Manual Handling in Aged Care

Not every task that involves moving something is dangerous, but many tasks in aged care are. In this lesson you will learn how work health and safety law describes a hazardous manual task, and the five characteristics that make lifting, pushing, pulling, carrying, holding or restraining a person or object risky. We look at everyday examples such as repositioning someone in bed, pushing a heavy wheelchair up a ramp and bending over a low bath. You will also learn why injuries often build up slowly over time rather than in one moment.

Work health and safety law gives duties to both the provider and every worker. In this lesson you will learn that we, as your employer, must eliminate manual handling risks where we reasonably can, and otherwise minimise them, by providing safe systems, equipment, training and supervision. You will also learn your own duties: to take reasonable care for your own health and safety, to not put others at risk, to follow reasonable instructions and to cooperate with our policies. We explain why the older person's safety and dignity sit alongside your safety in every decision.

Managing manual handling risk follows a simple four step cycle: identify the hazard, assess the risk, control the risk and review the controls. In this lesson you will learn how to think through a task before you start, using the person, the task, the environment and the equipment as prompts. You will also learn the order in which we choose controls, starting with removing the hazard altogether, then changing the task, environment or equipment, and only then relying on procedures and training. We explain why a quick check before every transfer matters even for familiar tasks.

Every person who needs help to move should have a mobility assessment, usually completed by a physiotherapist, occupational therapist or registered nurse, and the result is written into their care plan. In this lesson you will learn how to read and follow the mobility section of a care plan, what to do when it does not match what you see, and what our no lift approach means in practice. You will learn that we do not manually lift all or most of a person's body weight, and that equipment and the person's own ability are used instead.

Equipment protects both the worker and the older person, but only when it is the right item, in good condition and used correctly. In this lesson you will learn the general principles of using hoists and slide sheets, the checks to do before every use, and how to set up for repositioning in bed. We cover checking slings for size, type and damage, reading the safe working load, and communicating with the person throughout. Remember that you must be trained and assessed as competent on each specific piece of equipment and for each specific person before you use it.

Falls are a major risk for older people, and the moments after a fall are when workers are most tempted to lift. In this lesson you will learn what to do if a person starts to fall while you are assisting them, and what to do if you find someone on the floor, including why you must not lift them by hand. We also cover how to report hazards, near misses, equipment faults and injuries to yourself or others, and why early reporting of aches and pains protects you. The lesson ends with a course summary before the final assessment.

This case study follows Mrs Papadopoulos, an older woman in residential aged care who needs a full hoist and two workers for transfers, as set out in her care plan. On a busy night shift she is uncomfortable and wants to be moved, but only one worker is free. The lesson shows how the worker keeps her safe and comfortable, resists pressure to take a shortcut, uses slide sheets for repositioning as planned, and reports the staffing issue. Key points: follow the care plan every time, never lift by hand, get help, and report when the system makes safe work hard.

This case study follows Mr Okafor, an older man who receives home care support with showering in a small bathroom with a step into the shower. His support worker finds she has to twist and reach while he holds onto the towel rail. The lesson shows how she identifies the risk factors, reports the hazard, supports an occupational therapy home assessment and respects Mr Okafor's views when equipment is suggested. Key points: think about the person, task, environment and equipment, report hazards you cannot fix, and involve the person in every change.