Employees who are expected to engage in manual handling must be given training in how to do so safely if their firms are to avoid breaching health and safety legislation.

Jill Joyce, the senior policy and technical advisor for the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), claims two-fifths of accidents requiring workers to take more than three days off are caused by handling, lifting or carrying activities.

Suggesting traditional methods of safety training such as "long boring sessions in front of the blackboard" are not effective ways of preparing employees, she says more practical advice, which could be offered in one-on-one manual handling training, is the most appropriate way of preparing staff.

Other forms of skills development in this area could include a manual handling dvd, written material detailing correct health and safety approaches to take or more compact guides to good practice.

Warning businesses that back injuries can also be created by pushing and pulling, as well as through incorrect lifting, Ms Joyce states workers need to be shown how to take environmental factors and their own capabilities into account when conducting a manual handling risk assessment.

"It is also about getting the best fit between the work and the work environment and, indeed, the capabilities of their employees," she claims.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) spokesperson states safety training is required for tasks where a manual handling risk assessment identifies a potential hazard.

The representative states: "To be effective, manual handling training needs to be embedded as ongoing process with organisations."

Measures such as introducing a manual handling poster or issuing a manual handling booklet in the workplace could promote awareness of good practice, which is something the organisation's spokesperson claims is important if employees are to report problems they encounter.

Both the representative and Ms Joyce emphasise the importance of avoiding lifting when an alternative system is available or where loads are dangerously heavy.

Earlier in the year, catering equipment manufacturer Lincat was fined £19,400, plus £4,800 in costs, after one of its employees experienced a severe groin injury while lifting a pizza oven.

He had not been given manual handling training, informed about the item's weight or shown how to use mechanical aids to lighten the strain the task placed on his body.

At the time, Dr Ian James Ellison, an inspector with the HSE, revealed the worker had to take nearly nine weeks off work to recover from the accident.

The HSE spokesperson adds there is no specification about how the training must be provided, which would allow the use of a manual handling Multi-Lingual DVD in businesses employing migrant workers, or direct one-on-one coaching for staff members with poor literacy.

Ms Joyce states additional conditions in the workplace can exacerbate the potential problems posed by lifting, suggesting stress levels also increase the risk employees are put in. She says people's posture can be affected by this type of pressure in a way which leaves them more susceptible to injury.

Claiming it is important employers tackle these psycho-social issues as well, she says these can increase the chances of people developing musculoskeletal disorders, as staff are less likely to take breaks or rest for long enough to allow recovery.

Last month, analyst MBT Academy's Crippling Careers report revealed 18.5 million people in the UK experience back pain, with fewer than half reporting it to their GP. Almost a third admit they have had to alter their daily activities in order to minimise the effect this has on their lives, while 45 per cent of 35 to 54 year olds state this.