Update for manual handling at work HSE has updated its INDG143 Manual Handling at Work guide for employers. The document explains the problem with manual handling and includes simple risk filters for lifting and lowering, pushing and pulling and carrying operations to distinguish between low and highrisk tasks. The guide also provides practical advice on making a risk assessment and suggests ways of controlling the risks. www.hse.gov.uk
Knowledge hub Public Health England’s Musculoskeletal Health programme aims to help maintain and improve the musculoskeletal health of the population in England, supporting people to live with good lifelong MSK health and freedom from pain and disability, which includes strategies for prevention. It has established a Knowledge Hub (KHub) for those interested in musculoskeletal health. Professionals are welcome to join the group to share knowledge and keep up to date with the latest news, events and resources. https://khub.net/sign-up
TALKBACK l SPRING 2020
Image: Freestockcenter/Freepik
20 TALKBACK WORKPLACE
Walking and cycling to work linked with fewer heart attacks AN active commute to work is linked to a lower rate of heart attacks, according to a new study part-funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF). In areas in England where walking or cycling to work were more common in 2011, the rates of heart attacks were lower for both men and women across the following two years. Researchers at the University of Leeds noted that this difference in heart attack rates could be partly explained by differences in risk factors for heart disease such as lack
of exercise, having obesity, smoking and diabetes. However, for two groups – women who walked to work and men who cycled to work – the protective link remained when the researchers adjusted for these risk factors. “Finding time to exercise can be tricky given our increasingly busy and often sedentary lives. But exercising doesn’t have to involve a pricey gym membership or hours spent on a treadmill,” said BHF associate medical director Professor Metin Avkiran.
“Upgrading your commute by swapping the gas pedal for a bike pedal is a great way to get your heart pumping on a daily basis. If that’s not an option, parking a few streets away or getting off the bus a few stops early can help pave the way to a longer, healthier life,” he added. The number of people getting to work walking or cycling varied greatly across the UK, with as few as 5% of people walking or cycling to work in some local authorities, compared to as many as 41.6% in other areas. www.bhf.org.uk
Allied health students to receive MANY of those training for the allied health professions are among the nursing students on courses from September 2020 who will receive a payment of at least £5,000 a year which they will not need to pay back. The government funding will be given to all new and continuing degree-level nursing, midwifery and many allied health students from September 2020. It is expected to benefit more than 35,000 students every year. Students will receive at least £5,000 a year, with up to £3,000 further funding available for eligible students, including for: l specialist disciplines that struggle to recruit, including mental health l an additional childcare allowance, on top of the £1,000 already on offer l areas of the country which have seen a decrease in people accepted on some nursing, midwifery and allied
health courses over the past year. The funding will not have to be repaid by recipients. Students will also be able to continue to access funding for tuition and maintenance loans from the Student Loans Company. The measures will be part of the upcoming NHS People Plan, which will set out work to reduce vacancies across the NHS and secure the staff needed for the future. With physio students in England set to benefit from new funding, Kate Middleton, chief executive officer of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, said: “NHS physio vacancy rates in England are around 8% and demand is rising. Expanding the numbers in training is therefore vital to patient care. Better funding is great news, but we have to have a guarantee that it will not be funded by cutting physio training numbers.” www.csp.org.uk
New funding is on the
