Safe Lifting and Manual Handling Course: Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: How manual handling injures workers

Manual handling means lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, carrying or holding a load by hand. It can cause cuts and bruises right away, but the bigger worry is musculoskeletal injury (MSI). BC's OHS Regulation defines an MSI as an injury or disorder of the muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, nerves, blood vessels or related soft tissue, such as a sprain or strain.

CCOHS says that repetition contributes most to manual handling injuries. Small efforts repeated all day add up. A single heavy lift, a slip or a fall can also cause an injury.

Risk factors

Factor	Why it matters
Weight	CCOHS says that for most workers, loads over 20 kg lead to more and worse back injuries.
Distance from the body	A load held far out puts more stress on the back.
Height of the lift	The safest range is between knee and waist height.
Bending and twisting	Both raise the risk of injury.
Frequency and duration	Frequent or long tasks are the most tiring and risky.
Environment	Heat speeds fatigue; cold reduces muscle and joint flexibility; poor lighting raises the risk of falls.

Lesson 2: What the law expects

Every province and territory requires employers to control hazards, but the details differ. Two examples:

British Columbia: ergonomics (MSI) requirements, OHS Regulation ss. 4.46–4.53

The employer must identify work factors that may cause MSI and assess the risk.
The assessment must consider force, repetition, duration and work postures; working reaches, working heights and floor surfaces; the objects handled, such as their load condition and weight distribution; cold; and the pace and variety of work (s. 4.49).
The employer must eliminate the risk or, if that is not practicable, minimize it. PPE may replace engineering or administrative controls only when those are not practicable (s. 4.50).
Workers who may be exposed must be educated in identifying the risks of their work, and trained in any specific controls (s. 4.51).
Controls must be reviewed at least once a year (s. 4.52).
The employer must consult the joint committee or worker representative, and workers who have signs or symptoms of MSI (s. 4.53).

Alberta: OHS Code, as explained in the government's ergonomics bulletin

Before a worker handles a load that could injure them, the employer must assess the task: the weight, size and shape of the load, how often it is moved, and how.
Employers must provide equipment to move heavy or awkward loads whenever reasonably possible, and workers must use it.
There is no specific safe weight limit that fits every worker and task. Workers must also be involved in the hazard assessment.

This course is background knowledge only. Your employer must give you the training required for the handling tasks at your site.

Lesson 3: Plan before you lift

The best lift is the one you do not have to make by hand. Before you start, go through this checklist:

Is a mechanical aid available, such as a hoist, lift table, dolly, hand truck or cart?
How heavy is the load? Can you lift it without straining? If not, get help.
Are the contents stable and balanced? Repack if needed.
Is the route clear of obstacles, spills and litter? Is the place you will put it down clear?
Can the load be made smaller, or raised to between knee and waist height before you lift it?
Are you wearing slip-resistant footwear and gloves that suit the load, with no loose clothing or bulky mitts?

When you use a cart or hand truck, CCOHS says to push it rather than pull it. Check it for defects such as loose wheels or a damaged platform before each use, and only use equipment you are trained on.

Lesson 4: Lifting, carrying and lowering

For a compact load such as a box, CCOHS describes these steps:

Straddle the load and stand close behind it, with your leading foot flat beside the load, pointing the way you will go.
Bend your hips and knees and keep your back straight.
Get a firm grip, for example one hand at the outer top corner and the other at the lower opposite corner.
Lift in one smooth motion, without jerking, using your thigh and leg muscles, not your back.
Keep the load close to your body.
Move off without twisting your body. To turn, move your feet. Avoid twisting and bending sideways while lifting.

To lower the load, take a wide stance with one foot in front of the other, keep your back straight and bend your hips and knees. Tilt the load so your fingers are not trapped, and take them out from under it before you let go. Avoid jerky releases. Avoid carrying a load in one hand only.

Lesson 5: Team lifts and reporting

Use a team lift only when equipment or other solutions are not suitable. A team is weaker than the sum of its members. Alberta's bulletin explains that in a two-person lift each worker handles about two-thirds of the load, so two people who can each lift 10 kg cannot safely lift 20 kg together.

Team lift checklist

Choose people of similar height and strength.
Name one leader to give the commands.
Agree on the commands first, such as "lift", "walk", "stop" and "down".
Practise the lift before the real one.
For a long object on the shoulders, both carry it on the same shoulder, so you can both step out of the way if it falls. If the load is flexible, walking out of step can stop it bouncing.

Report early

Tell your supervisor about aches, pain or tasks that strain you. In BC, employers must consult workers who have signs or symptoms of MSI when they assess the risk. Alberta's bulletin suggests controls such as powered lifts, conveyors, smaller containers and rotating workers to tasks with less handling.