Introduction

Manual and material handling procedures exist in most workplaces.

The ability to handle materials-to move them from one location to another, whether during transit or at the worksite-is vital to all segments of industry. Materials must be moved, for example, for industry to manufacture, sell, and utilize products. In short, without materials-handling capability, industry would cease to exist.

Mishandling materials is the single largest cause of accidents and injuries in the workplace. Most of these accidents and injuries can be readily avoided. Whenever possible, mechanical means should be used to move materials to avoid employee injuries such as muscle pulls, strains, and sprains. Many loads are too heavy and/or bulky to be safely moved manually. Various types of equipment, therefore, have been designed specifically to aid in the movement of materials: cranes, derricks, hoists, powered industrial trucks, and conveyors.

The hazards associated with materials handling include:

• the improper use of equipment,
• the accumulation of materials and clutter,
• unsafe conditions of materials and containers,
• toxic and flammable materials,
• the weight of materials being handled,
• binding ties or other devices to secure bundles or bound materials,
• exposure to struck-by or caught-in/between hazards,
• lifting, lowering, pushing and pulling heavy or unwieldy objects, and
• improperly stacked materials.

This course describes basic concepts and principles of manual and mechanical materials handling, including moving, transferring, handling, lifting, and storing materials.

Modules and Learning Objectives

Click on the links below to access the modules. You can also click on the links at the top of the page.

Module 1 - Manual Handling

Learning objectives in this module include:

• Describe the hazards inherent in manual material handling.
• List factors associated with back injuries.
• Discuss precautions to take when manually handling materials.
• Describe the hazards associated with moving and lifting objects.
• Describe the best practices for stacking materials.
• Identify the types of PPE to use when manually handling materials.
• Describe the hazards of loading, transporting, and unloading.
• Describe precautions to take when moving trailing cables.

Module 2 - Mechanical Handling

Learning objectives in this module include:

• Describe the types of equipment used in mechanical handling.
• Identify the seven classes of forklifts.
• Give an example of a diesel, electric, gasoline, and LPS forklifts.
• Describe Hazard Classes I and II, and give examples.
• Describe safe practices when traveling when using a forklift.
• Discuss safe practices when driving on ramps and onto trucks, trailers, and railroad cars.
• Identify the questions to ask when analyzing a load.
• Describe requirements for lifting and lowering people using a forklift.
• Discuss safe work practices related to forklift traffic patterns.

Module 3 - Cranes and slings

Learning objectives in this module include:

• Define "rated capacity" and give an example.
• Discuss general safety measures for crane operation.
• Describe the hazards of working around a suspended load.
• Describe crane operator responsibilities while the load is suspended.
• Discuss the signaling and work area control requirements for operators.
• Describe the types of slings, related safe practices and uses.

Module 4 - Conveyors, Housekeeping, and Storage

Learning objectives in this module include:

• Describe the hazards associated with working around conveyors.
• Discuss the benefits of good housekeeping for material handling.
• Describe staging hazards and solutions.
• Describe general storage considerations for indoors and outside storage.
• Discuss storage and stacking requirements for bagged materials, lumber, and bricks.
• Discuss storage and stacking requirements for steel, cylindrical material, sand, gravel, and stone.
• Describe requirements for handling and storing drums.
• Describe requirements for and storing flammable and combustible liquids.

Course 619 Study Guide. You can save this study guide to your computer for offline studying, or print the study guide if you prefer.

Course 619 Final Exam

After studying the course material and answering the quiz questions, it is time to take the final exam. We highly recommend answering the module quiz questions to check your understanding of the course material. The final exam questions are typically developed from these quiz questions.

OSHAcademy course final exams are designed to make sure students have gained a sufficient understanding of the content covered within each course. To help demonstrate this understanding, students must achieve a passing score on course final exams. It is OSHAcademy's policy to protect the integrity of our exams: as a result, we do not provide missed questions to students.

This is an open book exam. Students are permitted to use a separate browser window to review course content while taking the exam. If you do not pass a final exam, you will see a "Retake Exam" button next to the course on your student dashboard.

If you have already paid for your certificate

If you have already paid for certificates, your exam score will be displayed on your student dashboard after successfully passing the final exam. If you chose PDF certificates, you can view and print your certificate and personal transcript from your student dashboard. If you chose original printed documents, they will be prepared and mailed to the address in your student account.

If you only want free training

OSHAcademy provides free access to all training materials, including course modules, practice quizzes, exercises, and final exams. However, exam scores, certificates, and transcripts are provided only if you purchase a certificate package to document your training. If you do not require official training documentation, we will archive your exam results should you decide to purchase official certificates later.

Take the Final Exam

Additional Resources

1. 1910.176 Handling materials - General - OSHA
2. 1926.958 Materials Handling and Storage - Electrical Power Transmission and Distribution - OSHA
3. 1926.250 Materials Handling, Storage, Use and Disposal - General - OSHA
4. Materials Handling and Storage - OSHA Pub 2236
5. Materials Handling Industry (MHI) Association
6. Guidance on Safe Sling Use - OSHA
7. Hoisting and Rigging Fundamentals - OSHA
8. Hoisting and Rigging Fundamentals - OSHA