About this session
Construction handling includes more than lifting a box from the floor. Workers move boards, blocks, pipe, glazing, cable, tools, and awkward assemblies across uneven ground, stairs, scaffolds, restricted openings, and shared access routes.
Weight may be unknown, grip poor, and the destination unfinished.
This session uses the NIOSH lifting framework and the TILE approach—task, individual, load, and environment—without reducing safety to “bend your knees” or “keep your back straight.” Participants assess the whole operation, choose mechanical aids, plan staging and routes, and coordinate team lifts with one clear lead.
They also define stop-work boundaries for changing weather, blocked access, unstable loads, unavailable equipment, or lost communication. Supervisors learn where procurement, delivery planning, housekeeping, pace, and subcontractor coordination must change the task itself.
What your people take away
- Assess each handling operation across task, load, person, and environment
- Plan stable routes, staging points, grips, and destinations before movement
- Select suitable mechanical aids and verify their safe operating conditions
- Coordinate team handling with clear commands, roles, and stop signals
- Recognize when changing conditions require reassessment or stop-work action
- Redesign deliveries, storage, access, pace, and interfaces to reduce handling
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What each length covers
30 minutes
30 Minutes — Key Points: Assess the Whole Handling OperationA focused 30-minute session on three key points from Assess the Whole Handling Operation: assess the load before movement, walk and test the route and understand the full handling demand.
- Assess the load before movement
- Walk and test the route
- Understand the full handling demand
Covers 3 of 4 points in Assess the Whole Handling Operation.
60 minutes
Covers 1 of 4 parts: Assess the Whole Handling Operation.
90 minutes
Covers 2 of 4 parts: Assess the Whole Handling Operation and Use Aids and Teams Deliberately.
3 hours
Covers 3 of 4 parts: Assess the Whole Handling Operation, Use Aids and Teams Deliberately and Design Handling Out of the Job.
Full day
Covers all 4 parts.
What’s covered
Assess the Whole Handling Operation
Every length- Assess the load before movementParticipants examine weight, dimensions, center of gravity, stability, sharp edges, temperature and available handholds before a load is moved.
- Walk and test the routeThe group reviews the full journey from pickup to set-down, including slopes, mud, rubble, stairs, ramps, lighting, headroom, doors and shared access.
- Understand the full handling demandAttendees explore how starting height, reach, carrying distance, frequency, pace, visibility and placement accuracy affect the difficulty of a handling task.
- Reassess when conditions changeParticipants examine how rain, wind, housekeeping, plant movement, access changes and other trades can alter a previously acceptable plan.
Use Aids and Teams Deliberately
90 minutes and longer- Match mechanical aids to the taskParticipants compare carts, dollies, pallet trucks, hoists, vacuum lifters, material lifts and approved attachments against different handling scenarios.
- Check whether the aid creates new riskThe session examines how mechanical assistance can introduce pushing forces, trapping points, unstable travel, overhead hazards or difficult loading and unloading.
- Plan team handling before the liftThe group practices organizing team lifts around one clear lead, agreed hand positions, route, sequence, pace, commands and set-down.
- Practice coordinated movementLong, flexible, unstable and vision-obscuring materials are used to explore turns, thresholds and staged set-down.
Design Handling Out of the Job
3 hours and longer- Remove unnecessary handlingSupervisors and crews explore ways to eliminate or reduce manual handling through smaller units, prefabrication, closer deliveries, lifting points and better sequencing.
- Plan delivery and storage around the workParticipants examine unloading methods, storage height, weather protection, plant separation and the order materials will be used.
- Coordinate across tradesThe session looks at deliveries, access, scaffold loading bays, openings, isolations and shared equipment as points where responsibility can become unclear.
- Examine pace, staffing and equipment pressureAttendees explore how compressed schedules, late deliveries, inadequate staffing and unavailable equipment can encourage rushed or improvised handling.
Make Safe Handling Work in Real Site Conditions
Full day only- Apply the plan to a real handling taskParticipants bring the earlier modules together by breaking down a real or representative site movement from pickup through to final placement.
- Respond to change during the jobThe group explores what happens when a planned route becomes blocked, weather deteriorates, equipment becomes unavailable or another trade changes the workface.
- Learn from handling difficulties and near missesAttendees examine how unstable loads, repeated repositioning, difficult routes and near misses can reveal weaknesses in the original plan.
- Build follow-through into site practiceThe session closes by exploring how handling concerns should move from observation to action, ownership and review.
How booking works
- Book online. Create a free Workbliss profile, then pay with session credits, by card or by invoice.
- Pick a date. Choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or book now and set the date later.
- Choose your expert. Within 3 working days, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date.
- We deliver it. Your expert is briefed on your people and goals, then runs the session live online or at your site.
Questions about Loads, Routes & Team Lifts
How long is Loads, Routes & Team Lifts?
Loads, Routes & Team Lifts runs as 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, 3 hours or full day. You choose the length when you book. A 30-minute session covers three key points from Assess the Whole Handling Operation: assess the load before movement, walk and test the route and understand the full handling demand. A 60-minute session covers Assess the Whole Handling Operation in full, with a live Q&A. A 90-minute session adds Use Aids and Teams Deliberately. A 3-hour session adds Design Handling Out of the Job. A full-day session adds Make Safe Handling Work in Real Site Conditions.
Can Loads, Routes & Team Lifts be delivered online or in person?
Yes, both. It runs live online, so every office can join at the same time, or in person at your site, in any country.
How do we book Loads, Routes & Team Lifts?
Create a free Workbliss profile with your work email, then open Loads, Routes & Team Lifts to see the price for each length and book it. You can pay with session credits, by card or by invoice, and choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or set it later.
Who leads the session?
A vetted Workbliss expert, briefed on your people, culture and goals before the session. After you book, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date within 3 working days, so you can choose who leads it.
Can it be tailored to our company?
Yes. Every session is shaped around your goals, your people and the benefits you already offer, and delivered by experts in your people’s languages.