Hoists, Slings and Mechanical Aids in Aged Care
Equipment is the control that removes the most risk from moving residents, and the control most easily undermined by the wrong sling, a skipped check, or a device the worker was never trained on. This page walks through the equipment you will meet in aged care, from ceiling and mobile hoists to stand-up aids, slings, slide sheets and transfer aids. It covers the checks that apply before every use, sling sizing and safe working loads, when a second worker is needed, and the line between the theory an online course can teach and the hands-on competency only your employer can sign off.
Last reviewed September 2026 · Applies to the Manual Handling Training for Aged Care Workers course.
The equipment you will meet
Most aged care settings rely on the same core equipment. Each item does a specific job, and using one in place of another because it is closer or quicker is how the control stops working. Module 7, Equipment and Mechanical Aids, covers what each of these is for:
- Mobile (floor) hoists: full-body lifting for people who cannot bear weight, used with a sling and usually two trained staff
- Ceiling hoists: lifting on a fixed track, which removes the pushing and floor-space problems of a mobile hoist
- Standing hoists and stand-up aids: for people with some weight-bearing ability who can follow instructions
- Slings: several designs and sizes, matched to the person and to the transfer in their care plan
- Slide sheets: reduce friction when repositioning a person in bed, so nobody is dragged
- Transfer boards and transfer aids: bridge a short seated transfer or give a stable handhold
- Height-adjustable beds, wheelchairs, shower chairs and walking aids, each with its own brakes, settings and checks
Checks before every use
Pre-use checks take a minute, and they are the point at which a fault can be caught before a resident is off the ground. The manufacturer's instructions and your workplace procedure set the exact list for each device. The checks below apply to all of them, including equipment that was used by someone else earlier in the shift:
- Hoist: brakes, castors, frame, spreader bar, controls, battery charge and emergency lowering, as the manufacturer's instructions describe
- Sling: the correct type and size for this person, with no fraying, tears, loose stitching or unreadable labels
- Slide sheet: intact, clean and not fraying at the edges
- Environment: bed at a safe working height, brakes on, floor dry and clear, room to manoeuvre
- Person: able to do what the care plan expects today, and told what is about to happen
- Faulty or doubtful equipment: taken out of use, tagged and reported, never taped up or used 'carefully'
Sling sizing, safe working loads and the second worker
An incorrectly sized sling can let a person slip, or cause pressure and skin injury. The correct type and size is set for each resident, usually in their care plan, and a sling borrowed from another resident or one size off is not a substitute. If the right sling is in the laundry, the task waits while you source it or your supervisor arranges a safe alternative, and the shortage is reported so it is fixed for the next shift.
Hoists and slings carry a safe working load from the manufacturer: the maximum weight they are designed to carry. When items are used together, the lowest-rated item limits the whole lift. A safe working load is an equipment limit, not a rule about how much a worker may lift, and it is one of the things to check against the resident before you start.
How many workers a hoist transfer needs is set by your employer's procedure and the resident's plan, not decided on a busy shift. The Code of Practice for hazardous manual tasks used in New South Wales, which is based on Safe Work Australia's model code, says that where a mechanical device is designed to be operated by two or more people, providers should supply enough supervision and resources that workers under time pressure do not attempt the task alone. It also notes that an aged care bathroom used with a hoist needs room for two workers, the resident and the equipment.
Theory online, competency on the floor
This course deliberately does not give step-by-step operating instructions for any hoist. Controls, emergency lowering, spreader bars and sling attachments differ between models, and operating one safely has to be learned in person, on the actual device, with a competent person supervising. Module 7, Equipment and Mechanical Aids, says so plainly.
What the theory gives you is the judgement around the equipment: when a hoist is needed, what to check, when to refuse to use something, and what to report. Module 6, People Handling in Aged Care, covers when a resident's changed mobility means different equipment, and Module 8, Reporting, Incidents and Ongoing Safety, covers reporting faults and near misses.
The practical side sits with your employer. Under the model work health and safety laws, a business must provide the information, training, instruction or supervision needed to protect people from risks arising from the work. The Code of Practice adds that when a mechanical aid is introduced, workers must, so far as is reasonably practicable, be given adequate information, training, instruction and supervision so the new arrangements do not create additional risks. If you are asked to use a hoist you have not been trained on, the right answer is to say so and ask for training first. Quick verbal instructions from a colleague are not training.
Covered in the course
Common questions
Sources
- Safe Work Australia — Model Code of Practice: Hazardous manual tasks — The national code the state and territory regulators adopt or mirror.
- Safe Work Australia — Lifting, pushing and pulling (manual tasks)
- Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission — Provider standards that sit alongside WHS duties in aged care.
General information about Australian work health and safety duties, not legal advice. Your employer’s procedures and the regulator in your state take precedence.
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