Training & Consulting
MoveWell™
MoveWell™ is Employ Health’s proactive approach to manual handling training. We help workers understand how their bodies move, how injuries occur, and how to reduce risk through better movement, preparation, and recovery strategies.
Manual Handling Training That Goes Beyond Lifting
Manual handling training is often treated as a compliance requirement: a session, a checklist and a certificate. At Employ Health, we see it differently.
Our MoveWell™ approach helps workers understand how their bodies move, what creates injury risk, and how to build safer habits before pain or injury occurs. By combining manual handling education with movement preparation, ergonomics, recovery strategies and early intervention pathways, we help organisations move from reactive training to proactive injury prevention.
Benefits:
- Reduce manual handling injuries
- Improve worker movement awareness
- Build safer lifting and carrying habits
- Support workplace injury prevention programs
- Improve workforce wellbeing and resilience
why this matters?
One of New Zealand’s Most Common Workplace Injury Risks
Manual handling remains one of the leading causes of workplace injuries across New Zealand. Despite mandatory training in many industries, organisations continue to experience preventable musculoskeletal injuries, lost productivity and rising compensation costs. Understanding the scale of the problem is the first step toward building a safer, healthier workforce.
600+/month
Workplace injuries caused by muscular stress while lifting, carrying or putting down objects.
65%
Soft tissue injuries accounted for 65% of all work-related injury claims in 2023
57%
Of musculoskeletal injuries are caused by muscular stress, including manual handling tasks.
35,000+
Injuries resulting in more than a week away from work last year.
43,200+
More serious workplace injuries required compensation and rehabilitation support.
Sources: www.worksafe.govt.nz, www.stats.govt.nz
THE MOVEWELL™ METHOD
A Smarter Approach to Manual Handling Training
MoveWell™ is built around a simple idea: preventing injuries starts long before a worker lifts their first load. Our methodology combines education, movement preparation, practical techniques and recovery strategies to help workers build lasting habits that improve safety, performance and long-term physical health.
MOVEWELL™4 pillars:
Prepare Your Workforce
Prepare employees for the physical demands of their role.
Reduce Workplace Risk
Identify and address the causes of manual handling injuries.
Build Safer Behaviours
Reinforce practical techniques employees can apply every day.
Support Long-Term Health
Extend injury prevention beyond the training session.
Prepare Your Workforce
MoveWell™ helps organisations prepare employees for the physical demands of their role through movement preparation, dynamic warm-ups, mobility exercises and ergonomic education. By improving physical readiness at the start of each shift, businesses can reduce preventable injuries and support safer work practices.
Program includes:
- Dynamic warm-up routines
- Mobility and stretching protocols
- Ergonomic education
- Movement preparation techniques
- Physical readiness strategies
Reduce Workplace Risk
Rather than focusing solely on lifting technique, MoveWell™ educates employees on the primary risk factors behind musculoskeletal injuries. This proactive approach helps organisations build greater awareness and reduce exposure to common workplace hazards.
Training covers:
- Awkward postures
- Excessive force
- Repetitive movements
- Occupational sitting
- Practical risk reduction strategies
Build Safer Movement Behaviours
MoveWell™ introduces a simple movement framework that employees can consistently apply across a wide range of manual tasks. These easy-to-remember principles encourage better decision-making, safer movement patterns and greater confidence when performing physical work.
Core principles:
- Think Clear
- Think Close
- Think Capacity
- Safe manual handling techniques
- Physical capacity awareness
Support Long-Term Workforce Health
MoveWell™ incorporates recovery, physical conditioning and early intervention strategies to help organisations build healthier, more resilient teams. Employees are also introduced to clear reporting pathways, ensuring concerns can be identified and managed before they become more serious injuries.
Program includes:
- Recovery and mobility strategies
- Trigger ball and stretching techniques
- Physical capacity education
- Early injury reporting
- Integration with Employ Health’s Health Hub™ and Rapid Response™ services
FLEXIBLE DELIVERY
Delivered Around Your Workforce
MoveWell™ is designed to fit the operational demands of your organisation. Whether you’re onboarding new employees, reinforcing safe work practices or delivering targeted training for high-risk tasks, our programs can be tailored to suit your workforce, industry and work environment.
Workshops
Comprehensive instructor-led training sessions that combine manual handling education with injury prevention strategies.
Toolbox Talks
Short, engaging sessions that reinforce key manual handling principles and keep injury prevention front of mind.
Task-Specific Training
Training tailored to the physical demands, equipment and manual handling risks unique to your workplace and roles.
What Does Manual Handling Training Involve?
Depending on your specific workplace needs, Employ Health’s engaging programs can include:
Interactive Learning
An interactive presentation covering employee obligations, manual handling theory, application and demonstration
Workplace-Specific Training
Practical components incorporating products and materials specific to your workplace
Training Resources
Participant handbooks including warm-up and stretching handouts
Competency Assessment
Task and job-specific assessments & completion certificates for each employee
Training Records
More Than Training: MoveWell™ is part of a complete workplace health strategy.
Effective manual handling training should deliver measurable outcomes—not just meet compliance requirements. MoveWell™ helps organisations reduce workplace injury risk while building a stronger culture of safety, wellbeing and injury prevention.
Outcomes Your Organisation Can Expect:
- Reduced manual handling injuries
- Improved workforce capability
- Earlier reporting of discomfort and injuries
- Better movement confidence
- Stronger safety culture
- Reduced downtime
- Improved employee wellbeing
Build a Workforce That Moves Well
MoveWell™ helps organisations reduce manual handling injury risk through a proactive approach that combines practical training, movement preparation, injury prevention and long-term workforce health. Whether you’re looking to improve safety outcomes, support your people or strengthen your injury prevention strategy, our team can tailor a program to your workplace.
Transform manual handling into injury prevention.
Find Out More
Tell us a little about your workplace and one of our specialists will be in touch to discuss the best options for your team.
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