Inherent in the nursing role are manual handling activities required for the provision of patient care. Nurses are disproportionately represented in the statistics for injuries arising from manual handling. Australian research suggests a lifetime prevalence for musculoskeletal disorders of 95.5% for nurses. 

Recent research has indicated that historical and socio-political factors impact upon nurses' manual handling practices. If the cultural aspects of nursing are overlooked or misunderstood, then safety issues may be mishandled. It is important to foreground these contextual influences and critically analyse the dominant paradigms that shape the development and implementation of safe handling programs. 

This session will overview the findings of a recent doctoral thesis exploring nurses' perceptions and experiences relating to manual handling, making explicit the assumptions underlying contemporary approaches to manual handling issues. A qualitative research design was used with two methods: semi-structured interviews and researcher reflective journaling. A critical lens was used to thematically analyse the data from 13 participants across Victoria and Tasmania. The themes representing the key experiences and perceptions that can restrain or potentially empower nurses in the field of manual handling will be highlighted. 

The findings were grouped into an overarching theme of 'power relations'. The major subcategory of '(mis)power' revealed two subthemes: the dialectical tensions experienced by nurses during manual handling activities; and, the marginalisation of nurses. Nurses felt punished, silenced and disillusioned in their attempts to voice manual handling concerns in the workplace. Despite the subjugation uncovered in this study, a subtle and pervasive theme of 'determined hope' coexisted whereby participants believed that nurses' manual handling circumstances would eventually improve. 

The oppression of nurses and their exclusion from manual handling dialogue perpetuates misunderstandings and simultaneously limits the effectiveness of ergonomic advances and policy directives for manual handling. Insights gained from this study contribute to new perspectives on the development of sustainable solutions to manual handling issues in healthcare.