Protecting the people who care for others — in facilities, homes and the community
Aged residential care, home and community support and disability services carry a distinctive mix of risks: moving and handling people is the leading cause of injury, and workers also face occupational violence, lone and community work, infection, and a heavy emotional load. The same HSWA duties apply whether the work happens in a facility, a client's home, or a car between visits.
Care work is people work, and that shapes its risks. The biggest injury source is moving and handling people, but workers also face aggression, isolation, infection and emotional strain — often all in the same shift, and frequently in someone else's home rather than a controlled facility.
People handling — transferring, repositioning, bathing, dressing, and moving clients in and out of beds, chairs and vehicles — is the leading cause of injury, and nurses and carers are most at risk. Manage it with an individual moving-and-handling assessment for each person, the right equipment (hoists, slide sheets), a no-lift approach where practical, trained staff, and enough space to work safely. The ACC Moving and Handling People guidelines are the standard NZ reference. See manual handling.
Violence in care can be physical assault, verbal abuse, intimidation or threats, and it can come from residents and clients — including people affected by dementia or distress — or from their families. Lone workers are at greater risk. Assess the risk for each client and setting, train staff in de-escalation, use alarms and flagging systems, and arrange two-person visits where the risk warrants it. See workplace violence & aggression.
Home and community support means working alone in unfamiliar, unregulated homes, sometimes after dark, and driving between clients all day. Give workers risk information before a visit, run a reliable check-in system, make sure communications work, and manage the driving as work. See lone & remote worker safety and driving for work.
Workers are exposed to bodily fluids, sharps and infectious illness, so manage them with PPE, safe sharps handling and disposal, hand hygiene, immunisation and clear procedures. Cleaning and clinical chemicals need an inventory and safety data sheets — see hazardous substances. Slips, trips and falls are common in busy facilities and cluttered homes alike.
Care work carries a heavy emotional load — grief, distress and demanding relationships — on top of high workloads, shift work and night work. These are real health and safety risks. Support workers with realistic workloads, access to help such as an EAP, sensible rostering, and attention to fatigue. See psychosocial hazards and fatigue management.
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Moving and handling people is the leading cause of injury in aged care and the wider healthcare and social assistance sector, with nurses and carers most at risk.
Yes. The HSWA duty applies wherever the work happens — in a facility, in a client's home, or in a vehicle between visits — including for lone and community workers.
Yes. Occupational violence and aggression, including from residents affected by dementia or from families, is a recognised workplace hazard that must be assessed and managed.
With an individual assessment for each person, the right equipment such as hoists and slide sheets, a no-lift approach where practical, trained staff and enough space. The ACC Moving and Handling People guidelines are the standard NZ reference.
No — it complements it. This guide focuses on aged care, home and community support and disability services; the broader healthcare guide covers the wider sector.
