapula bracing
• To prevent overuse of small muscle groups such as
  upper traps and biceps. Also helps to keep load
  close
• Use large muscle groups
• Quads, gluts ie bend the knees

14
Looking after yourself

• Wide and stable base of support
• feet position, weight shift
• Keep load close to you
• Hand placement
• Listen to your body and be aware of early warning
  signs of injury

15
Looking after yourself

• These principles apply to
• all types of MH including using assistive devices
• all movement and sustained postures

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Lets practice!

• In pairs, move your bag/chair/table the way you
  usually would. Critique each other using the
  effective MH principles.
• Now do it again, consciously using the effective
  MH principles. Critique each other again.
• What areas of your own technique do you need to
  work on?

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Manual Handling - scenario

• In order to accompany a client from hospital to
  home to assess the home environment, you need to
• (a) assist her from the wheelchair into the car
  and
• (b) load her folding wheelchair into the boot of
  the hospital sedan
• What are the potential risks in this situation?
  Use PEO to help identify them.
• How can you achieve this while minimising your
  risk of a manual handling injury?

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Remember planning is 90 of all MH
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Conclusion

• You will encounter manual handling on FP
• You have a duty of care and legal obligations to
  work safely
• Stop, look and think and use PEO to assess risk
  factors
• Use your skills to modify the task and
  environment
• Dont do anything you are not confident to do

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Conclusion

• You will see examples of good and bad MH
• Use your workbook to reflect on both and learn
  from the bad as well as the good
• For more information about field work in OT,
  including general information about OHSWIM
• http//www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/learn/HSCPlacemen
  ts/?PATH/Resources/hsc2Dplacements/Students/def
  aultWelcome.htm