About this course
Repetitive lifting, awkward postures, and manual material handling are among the leading causes of injury in food manufacturing, where employees routinely move boxes, totes, ingredient bags, and finished cases throughout a shift. This course teaches practical ergonomic principles and safe lifting technique to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) such as back strains, shoulder injuries, and repetitive-motion conditions.
There is no single OSHA standard dedicated to ergonomics — Congress rescinded OSHA's 2000 ergonomics rule in 2001 — but OSHA continues to cite ergonomic hazards, including manual material handling and repetitive motion injuries, under Section 5(a)(1), the General Duty Clause, when a recognized hazard is causing or likely to cause serious harm. OSHA also points employers to NIOSH's Revised Lifting Equation, which establishes a 51-pound load constant as the maximum recommended weight under ideal lifting conditions, adjusted downward based on factors like lift height, distance, twisting, and frequency, as a practical benchmark for evaluating manual lifting tasks.
This course is designed for all employees who lift, carry, push, or pull materials as part of their job, including production, warehouse, and sanitation staff, and is a useful companion to facility-specific job hazard analyses for high-risk tasks.
After completing this course, learners will be able to apply proper lifting technique, recognize awkward postures and repetitive-motion risk factors, understand when a lift exceeds safe limits and should be assisted or mechanized, and identify simple workstation adjustments that reduce strain.
Topics covered
- Recognizing musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) risk factors
- Proper lifting, carrying, and team-lift technique
- Introduction to NIOSH lifting guidance and safe weight limits
- Reducing awkward postures and repetitive motion at fixed workstations
- When to use mechanical aids instead of manual handling
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