Aged Care Manual Handling Guides
The same course for aged care workers wherever you work — eight modules, a 20-question assessment and a Certificate of Completion for A$49. These pages cover what changes with the state you work in and answer the questions people ask before they start.
Take the AssessmentBy topic
The specifics people most often want to know before starting.
- People handlingPeople handling training for aged care: why residents are not loads, dignity and consent, no-lift principles, two-person transfers and mobility assessments.
- Hoists and equipmentHoists, stand-up aids, slings and slide sheets in aged care: pre-use checks, sling sizing, safe working loads, and why hoist competency must be taught hands-on.
- New to aged careStarting in aged care? What the physical work involves, what to expect in your first week, and how to use online manual handling training before you start.
By role
The manual tasks you perform, and the risks that come with them, differ between a residential facility, someone's home and a disability support setting.
- Aged care workersThe manual tasks aged care workers do every shift, why they cause injury, what your employer must provide, what training should cover and when to stop.
- Personal care assistantsFor PCAs and personal care workers: showering, toileting, dressing and transfers, the hazards in each, the controls to expect and when to stop and report.
- Home care workersManual handling for home care workers: assessing a client's home, working alone, using the client's equipment, falls at home and when to stop and report.
- Assistants in nursingFor AINs in aged care: working under a registered nurse's delegation, following and questioning the care plan, and reporting changes in a resident's mobility.
- Disability support workersFor disability support workers who work in or beside aged care: younger residents, NDIS supports inside aged care homes, ageing participants and dual employers.
- CarersFor paid carers and people starting out in care: the physical work, habits worth unlearning, what your employer must provide and what a certificate shows.
By state and territory
Work health and safety law is not identical across Australia. Victoria never adopted the model WHS laws and Western Australia only moved across in 2022, so the regulator and the framework that apply to you depend on where you work.
- New South WalesSafeWork NSW duties for aged care workers, the section 26A code rule and care in clients' homes. Free online manual handling training; A$49 certificate.
- VictoriaVictorian aged care manual handling training under the OHS Act 2004, WorkSafe Victoria's compliance code and Part 3.1 of the OHS Regulations 2017.
- QueenslandQueensland aged care workers: manual handling training covering WHSQ duties, the 2001 people handling code of practice and care in clients' homes.
- Western AustraliaAged care manual handling training for Western Australia under the WHS Act 2020 (WA), WorkSafe WA's 2022 code and its manual task guide for carers.
- South AustraliaWhy SafeWork SA says 'how to lift' training is not enough: manual handling training for South Australian aged care workers. Free course, A$49 certificate.
- TasmaniaTasmanian aged care manual handling training: WorkSafe Tasmania's hazardous manual tasks and healthcare codes, and care in older homes. A$49 certificate.
- Australian Capital TerritoryWorkSafe ACT guidance on safely moving clients, the ACT code and cross-border NSW shifts, in online manual handling training for Canberra aged care workers.
- Northern TerritoryOnline manual handling training for Northern Territory aged care workers: NT WorkSafe's approved codes, remote and isolated work, and remote communities.
Working in more than one industry? Manual handling training by state covers every industry.