Top tips: managing injury risk in your workplace

Appropriate training, lifting equipment and building design are some of the key features on every provider’s workplace safety checklist.

Aged woman suffering from back pain
Injuries to staff cost the sector $59 million in 2012, according to ABS data.

The most common causes of injury in residential aged care are from manual handling and slips, trips and falls. For workers, this can mean long-lasting pain and discomfort which sometimes lasts for years, affecting not only their work but their everyday lives, families and relationships, Victorian WorkCover Authority’s (VWA) director of improvement programs Tim McLean told Australian Ageing Agenda.

To reduce the risk of injury the VWA has recommended the following measures:

  • Use mechanical handling aids (e.g. overhead tracking, hoists, mobile hoists, wheeled equipment, slide sheets) at all times unless clients can lift themselves.
  • Provide lifting equipment that is fit for purpose.
  • Ensure building layout and design allows for the safe movement of equipment that needs to be pushed or pulled (e.g. good path design, suitable floor surfaces, resident’s room design that allows equipment and aids to be safely used without the need to move furniture).
  • Ensure all staff are trained in the selection and use of any manual handling equipment.
  • Ensure good housekeeping to eliminate all slipping/tripping hazards (e.g. remove liquid, dust or other contaminants on floors).

In 2013, the VWA also released a self-assessment tool for the residential aged care sector to assist providers in identifying gaps in their resident handling processes.

READ NEXT: Special report: staff injuries in aged care

Tags: injury, staff injury, Tim McLean, Victorian WorkCover Authority,

2 thoughts on “Top tips: managing injury risk in your workplace

  1. Also have equipment that is designed for each resident i.e. wheelchairs/shower chairs that are modern with breaks at the arms not at the wheels. Also small wheels on dining table chairs so residents and staff can facilitate being pushed in closer to the table.

  2. Even though this is for a care facility these will work great at home too. I’m taking care of my elderly grandparents. Tips like ensuring there are no trip hazards in the house is one I will defiantly use everyday. Thanks for the informative post.

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