The 5 Days of DigiTrain® ...
An Immediate & Indefinite Solution to deliver Manual Handling Training In-House
5 minute read
Written by
Osteopathic Solutions Director Gareth Milner
Monday.
​
Computer booted up. A lingering smell of fresh coffee. Jim Johnson prepares for another week of preventing serious harm on the factory floor for 800 employees. He has worked as the EHS Manager at Premium Packaging Ltd for 18 months. He clicks on 'Get Emails' and that worrying prediction of an Injury at Work Claim from End of Line 2 Operative Bob Williams was now live, as the subject of the email from the Legal Shark (i.e. No Win No Fee Solicitor) was £95,000 INJURY AT WORK CLAIM – BOB WILLIAMS.
​
Jim the EHS Manager has been bogged down with Management Reports, daily meetings, Risk Assessments etc. over the last 12 months and Manual Handling Training has been at the bottom of his TO-DO list. Jim has qualified as a Manual Handling Instructor but simply isn’t getting any time to deliver training and has no Team Members with the qualification to deliver Workforce Training.
Jim puts in a request for all 300 factory floor employees to be trained with an External Provider which was an £8,000 spend but it is refused from Management. The Online Health & Safety Programme they have signed up to includes some Manual Handling elements but there is no results from its purchase, as Musculoskeletal Disorders and Lost Time Accidents (from Manual Handling Accidents) within the Workforce are increasing, and now with this serious Claim to defend. An email flashes up on Jim’s computer titled … DigiTrain A must have for Premium Packaging Ltd.
​
He opens the email up and sees a Digital product that gives him the necessary training and Course to train his own team of Manual Handling Instructors. Jim listens to the DigiTrain® Podcast, reads the FAQs and immediately picks up the phone to his Procurement Director Tom Williams. Here’s how the call went …..
‘Tom, it’s Jim Johnson. Did you see the Bob Williams’ Claim email?’
​
‘Yes, not great is it? What can we do about it?’
​
‘Well, there is a case to defend but we will be liable for at least £30,000. Look Tom, this claim has happened because the 300 employees including Bob Williams have NOT had satisfactory training.’
​
‘But we have an Online Programme? I have done it myself.’
​
‘Tom, you know it’s not sufficient.’
​
‘Fair enough Jim … what are you suggesting then?’
​
‘Well ... I have sourced this Accredited product called DigiTrain® by Osteopathic Solutions Ltd. At only £695 this will give me the ability in 2 Days to train our own Manual Handling Instructors, who can train the Workforce in the coming weeks on the factory floor.’
​
‘Have you looked at other company’s for this type of product, to cost compare?’
​
‘This is the only product of its kind.’
​
‘OK, what do you need from me?’.
​
‘I can’t wait for a Purchase Order Tom, you know that can take weeks. By buying it online today we will have all the DigiTrain® content TODAY, accessible on Dropbox. I can view all content tomorrow and run the Course Wednesday & Thursday, and these newly qualified Instructors I train could be on the factory floor on Friday, changing our employees bad Manual Handling habits in structured Courses. The Business cannot suffer another Claim like this, Tom. Bob Williams will win as he has never had a practical Manual Handling Course since he has been here.’
​
‘OK Jim. Send me the Buy Online link and we will order DigiTrain® this afternoon. How much did you say it cost?’
​
‘£695 …’
​
‘OK, you will have it ordered in 30 minutes. Send me the Buy Online link for DigiTrain® now.’
30 minutes later Jim, the EHS Manager receives a THANK YOU FOR YOUR ORDER email with the Dropbox login for all DigiTrain® content. Jim calls the Company’s Claims Manager and HR Director and informs them that they will manage the initial response of the Claim and that he will not be available this week as he is ‘revolutionising’ the Business’ Manual Handling Risk Management.
Tuesday.
​
Jim enters the Factory reception with an empowered feeling. With his strong Americano coffee and Monster Energy on his desk he downloads all DigiTrain® content from the Osteopathic Solutions Dropbox file. He tells the receptionist that he won’t be taking calls today. He puts up his ‘Do not disturb’ sign on his office door. Using the DigiTrain® Instructor Booklet (in PDF format) he works through the Course content and delivery. Late morning he turns his attention to the Presentation Videos. As he progresses through the headache he had been suffering since yesterday subsided as he was already seeing himself delivering the 2 Day Programme starting tomorrow, as all the Course was planned, simply using DigiTrain®. After lunch he walked around the factory taking videos and photos of the tasks he had to cover during the Course practical. After lunch he sent the following email to each attendee using the format stated in the DigiTrain® booklet.
