Where infection control sits in the Practice Standards
Infection prevention and control is not a separate module. Its requirements appear in several places across the core module and the verification module:
- Safe environment (provision of supports environment): standard precautions used in every setting; routine cleaning of settings other than participants' homes, especially frequently touched surfaces; every worker trained, with refresher training, in standard precautions including hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette; workers who give direct support trained and refreshed in PPE; and PPE available to workers and participants who need it.
- Risk management (governance and operational management): where relevant, the risk management system includes measures to prevent and control infections and outbreaks.
- Human resource management: infection prevention and control training, including refresher training, is completed by all workers who provide supports, and workers with skills that help in an emergency or outbreak are identified.
- Verification module: providers of lower risk supports have the same worker training, PPE and standard precautions requirements.
Standard precautions: the everyday basics
Standard precautions are used with everyone, every time, whether or not anyone is known to have an infection. The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care lists them as:
- hand hygiene
- appropriate personal protective equipment
- safe use and disposal of sharps
- routine environmental cleaning
- reprocessing of reusable equipment
- respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette
- aseptic technique
- waste management
- appropriate handling of linen
When standard precautions are not enough, transmission based precautions are added: contact, droplet or airborne, depending on how an infection spreads. Follow your provider's procedure and any health advice for the person.
Hand hygiene and the 5 moments
The 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene, designed by the World Health Organization and used across Australia, translate easily to support work:
- Before touching the person, for example before helping them move, dress or eat.
- Before a procedure, such as a blood glucose check, an injection or care of a catheter or stoma.
- After a procedure or a risk of contact with body fluids, such as continence care or cleaning a spill.
- After touching the person.
- After touching their surroundings, such as their bed, mobility aid or belongings, even if you did not touch them.
Gloves do not replace hand hygiene. Clean your hands after taking gloves off, because gloves are not a perfect barrier and hands can be contaminated during removal.
PPE, cleaning and waste
- PPE: choose it for the task and the risk, put it on and take it off in the right order, and never reuse single use items. The Standard expects training and refresher training for workers who give direct support.
- Cleaning: keep a cleaning schedule for any setting you run, such as an office, day program or vehicle, with frequently touched surfaces cleaned routinely. In a participant's own home, support them to keep it clean in the way their plan describes.
- Waste and sharps: dispose of sharps straight into an approved sharps container, bag soiled continence products and dressings securely, and follow local council and your own procedures for clinical waste.
- Respiratory hygiene: cover coughs and sneezes, dispose of tissues, clean your hands, and stay away from work when you are unwell according to your employer's policy.
Is there free infection control training?
The Practice Standards require training but do not name a particular course. The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care offers free hand hygiene and infection prevention and control eLearning, including a Basics of infection prevention and control module. It is written for healthcare workers and the Commission says it may suit other industries where infection control matters. Those modules are being upgraded between October 2026 and January 2027, so access may be limited at times.
Many providers combine free foundation modules with training that speaks directly to disability support settings, such as shared homes, community access and personal care.
What auditors look for
- An infection prevention and control policy and procedure that matches the supports you deliver
- A training register showing each worker's infection control, hand hygiene and PPE training, with refresher dates
- A training system that names infection control as mandatory training and tracks when refreshers fall due
- Infection and outbreak risks in your risk register and in your emergency and outbreak plan
- Stock of PPE, hand rub and sharps containers where supports are delivered
- Cleaning schedules and records for settings you control
- Workers who can explain the 5 moments, when to use PPE and what to do after a needlestick or body fluid exposure
A certificate is a record, not a licence
People often search for a certified infection control course or an infection control certificate for the NDIS. There is no NDIS infection control licence. A certificate from an online course, including ours, is a record that you completed that training on a date. It is useful evidence for your employer and an auditor, but it does not certify you as competent in every setting, and it needs refreshing. Some employers ask for a nationally recognised unit or skill set from a registered training organisation; check what your employer requires.
