Introduction - a bit about your presenter

1. Introduction - a bit about your presenter - Council Tenant - Married with a 9 year old son Ken Haig – Treasurerof Levenmouth Communities Regeneration Group - I work at Carnegie College in Dunfermline - I am a Health & Safety Representative for Unison @ Carnegie College

2. Aim of the Group To work towards ensuring the interests of all people living and working in the Levenmouth area are taken into account and to aid the involvement and participation of Levenmouth or other interested people in the process of regeneration.

3. Local voluntary body, Levenmouth Communities Regeneration Group (LCRG), was set up seven years ago to provide a forum for Levenmouth residents to express their views and influence regeneration policies and practical measures. LCRG comprises individuals and representatives from local community organisations.

4. Objective of LCRG To promote, provide, or assist in providing training in skills of all kinds, particularly such skills as will assist residents of the Operating Area towards obtaining paid employment

5. Levenmouth According to all available indicators, Levenmouth is among the 10 most deprived areas in Scotland. In Fife, Levenmouth is one of the four most disadvantaged areas which are the target of co- ordinated regeneration efforts involving Fife Council, other statutory agencies and community bodies, and supported by the Scottish Executive.

6. Why do we have so many kids that have never been taught manual handling, yet do it all of the time? I saw a tall school kid putting things into the bottom locker, whilst a few feet away a saw a short school kid struggling to get his books in the top locker.

7. What can be done • Well our idea seems a simple one, but for it to work I need to ask for your help • What we would like to do is to develop a pilot course that could be taught in High School, targeted at the school kids. • Safety Group - Fife , together with other partners would provide members to deliver the course to the chosen High School.

8. Where are the benefits? • Employers would be reimbursed for the loss of their employee. • They would be all using set course material, which would be drawn up by the partners • The person delivering the course would receive expenses and a set fee • The individual lecturing would benefit from delivering to a younger audience

9. The kids learn to undertake manual handling safely. • They also learn skills useful for employment. • The NHS benefit from a reduction in bad backs and associated cost in treating this ailment. • Employers benefit as the can build on the training the kids have received, thus reducing their costs. • The schools benefit from having kids doing things in a safer manner. • Basically everyone benefits

10. How would this work? • Basically it would be made up of four parts, with each part adding to the next part. 1st Years would be taught a certain level with incremental changes building on the basic level. • Each year would get a certificate indicating their achievement • These certificate would bear the names of the partners and could be presented to employers. • By working together the various partners will be able to provide an array of resources, manpower, access to teaching and training resources etc. The course material could then bring the best elements from all the partners and achieve best practice through a partnership approach.

11. There is currently no training of this nature being offered. Youths are not shown the correct way to lift until they enter employment. • Child carers, the reality is that they are currently undertaking a range of tasks and may be putting their own health at risk.

12. By using a Partnership Approach, other agencies could help deliver this training. The main idea is not to replicate existing training but to enhance and focus it in a meaningful and fun way. • The project can help with employability skills, introduce risk assessments and improve health and well being through a working partnership approach to prevention.

13. Key Outcomes Indicator Percentage of youths stating that they currently have no knowledge of correct manual handling & lifting procedures. Outputs No. of youths participating in the programme Outcomes Reduce the risk of injuries mostly affecting the back, but also severe problems to the limbs, muscles, tendons and the heart.

14. What will this pilot do? • By participating in the pilot project the youths will be increasing their chance of employment • The pilot project will result in additional skills being learned thus making them a more attractive proposition to potential employers • By implementing the skills learned the youths would hopefully reduce their chances of future injuries. • The pilot will increase knowledge and understanding and hopefully remove the barrier of lack of appropriate manual handling & lifting experience/training for each youth.

15. Plus • By participating in the pilot project and implementing the skills learned the youths improve their own health and well-being, as well as that of their families and friends, through a mixture of peer pressure and sharing skills and knowledge. • By participating in the pilot project the youths will learn how to perform all manner of physical activity safely. • By making the project attractive and varied we hope that this will lead to a high participation level and will end with the youths completing their courses and achieving a meaningful certificate that will not only boost their confidence but increase their aspirations.

16. Manual handling Manual handling means more than simply lifting or carrying something. The term is used to describe activities including lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, carrying, moving, holding or restraining an object, animal or person. It also covers activities that require the use of force or effort such as pulling a lever or operating power tools. Manual Handling

17. Over 30 per cent of all accidents reported to the HSE are connected with manual handling. Every year 300,000 people are forced to endure the agony of back pain resulting from a manual handling incident. [UNISON] • British businesses lose an estimated 4.9 million days to employee absenteeism through work related back pain - with the North East suffering more than most, with 2 people in every hundred having to cope with the condition. With each affected employee taking an average of 19 days off work this is clearly a problem that needs to be addressed.

18. Back injuries • The charity Backcare estimates the overall cost of back pain - to the NHS, business and the economy - at a staggering£5 billionper year. • Northern TUC Regional Secretary, Kevin Rowan, says, ' Preventing back injuries should be a major concern for employers and workers in our region given the scale of the problem and the consequences of not dealing with it. • 'Back injuries are extremely debilitating to individual victims and their families, as well as very costly to employers and the economy. And yet the solutions that would prevent injury are often extremely simple.'

19. How will this be paid for? • Good Question • Funding for this pilot project could potentially come from both the Fife Regeneration Outcome Agreement, the Scottish Executive via Prevention 2010: Strengthening Primary Care in Deprived Communities or from other funding available to the NHS. • Additional funding could come from some of our bigger companies, like Diageo, Silberline, BiFab.

20. Where to go now ?