Preventing and Managing Discomfort, Pain and Injury

This course builds learners’ understanding of the causes and symptoms of Discomfort, Pain, and Injury (DPI) and the risk factors involved with manual handling. Learners gain knowledge of methods to prevent and manage symptoms and minimise risks.

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Duration
1 day
Topic
Foundation
Next session
21 Dec 2026 · 2 dates
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At a glance

Course details

Duration: 1 day
Unit Standard:

Unit #   Name Level 
Credits  
17591 Demonstrate knowledge of the prevention and management of Discomfort, Pain and Injury (DPI) in the workplace  3 8
17592 Identify the causes of back injury and methods to prevent back injuries in the workplace  3 4

Overview

Preventing and Managing Discomfort, Pain and Injury course overview

Telling someone to “just bend their knees” doesn’t address the root causes of workplace injuries. When discomfort, pain and injury are reduced to a manual handling lifting issue, the impact of repetitive tasks, sustained postures, and other contributing factors can be overlooked. This one-day Preventing and Managing Discomfort, Pain and Injury (DPI) course builds understanding of how DPI develops and how it can be prevented and managed in the workplace.
 
We skip the outdated advice and one-size-fits-all messaging. Instead, our experienced trainers guide learners through how the body works in relation to work tasks, supported by activities and practical scenarios. Participants develop an understanding of spinal function, risk factors for injury, and how design, environment, and work organisation influence the development of DPI. They also build the skills to identify task-level risks and apply simple, effective strategies to reduce strain and support early intervention.
 
IMPAC’s focus is on building capable, body-aware workers who understand how to prevent and manage discomfort, pain, and injury in a practical way, helping to reduce harm in the workplace. Participants leave with a clear understanding of how DPI develops and the skills to support prevention, early reporting, and recovery, along with access to an IMPAC pocket guide for ongoing reference.

Curriculum

What you'll cover

This course is designed for:

  • Workers involved in manual handling tasks, especially where lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, repetitive work, or awkward postures are part of the job.
  • Supervisors and team leaders responsible for monitoring how manual tasks are planned and carried out.
  • Managers and health and safety personnel who need to reduce DPI risk and improve early reporting and response.
  • Teams working in environments where sustained postures, forceful work, or poorly designed tasks can lead to back injury or other DPI issues.

Our approach

+IMPAC's Preventing and Managing Discomfort, Pain and Injury training approach

Our trainers keep this training practical and grounded in what people actually do at work. Learners work through clear explanations of spinal function, DPI risk factors, and how work design, environment, and habits all influence strain and injury risk.
 
Rather than relying on outdated lifting-only messages, the course uses discussion, trainer-led examples, and realistic workplace scenarios to show where problems typically start and what good practice looks like. Learners leave with practical ways to spot risk earlier, speak up sooner, and apply sensible controls that support safer work and recovery.

Upcoming sessions

Public courses – Book now

Want to discuss running Preventing and Managing Discomfort, Pain and Injury at your organisation?

Enquire now

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

This course is suited to workers, supervisors, managers, and health and safety personnel involved in manual handling or other tasks that can lead to DPI. It is especially relevant where people regularly lift, carry, push, pull, repeat the same movements, or work in awkward postures. It also helps those responsible for planning work or improving how manual tasks are managed in practice.

Workplaces need to manage risks associated with lifting, repetitive work, awkward postures, and physically demanding tasks that could contribute to discomfort, pain, or injury. While manual handling training is not specifically prescribed for every worker, training is commonly used to help workers understand safer movement techniques, task controls, and injury prevention practices.

Learners need written and spoken English equivalent to NCEA Level 1 (Year 11) or an IELTS score of 5.5 or higher. If a learner may need additional support, please contact our team before enrolment to discuss available support options.

This course is available face-to-face and live online via Zoom, allowing organisations to deliver training in the format that best suits their workers and workplace requirements.

The course runs for 1 day, allowing learners to build a practical understanding of DPI risks, manual handling risk factors, prevention strategies, and workplace controls used to reduce injury risk.

Yes, this course includes two assessments for NZQA Unit Standards 17591 and 17592.

This course includes NZQA Unit Standards 17591 and 17592, which relate to preventing and managing discomfort, pain, and injury in the workplace.

This course looks beyond lifting technique to how discomfort, pain, and injury develop across the whole task. It covers spinal function, back injury risk factors, repetitive work, sustained postures, ergonomics, work organisation, and early reporting. Learners build understanding of how work design, task repetition, and workplace practices all contribute to injury risk over time.

This course helps learners recognise where strain and fatigue build up and what changes can reduce the risk of discomfort, pain, and injury developing further. It focuses on practical controls such as task design, safer work methods, early symptom reporting, and responding appropriately when discomfort starts to appear. The aim is to support safer day-to-day work practices rather than relying on one-off reminders.

Yes, this course is available for in-house delivery nationwide, either online or face-to-face. In-house training can help organisations build consistent approaches to discomfort, pain, and injury prevention across teams and work activities.

Please bring a driver’s licence or another form of photo identification to training.

If you are completing an online or eLearning course with IMPAC for the first time, you will receive your LMS login details within 24 hours of receiving your course instructions email.

You can access IMPAC’s LMS by clicking here.

You can reset your username and password by clicking here and entering your email address.

Pricing depends on the delivery method.

In-house: $3950 + GST for up to 12 persons, with additional persons charged at $255 + GST each (maximum of 16).

Public (online): $395 + GST per person.

Continue learning

Further study options

If you’re continuing your learning journey in health and safety, this course can contribute towards IMPAC’s Certificate in Applied Workplace Health and Safety Practices (Level 3), which leads to the New Zealand Certificate in Workplace Health and Safety Practice (Level 3).

This course is a elective module within the programme, allowing you to build on your existing training while working towards a recognised qualification over time.  Browse all Foundation training courses.

This programme is approved by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority under section 439 of the Education and Training Act 2020, and Impac Services Limited is accredited to provide it under section 441 of the Education and Training Act.

What's next

Next steps

To get started, you can book now.
 
To explore more courses in this area, see the Foundation category.
 

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