Organisation
profile
The Health and
Safety Authority (HSA) was established under the Safety, Health and Welfare at
Work Act 1989, which has since been replaced by the Safety, Health and Welfare
at Work Act 2005. The main legislative role under the 2005 Act is the
protection of employees and those affected by a work activity from occupational
injury and ill health.
The Authority has
additional functions under the Chemicals Act 2008 and 2010, and other
legislation. In 2014, the Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB) was
included under the Authority’s functions.
The Authority
reports to the Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail under
delegated authority from the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
Training aim
The aim of the Introduction to Ergonomics Risk Assessment course is to raise awareness and provide an overview of ergonomics and its relationship to the risk assessment process.
The course is not intended to replace the workplace specific information and training needs required by health and safety legislation and it does not denote competency in ergonomic risk assessment. Specific training and / or specialised advice may also be required.
Learning objectives
On successful completion of this course participants should be able to:
• understand the meaning of ergonomics and how it relates to manual handling work activities and/or repetitive tasks involving the upper limbs,
• understand why ergonomic risk factors must be managed,
• understand the ergonomic risk factors that impact on musculoskeletal health,
• recognise risk assessment tools that can be used to assess ergonomic risk, and
• apply a 5-step ergonomic risk assessment process for assessing work activities.
Course outline
The course is based on the Managing Ergonomic Risk in the Workplace guidance available on hsa.ie. It has a particular emphasis on the 5-step risk assessment process.
The course has 7 parts:
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: What is ergonomics?
Part 3: Managing ergonomic risk factors
Part 4: Risk Assessment tools for assessing ergonomic risk factors
Part 5: Applying a 5-step risk assessment process
Part 6: Assessment
Part 7: Conclusion and Further Information
The course is free and accessible 24/7 on https://hsalearning.ie. A once-off registration is required to access any of the courses on hsalearning.ie Learners can download a certificate of completion at the end of the course. Employers and managers can create an online group using a Group Manager facility, and monitor participants' progress.
Course duration
20 minutes.
Assessment &
certification
Certificate of completion from HSA.
Who should attend
Practitioners including managers, supervisors, safety officers and occupational health professionals who may be assessing work activities which involve manual handling and/or repetitive tasks involving the upper limbs.
Website
https://hsa.ie/