Train your team
Our infection control courses are written for NDIS settings, with narrated lessons, scenarios, a final assessment and a dated certificate for your training register:
45 minInfection Prevention and Control for NDIS
Many of the people we support are at higher risk of serious illness from infections, and much of our work involves close personal care in homes and shared living settings. This course explains the infection prevention and control practices every NDIS worker must use. You will learn the standard precautions we apply with every person every time, the transmission based precautions used for contact, droplet and airborne infections, and how to choose, put on and take off personal protective equipment correctly. It also covers cleaning and disinfection, waste and linen, and what to do during an outbreak. The course aligns with the NDIS Practice Standards and the Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare. Two case studies show these practices in real support. Duration: 45 minutes.
45 minHand Hygiene
Clean hands are the single most effective way to stop infections spreading between the people we support, our staff and the community. This course explains why hand hygiene matters, when to clean your hands using the 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene, how to wash with soap and water and use alcohol based hand rub correctly, when and how to use gloves, and how to look after your skin. It aligns with the NDIS Practice Standards (Infection Prevention and Control), the Aged Care Quality Standards and the Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare. Duration: 45 minutes.
50 minCOVID-19 Infection Control for NDIS Workers
COVID-19 is now part of everyday life, but it can still cause serious illness for many of the people we support. This course explains how the virus spreads, who is most at risk, and the practical steps you take on every shift to keep participants, colleagues and yourself safe. You will learn what to do if you feel unwell, how to use masks and other personal protective equipment well, how testing and vaccination fit in, and what to do when a participant has symptoms or tests positive. Public health advice changes over time, so we also show you where to find the current rules. Three case studies show these steps in real support. Duration: 50 minutes.
45 minWaste Management for NDIS
Handling waste safely protects participants, workers, families and the wider community from infection and injury. This course explains the main types of waste you will come across in disability support, from everyday household rubbish, recycling and tricky items such as old medicines and batteries, to clinical waste, sharps and used continence products. You will learn how to separate and contain each type, how to use sharps containers and deal with a loose sharp, what to do after a needlestick injury, and how to clean up body fluid spills safely. Two case studies show these skills at home and at a day program. Local council rules and our own policy guide the detail. Duration: 45 minutes.
50 minBlood Borne Viruses (BBV)
Blood borne viruses are carried in blood and some body fluids, and support work can bring you into contact with both. This course explains what blood borne viruses are and focuses on the three that matter most in our work: hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. You will learn how they are and are not passed on, how vaccination, treatment and cure have changed the picture, and how standard precautions and safe sharps handling protect you and the people we support. You will also learn exactly what to do after a needlestick or splash, and why every participant has the right to privacy, respect and the same quality of support. This course builds knowledge only: you must follow our infection control policy and seek medical advice after any exposure. Two case studies show these steps in practice. Duration: 50 minutes.
45 minSafe Food Handling
Many support workers help participants shop, store, prepare and enjoy food, and for older people or people with health conditions food poisoning can be serious. This course covers hygiene in the kitchen, cleaning and sanitising, keeping raw and ready to eat food apart, the temperature danger zone, use by and best before dates, cooking and reheating, and following allergy and mealtime plans. Three case studies show safe food handling in an older person's home, on a cooking night in a shared home and on a hot day out. It is written for everyday home support, not commercial kitchens, and supports participant choice and independence in the kitchen. Duration: 45 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Is infection control training mandatory for NDIS workers?
For registered providers, yes. The NDIS Practice Standards require every worker who provides supports to be trained, with refresher training, in infection prevention and control standard precautions, and direct support workers to be trained in PPE.
Is infection prevention and control in the core module?
Yes. Its requirements sit in the core module under Safe environment, risk management and human resource management. The verification module for lower risk supports has similar requirements.
What are the 5 moments for hand hygiene?
Before touching a person, before a procedure, after a procedure or body fluid exposure risk, after touching a person, and after touching a person's surroundings.
Is there an official NDIS infection control certificate?
No. There is no NDIS infection control licence. A course certificate is a record of training you completed, which employers keep as evidence. Some employers ask for a nationally recognised unit from a registered training organisation.
How often should infection control training be refreshed?
The Practice Standards require refresher training but do not set a fixed interval. Providers set the frequency in their own training system and should be able to show an auditor that refreshers happen on time.
Source: NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Checked 10/11/2026. Provider Compliance is not affiliated with the Victorian Government.