Webinar Series - Training for Non-Modifiable and Physically Demanding Manual Materials Handling Tasks: Strategies for First Responders and Healthcare Workers

Thursday, October 1, 2020 12:00 pm - Monday, November 9, 2020 1:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Webinar series

Emergency service responders and healthcare workers are often faced with physically demanding tasks that include lifting and moving people and/or objects in unpredictable, unmodifiable settings; this makes training a critical component of a comprehensive injury prevention strategy. The excessive physical effort, repetitive movements, and awkward postures these workers encounter daily are a likely cause of the majority of their injuries.

This free webinar series will begin with a webinar summarizing our current understanding of the effectiveness of manual handling training for injury prevention and management; the best available research will also be used to make general recommendations for training program development, implementation and evaluation. This introductory webinar will be followed by webinars that offer more specific summaries and recommendations for three different sectors: Firefighters, Paramedics, and Healthcare workers. 

Webinar schedule

CRE-MSD launches this webinar series with a French presentation by researchers from the Institut de Recherche Robert-Sauve en Sante et en Securite du travail (IRRST), authors of the French report Why training on safe handling techniques does not work. This will be followed by an English presentation of researchers' interpretation of the report, integrating a body of literature related to physical exercise and musculoskeletal health.


Webinar 1a

French presentation - this presentation will be delivered entirely in French, with no English translation. For the English presentation that summarizes this research, please register for Webinar 1b below

Ce que la recherché nous indique - Pourquoi la formation basée sur des techniques de manipulation sécuritaires ne fonctionne-t-elle pas? Un examen critique de la littérature

Date : Le 1er octobre 2020
Heure : 12h00 à 13h00 HAE
Présentateurs : Maud Gonella et Denys Denis


Webinar 1b

Using Best Available Evidence to Make Recommendations for Manual Handling Training Program Development, Implementation and Evaluation

Date: October 8, 2020
Time: 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm EDT
Presenters: Tyson Beach and Tilak Dutta


Webinar 2

Ready for Duty: Training Movement Competency and Capacity for Paramedics

Date: October 19, 2020
Time: 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm EDT
Presenters: Daniel Armstrong and Steven Fischer


Webinar 3

Developing Physical Literacy, Fitness and Capacity to Reduce Manual Handling-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in the Fire Service

Date: October 30, 2020
Time: 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm EDT
Presenters: David Frost and Tyson Beach


Webinar 4

Patient Moving and Handling: Preparing and Supporting Healthcare Workers to Provide Care Safely

Date: November 9, 2020
Time: 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm EST
Presenters: Catherine Brookman, Emily King, and Mike Holmes


Webinar series resources

The recordings and slide presentations can be accessed by selecting any of the webinars in the above webinar schedule. 

To complement this webinar series, CRE-MSD has developed three infographic/poster resources on body positioning for the knee, low back, and shoulder for reducing MSD injury risk when performing non-modifiable tasks. These resources are now available as part of the Ontario MSD Prevention Guideline and can be found in the Resource Library, under the Hazard Control category.

CRE-MSD researchers have also developed a position paper summarizing current best evidence on this topic: Improving Workplace Manual Handling Training Programs.

For assistance, please contact Betina Butler at bbutler@uwaterloo.ca.


Disclaimer: CRE-MSD receives funding through a grant provided by the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development. The views expressed are those of the presenters and do not necessarily reflect those of the Centre nor of the Province of Ontario.