Moving people is hazardous manual handling

Health and safety issue

Injuries to healthcare and social assistance employees are a health and safety issue in Victoria.

Healthcare and social assistance employees include:

• nurses and midwives
• medical practitioners
• allied health professionals
• patient transport workers
• personal care workers
• childcare workers
• support staff, including students.

Healthcare workplaces include:

• hospitals
• aged care services
• community health services
• private practices
• people’s homes.

Social assistance workplaces include:

• rehabilitation services
• disability services
• people’s homes.

Hazardous manual handling is one of the main causes of injuries in healthcare and social assistance. The Moving people safely guidance aims to help employers control risks from hazardous manual handling when people are moved. It may be particularly helpful when a new person is admitted to care or a person’s condition changes.

What is hazardous manual handling?

Manual handling is work where a person has to use force to lift, lower, push, pull, carry, move, hold or restrain something. Manual handling becomes hazardous manual handling if it involves:

• repeated or sustained application of force
• sustained awkward posture
• repetitive movements
• single or repetitive high force that would reasonably be difficult for an employee to undertake
• exposure to sustained vibration
• handling live people or animals
• loads that are unstable, unbalanced or hard to hold.

Moving and handling people in healthcare and social assistance work is hazardous manual handling.

Hazardous manual handling injuries

Hazardous manual handling can cause injuries, illnesses or diseases known as musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). MSD include:

• sprains and strains
• back injuries
• soft-tissue injuries to wrists, arms, shoulders, neck or legs
• hernias
• chronic pain.

For employees, MSD can cause temporary or permanent pain and discomfort. This can affect their job, wellbeing and quality of life.

For employers, injuries can have direct and indirect impact. This includes:

• lost productivity, including replacement of skilled labour and the associated costs of retraining
• WorkCover claims
• higher WorkCover insurance premiums.

Injuries can also affect the workplace’s dynamics, reputation and morale.

Find more information about hazardous manual handling on the WorkSafe website.