Warehouse & Logistics Manual Handling Guides
The same course for warehouse and logistics workers wherever you work — eight modules, a 20-question assessment and a Certificate of Completion for A$49. These pages cover what changes with the state you work in and answer the questions people ask before they start.
Take the AssessmentCommon questions
Straight answers, with the regulator guidance they rest on linked at the end of each.
- Legal lifting limitNo Australian WHS law sets a maximum lifting weight. What the law requires instead, where the common figures come from, and when to use an aid or a team lift.
- Is training required?Yes in practice: WHS law requires employers to provide the training and instruction needed for hazardous manual tasks. What counts, and how a certificate fits.
- Pallet jack safetyPush rather than pull, keep the load low and centred, check the floor and route, keep to walking pace, and use a powered unit for ramps and heavy loads.
- Roll cages and trolleysLoad heavy items low, keep the load below eye height, push with both hands, use two people at dock lips, tail lifts and kerbs, and check the brakes first.
- Picking and packing injuriesPicking injuries build up from repetition, floor-level and above-shoulder picks and pace. How slotting, aids, realistic rates and early reporting prevent them.
- Labour-hire and casual inductionBoth the host site and the agency hold WHS duties to labour-hire and casual workers. Who does the induction, what the agency checks, what a certificate proves.
By state and territory
Work health and safety law is not identical across Australia. Victoria never adopted the model WHS laws and Western Australia only moved across in 2022, so the regulator and the framework that apply to you depend on where you work.
- New South WalesManual handling training for warehouse, freight and delivery workers in NSW: SafeWork NSW, the WHS Act 2011 (NSW), Chain of Responsibility and site training.
- VictoriaManual handling training for warehouse and freight workers in Victoria: WorkSafe Victoria, the OHS Act 2004 (Vic), hazardous manual handling and site training.
- QueenslandManual handling training for warehouse and freight workers in Queensland: WHSQ, the WHS Act 2011 (Qld), heat, distance and Chain of Responsibility.
- Western AustraliaManual handling training for warehouse, freight and mining logistics workers in WA: WorkSafe WA, the WHS Act 2020 (WA) and why the HVNL does not apply.
- South AustraliaManual handling training for warehouse, freight and produce logistics workers in SA: SafeWork SA, the WHS Act 2012 (SA) and Chain of Responsibility.
- TasmaniaManual handling training for warehouse, wharf and food logistics workers in Tasmania: WorkSafe Tasmania, the WHS Act 2012 (Tas) and Bass Strait freight.
- Australian Capital TerritoryManual handling training for warehouse, parcel and delivery workers in the ACT: WorkSafe ACT, the WHS Act 2011 (ACT) and cross-border work with NSW.
- Northern TerritoryManual handling training for warehouse, freight and remote supply workers in the NT: NT WorkSafe, the WHS (National Uniform Legislation) Act 2011 and no HVNL.
Working in more than one industry? Manual handling training by state covers every industry.