Safe Movement Principles
General principles for moving your own body safely — planning, positioning, and knowing when to stop.
Last reviewed September 2026 · Part of Manual Handling Training for Aged Care Workers
Key learning points
- Plan a task before starting it
- Apply general principles of stable, controlled movement
- Recognise personal limitations and when to seek assistance
- Understand why no single lifting technique suits every situation
- Co-ordinate team moves and handle everyday objects safely
- Recognise when not to lift at all
Plan before you move
- Assess the task: what is being moved, how far and why
- Check the care plan and workplace procedure where a person is involved
- Decide whether equipment or a second person is required
- Clear the pathway and remove obstacles before starting
- Set up the environment — bed height, brakes on, furniture moved
- Agree who is leading and what words will be used
Work at the right height, close to the task
- Raise the bed to a safe working height for you before care, then lower it again afterwards for falls prevention
- Lower the rail on your side, and move the bed away from the wall to work from both sides
- Collect towels, clothes and continence products first, so nobody reaches or twists mid-task
- In the bathroom, use a hand-held shower and long-handled sponge instead of reaching over the person or kneeling on a wet floor
General movement principles
- Keep a stable base with your feet apart and weight balanced
- Face the direction of movement, and reposition your feet rather than twisting your spine
- Keep the load close to your body and avoid overreaching, especially across a bed or over equipment
- Move smoothly and avoid sudden or jerking movements
- Use your legs and body weight rather than isolated back effort
There is no universal lifting technique
Safe movement depends on the task, the person, the environment, the equipment and workplace procedures. A posture that is appropriate for lifting a box from the floor may be entirely unsuitable for assisting a person in a confined bathroom. WorkSafe Victoria and SafeWork SA both state that lifting-technique training on its own does not prevent injury.
Moving together
One leader, one set of words, one way to stop
- Agree who leads; the leader checks that everyone, including the person, is ready
- Use your workplace's command words, and agree whether you move on 'three' or after it
- Tell the person the cue so they move with you
- Anyone can call stop, and everyone then stops together and holds safely
Handling objects
Objects injure aged care workers too. SafeWork NSW notes that over a quarter of reported musculoskeletal injuries in NSW residential aged care are to non-clinical workers such as kitchen and laundry staff.
- Linen skips and laundry trolleys: swap them before they are overfull; wet linen is far heavier than dry
- Meal trolleys: push rather than pull, and report a stiff castor so it is repaired, not forced
- Supplies: break deliveries into smaller loads and store heavier items between knee and shoulder height
- Waste: wheel bins rather than carry them, and do not overfill bags
- In clients' homes, vacuuming, mopping and making beds are manual tasks too
Pacing, fatigue and night shifts
Strain in aged care builds up over many repetitions, so pace the whole shift. Fatigue from a long shift, a double or a run of nights slows your reactions, and time pressure is a risk factor, not a reason to skip the slide sheet.
- Alternate heavier and lighter tasks where you can, and straighten up during long stooped tasks
- Take recovery time and your breaks, and drink water, especially in hot weather
- At night, turn on enough light to see the floor, and give a drowsy resident time to sit before standing
- When fewer staff are on at night, call the second worker early rather than starting alone
When not to lift at all
Queensland's Manual Tasks Involving the Handling of People Code of Practice 2001 says no worker should fully lift a person, other than a small infant, without help from mechanical aids, assistive devices or another worker. WorkSafe Victoria's aged care guidance is to eliminate manual lifting of patients except in life-threatening situations.
WorkSafe ACT promotes mechanical lifting equipment wherever the person is fully dependent or weighs 55 kilograms or more. That is guidance, not a legal limit: no Australian WHS law sets a universal lifting limit in kilograms.
Never a manual lift
Never lift a person who cannot bear weight, lift under the arms, drag someone up the bed, catch a falling person or lift someone from the floor after a fall. If the hoist, slide sheet or second worker is not there, the task waits.
Know your limits and stop when needed
- Understand your own capability on the day, including fatigue and existing injury
- Ask for assistance rather than attempting a task alone
- Use the equipment specified in the procedure or care plan
- Stop if the task becomes unsafe or does not go as planned
- Make the person safe, then reassess before trying again
- Report what happened so the risk can be controlled
Practical scenario
Scenario: mid-task change
Halfway through assisting a resident to reposition, you feel the movement is heavier than expected and the resident becomes tense.
What should you do?
Reveal the explanation
Stop. Do not push through. Make the resident comfortable and safe in their current position, explain what is happening, and reassess — additional staff, a slide sheet or a hoist may be required. Then follow your workplace reporting process so the care plan can be reviewed.
Practical scenario
Scenario: the night-shift reposition
At 3 am you and an agency worker you have not met are about to move a resident up the bed on a slide sheet, as her care plan specifies. The room is dim, the bed is low, and your colleague says, 'Just go on three.'
What should you do before you start?
Reveal the explanation
Turn on the light, raise the bed to a safe working height and check the brakes. Agree who leads, the exact words, whether you move on 'three' or after it, and that either of you can call stop. Tell the resident what will happen and the cue, and lower the bed again afterwards.
Knowledge check
These questions are for your own learning. They are not part of the final assessment.
1. Which statement about lifting technique is correct?
No single technique fits all tasks. Planning, equipment and controls matter more than a memorised posture.
2. A task starts to feel unsafe partway through. What is the appropriate action?
Stopping safely and reassessing is always preferable to pushing through an unsafe task.
3. Which of the following is a sound preparation step before a transfer?
Preparation removes avoidable risk factors before any force is applied.