New starters
Manual handling induction for new starters
A free online manual handling induction for people starting a warehouse, pick-pack, stores or logistics job in Australia. Eight modules, about an hour, done before your first shift; a free 20-question assessment; and an optional $39 AUD certificate to show a recruiter or employer. Non-accredited awareness training that sits alongside your site induction.
Training & assessment: FREEOptional Certificate of Completion — $39 AUD after passing
Built for warehouse & logistics work
Practical training based on real warehouse handling scenarios.
Before your first shift
Five things to walk in knowing
New starters get hurt in the first weeks more than at any other time: unfamiliar loads, rate pressure, and not wanting to ask. The course is built around these five.
- 1
Know what a hazardous manual task is
Force, repetition, posture, duration and vibration. If you can name the five, you can spot the risky jobs on day one.
- 2
Learn to size up a load before touching it
Weight if marked, grip points, where it's going, what's in the way. The habit that prevents most first-week injuries.
- 3
Get the lifting and lowering technique right
Close, stable base, hips and knees, load in, turn with your feet. Then practise it on something light.
- 4
Understand pushing and pulling
Roll cages, pallet jacks and trolleys are where new starters get hurt: start-up force, slopes, wet floors.
- 5
Know when to stop and ask
Too heavy, too awkward, too high, too far: use equipment, get a second person, or raise it. Nobody expects a new starter to guess.
About an hour, all free
No account, no booking. Start on your phone tonight.
Start the induction
Not the same thing
Site induction vs this course
Your employer's induction is about their site. This course is about handling loads safely anywhere. You need both, and they don't overlap much:
| Covers | Site induction | This course |
|---|---|---|
| Site rules, layout, emergency exits, sign-in | Yes | No |
| Your site's equipment and how to use it | Yes | General principles only |
| What makes a manual task hazardous | Often briefly | In depth, module 2 and 3 |
| Lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling technique | Sometimes | Yes, modules 5 and 6 |
| Warehouse scenarios to practise judgement | Rarely | Yes, module 7 and the assessment |
| A certificate you can show at the next job | Usually not | Optional, $39 AUD |
First week
Day three, replenishment, nobody watching
The induction on Monday covered the fire exits and the scanner. By Wednesday the new starter is restocking a pick face alone: 12 kg cartons from a pallet on the floor to a shelf above shoulder height, twenty at a time, with a pick rate on the screen. Nobody said this was a hazardous manual task, because nobody thought of it as one.
Takeaway: Floor-to-above-shoulder, repeated, under time pressure: three risk factors on a light carton. A starter who has done module 3 asks for a step platform or a pallet lifter, or splits the job. One who hasn't finds out from their back.
From the free course
Start with these three
How it works
Four steps from start to certificate
01
Start the free training
Open module one — no signup, no payment details.
02
Work through 8 modules
Short lessons, warehouse examples and quick knowledge checks.
03
Sit the free assessment
20 multiple choice questions. 75% to pass, unlimited retries.
04
Add a certificate (optional)
Passed? Get your Certificate of Completion for $39 AUD.
Questions
New starter questions
Keep reading
Related pages
About the training
This is non-accredited general awareness training and does not issue a nationally recognised Statement of Attainment. Always confirm your employer's specific training requirements.
Walk in on day one already knowing the basics
Free training. Free assessment. Certificate only if you want one.