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Guaranteeing employee safety should be a top priority for any responsible employer. And there’s one simple but effective acronym that can help mitigate injury risks across your workforce—TILE. But what exactly does TILE signify? And why is proper training so important to applying its principles correctly?
We break down the TILE concept and explore an affordable online course option to get your staff up to speed on safe manual handling practices.
TILE isn’t just a random collection of letters. It’s a memorable way to encapsulate the core factors impacting manual handling safety:
When evaluating manual labour requirements, the first consideration is the task itself. What specific movements, postures and actions are involved? Assessing the nature of duties allows you to identify potential hazards like:
Having a grip on the physical demands of any given task means you can determine appropriate control measures. These may include ergonomic aids, job rotation policies or redesigning processes entirely to reduce strain.
Every individual employee has unique physical capabilities influenced by their age, fitness levels, pre-existing conditions and body mechanics. One person may find a particular task manageable while another struggles.
That’s why matching manual handling duties to individual workers’ skills and limitations is necessary. Providing tailored training and never assigning excessive loads beyond what’s reasonable are also key. Being attuned to varying individual factors prevents overburdening staff.
The characteristics of the actual load or object being handled represent another essential component. Factors like the weight, size, shape and stability of items all impact manual handling risks.
Awkward, heavy or bulky loads increase strain and compromise grip and control. So too do situations like carrying stacked or raised items obstructing vision. Assessing both direct load attributes and environmental obstacles is central to ensuring safety and efficiency in material handling.
Speaking of environments, the surroundings and conditions where manual tasks occur also play a major role. Cluttered work areas, slippery floors, poor lighting, extreme temperatures and inadequate space can all increase accident likelihoods.
Providing clear pathways, ample lighting, well-maintained surfaces and other situational adjustments creates a safer environmental container for manual handling activities to happen.
By fully accounting for all four TILE elements – task, individual, load and environmental factors – you can comprehensively evaluate manual handling risks across any operation or setting. Armed with that awareness, employers can implement tailored controls and safeguards to protect their workforce.
However, ensuring staff understand and apply TILE concepts consistently requires targeted training – which is where an affordable new online course option comes into play.
Developed in partnership with The CPD Group, our new online Manual Handling course provides a comprehensive yet concise education for employees on:
The fully-accredited training is offered in a straightforward, easy-to-follow digital format requiring just one to two hours for completion. A 25-question multiple choice exam allows students to prove their competency, earning an instant certificate once passed.
Best of all, this manual handling course is fully compliant with all current UK and EU regulations around employee safety. It provides the legal reassurance employers need to demonstrate their commitment to a safe workplace and mitigate liability risks.
At £15 per person, plus bulk discounts available for large orders of more than 10 seats, it represents an extremely cost-effective solution for building a properly trained workforce able to apply TILE and other manual handling best practices consistently.
From understanding TILE’s formula for assessing tasks, considering individuals, loads and environments—to accessing cost-effective accredited training—prioritising manual handling safety just makes good business sense. An ounce of preparation through proper education can prevent untold workplace incidents down the line.