You have been selected to attend the following Course:
Course: 2 Day Manual Handling Instructor Assessor
Course Dates: 24th-25th February 2024
Location: Premium Packaging Ltd, Ferndale Industrial Estate, Maidstone, Kent, ME12 2EX
Training Room : Murphy Room
Times: 9am-4.30pm each day
Breaks: 10 minute Coffee Break at 11am on Day 1
10 minute Coffee Break at 10.15am on Day 2 30 minute Lunchbreak at 1pm each day
Instructor: Jim Johnson, EHS Manager
Dress: Safety shoes. Safety trousers. Hi Vis
Tea, coffee and water will be available in the Murphy Room.
Do you have any musculoskeletal disorders, for example back or neck pain? Please confirm by reply email within the next 24 hours.
You have been emailed using WeTransfer the Attendee Course Booklet and the Course Outline and Learning Outcomes. Please download the 2 PDF documents and read all content before the Course.
I look forward to meeting you on Day 1 of the Course on the 24th February. Please arrive at 8.45am. Have a nice day!
Jim Johnson, EHS Manager
Tuesday continued .... With the Course booked and the attendees (and their Managers) informed, Jim read through the Course Practical and Written Assessment procedure. It was all very simple but just to be reassured he called Osteopathic Solutions who clarified his questions by phone. Impressed with the immediate ‘by phone’ support, Jim posted on LinkedIn a photo of himself holding the DigiTrain® saying ... ‘Excited to start using DigiTrain tomorrow training our own Manual Handling Instructors. Premium Packaging Ltd will NEVER have to buy in Manual Handling Training again.' #TrainTheTrainer #DigiTrain #ManualHandlingInstructor #ContinualProfessionalDevelopment
​
Wednesday.
​
Day 1 – Accredited 2 Day Manual Handling Instructor Assessor Course
​
9am. With 6 Factory Floor Department Supervisors in the Training Room, EHS Manager Jim commences the Course briefly covering the Legislation. He notices that his attendees are captivated by the basic anatomy of the spine and its biomechanics which Jim was really enjoying teaching, as the DigiTrain® content made it so simple.
​
The videos in DigiTrain® detailed hazardous Manual Handling techniques and practices, however during the factory floor walkaround the previous day, in 45 minutes he captured 10 videos of hazardous lifting, carrying, lowering, pushing and pulling practices.
​
The End of Line Supervisor attending the Couse said to Jim ‘These are the practices Bob Williams was performing every day. Yesterday I watched the camera footage. We need to change this.’
​
Late morning the attendees were taken through the MAC Tool getting them through the basics of Manual Handling Risk Assessment (DigiTrain® provides worked example Videos of the MAC Tool, again making it very simple for the Instructor delivering the 2 Day Course).
In the afternoon Jim teaches the attendees Squat Lifting with engineering equipment, pallets, finished product and fluid drums. He used to find delivering Manual Handling Training to the Workforce at his previous jobs difficult as his knowledge was lacking. DigiTrain® had filled in all the gaps. Jim was finding real buy-in from the attendees as the Course was highly practical and simple to understand.
Thursday.
​
Day 2 – Accredited 2 Day Manual Handling Instructor Assessor Course
​
What Jim liked even more about DigiTrain® was that he was able to spread Manual Handling Risk Assessment responsibility to all Department Supervisors. Using real life video clips from their factory, Jim presented the HSE’s MAC Manual Handling Checklists (DigiTrain® includes already worked examples of the Checklists).
​
Pushing and pulling practical was taught with pallet trucks (with pallets weighing 600kg and 300kg), engineering trolleys, Industrial Vacuums etc. Team pushing and pulling was practised with Commercial Bins. Wrapping up the practical Team lifting, carrying and lowering was practised with CHEP pallets and heavy engineering equipment.
​
In the afternoon, the attendees undertook the Formal Assessment featuring a 20 minute Practical Assessment and a 45 minute Multiple Choice Written Paper. Like a Teacher during term time, it was a long evening of marking for Jim, however all attendees had passed, and tomorrow morning would be issued their Certificates and qualification as a Manual Handing Instructor and Risk Assessor at Premium Packaging Ltd.
​
Friday.
​
Only 4 days after purchasing DigiTrain®, Premium Packaging Ltd has 6 Manual Handling Instructors ready to train the 800 employees across the factory and warehouse floors.
​
The EHS Manager Jim observed all Instructors deliver a 1 Hour Course for 5 attendees (DigiTrain® trains Instructors who can deliver both 2 Hour and 1 Hour Workforce Manual Handling Practical Skills Courses). All attendees 'Signed on the Dotted Line' having attendee a Practical Manual Handling Course.
​
A few months later ....
​
The Production Manager approaches Jim on the factory floor saying 'Jim, we have all our employees that have been off work due to back injuries, back to work. I am also noticing from what I can see, are very safe Manual Handling techniques and practices. How have you achieved this in such a short time?'
​
Jim simply replies 'We have trained all 800 staff using our newly qualified Instructors using a Digital Product called DigiTrain®.'
​
The Production Manager says 'How much did DigiTrain® cost?'
​
Jim replies '£695' ... The Production Manager says 'Wow ... that's a no-brainer of a product, well done!'
