The people who care for others have the same right to a safe day at work
Healthcare, aged care and community care workers face a hazard mix unlike any other: moving and handling patients, violence and aggression, a heavy psychosocial load, biological exposure and often working alone in the community. The people who care for others have the same right to a safe workplace — and managing these risks well protects both worker and patient.
Few sectors combine physical, psychological and biological hazards as intensely as health and care work.
From hospital wards to rest homes to a client's lounge, care workers lift and move people, absorb emotional strain, deal with aggression, and risk infection — often understaffed and under time pressure that makes every one of those risks worse. WorkSafe is clear that these workers have the same right to a healthy and safe environment as the patients and clients they look after. Managing the risks well isn't a distraction from care — it's part of delivering it safely.
Care work concentrates several serious hazards into a single role.
| Hazard | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Moving & handling | Lifting and repositioning patients in awkward postures — a leading cause of serious musculoskeletal injury. |
| Violence & aggression | Aggression from patients, residents or families, including in dementia and community settings. |
| Psychosocial load | Emotional demands, shift work, long hours and understaffing leading to stress, compassion fatigue and burnout. |
| Biological exposure | Infection risk and sharps (needlestick) injuries. |
| Hazardous substances | Cleaning, disinfection and clinical chemicals. |
| Lone & community work | Home-visiting and community staff working alone, sometimes in unfamiliar environments. |
The biggest physical risk in care work is the human body you're helping — and it's rarely a simple lift.
Patient handling injuries cluster where the effort is high and the situation is hard: awkward postures, confined spaces, slippery floors, poor lighting, an aggressive or unpredictable person, or staff who are rushing and understaffed. Manage it by assessing the task, the environment, the load and the individual together — then using the right equipment (hoists, slide sheets), proper technique, enough staff, and a workable environment. Our manual handling guide covers the assessment approach.
In care work, the hazards you can't see — aggression and emotional strain — are among the most serious.
Healthcare has high exposure to violence and aggression, and community and home-care workers in particular experience it at concerning rates. Plan for it: assess the risk before a visit, control it, and make sure workers can summon help — which is where lone worker arrangements come in. Alongside that sits a real psychosocial load — emotional demands, shift work and chronic understaffing — that you must manage as a genuine health risk, not just “part of the job”. Our psychosocial hazards guide goes deeper.
Care work can take a heavy emotional toll. Free, confidential support is available in New Zealand any time — call or text 1737 (Need to Talk?) to speak with a trained counsellor.
Handling, violence, lone-worker and wellbeing controls in one place. Book a demo and we'll show you how it works — free 30-day trial included.
Moving and handling patients (a leading cause of serious injury), violence and aggression from patients or families, a heavy psychosocial load leading to stress and burnout, biological and sharps exposure, hazardous substances, and lone work for community and home-care staff.
Assess the task, the environment, the load and the individual together, then use the right equipment such as hoists and slide sheets, proper technique, enough staff, and a workable environment with space, good floors and lighting. Rushing and understaffing make these injuries far more likely.
Treat it as a real hazard: assess the risk before visits or interactions, put controls in place, and make sure workers can summon help — especially community and home-care staff working alone. Plan for unpredictable settings such as dementia care, and support workers after incidents.
Yes. The emotional demands of care, shift work, long hours and understaffing are psychosocial hazards you must manage under the HSWA, not just accept as part of the job. Reasonable workloads, adequate staffing, support and debriefing all help.
They often work alone in clients' homes, sometimes in unfamiliar environments, which adds isolation and personal-security risks on top of the usual care hazards. Provide reliable communication, a check-in system and a way to raise the alarm, as for any lone worker.
