Managing Musculoskeletal Disorder Risks Guide - Hazardous Manual Tasks (Non-Clinical) in Aged Care - Workers in the Aged Care Residential Services Sector

Oct 22, 2026

Uploaded by lugxt

SAFEWORK NSW provides guidance for aged care residential services on managing musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) risks arising from hazardous manual tasks (HMTs) performed by non-clinical workers. It defines MSDs and HMTs using WHS Regulation risk factors such as repetitive force, sudden or sustained force, repetitive movement, awkward postures and vibration. The guide outlines affected body areas, examples of non-clinical tasks in kitchens and laundry, and required risk-management steps under WHS legislation, including consultation, hazard identification, elimination or minimisation, control review, and hierarchy of control.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

What is a musculoskeletal disorder?

What is a hazardous manual task?

Managing risks from hazardous manual tasks

Talking with your workers

Identifying hazardous manual tasks

Consult

Review information

Observe manual tasks

Assessing the risks

SAFEWORK NSW MANAGING MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDER RISKS GUIDEHAZARDOUS MANUAL TASKS (NON-CLINICAL) IN AGED CARE WORKERS IN THE AGED CARE RESIDENTIAL SERVICES SECTOR EXPERIENCE ONE OF THE HIGHEST NUMBERS OF MUSCULOSKELETAL INJURIES IN NSW. OVER ONE QUARTER OF THESE REPORTED INJURIES ARE FROM NON-CLINICAL WORKERS. WHAT IS AMUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDER? A musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) is an injury to, or disease of, the musculoskeletal system. The musculoskeletal system includes muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, peripheral nerves and supporting blood vessels. MSDs most commonly occur from gradual wear and tear to these parts of the body while performing hazardous manual tasks (HMTs) . The parts of the body that are commonly affected in the aged care sector include the back, shoulder, wrist, knee and elbow. WHAT IS A HAZARDOUS MANUAL TASK? A HMT is a task that requires a person to lift, lower, push, pull, carry or otherwise move, hold or restrain any person, animal or thing that involves one or more of the following (as defined in the Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulation): • repetitive or sustained force • high or sudden force • repetitive movement • sustained or awkward posture • exposure to vibration. When a worker is exposed to any of the above risk factors, there is a greater risk of a work-related MSD. Attachment 1 and 2 outlines the common manual tasks, their associated risk factors and potential controls in the kitchen and laundry areas. There are also other risk factors such as psychosocial/organisational (e. g. high workloads, poor job design) that needs to be considered. These risk factors can be interrelated and therefore impact on each other. Attachment 3 outlines other factors that may contribute to MSD risks in the aged care residential services sector. Examples of HMTs in non-clinical settings include: • lifting and handling of large, awkward or heavy items [e.g. cooking](e.g. cooking) equipment • exposure to awkward postures when loading/ unloading the washing/drying machines in the laundry area • maneuvering trolleys and equipment on carpeted surfaces or restricted spaces. MANAGING RISKS FROM HAZARDOUS MANUAL TASKS A person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) or an employer must manage risks to health and safety relating to MSDs that are associated with a HMT (Clause 60 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017) . To manage risk, a PCBU must: • identify hazards that could give rise to the risk • eliminate the risk so far as is reasonably practicable • if not reasonably practicable to eliminate the risk, minimise the risk by implementing control measures to reduce the potential of exposure to a hazard in accordance with the Hierarchy of Control • maintain and review control measures. An overview of the “risk management process for manual tasks” is explained in the SafeWork NSW Code of Practice – Hazardous Manual Tasks. While this document refers to non-clinical MSD risks, clinical MSD risks such as patient transfers must also be assessed and controlled. TALKING WITH YOUR WORKERS PCBUs are required to consult their workers, so far as is reasonably practicable, on matters that may directly affect workers’ health, safety orwellbeing. Consultation between PCBUs and workers isan essential part of effectively managing health and safety at work. It should not be viewed just as a legal requirement, but as a valuable means of informing and improving the PCBU’s decision making about health and safety matters. In residential aged care, a PCBU must consult with workers and anyone else who carries out work for the business. For example: • workers, health and safety representatives, contractors, on-hire workers, volunteers who perform manual tasks. They can provide valuable information about muscular discomfort they experience. Also, they can provide potential control measures to manage the MSD risks • allied health professionals such as onsite phys

FAQs

What is a musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) in this guide?

An MSD is an injury to, or disease of, the musculoskeletal system, including muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, peripheral nerves and supporting blood vessels.

What makes a task a hazardous manual task (HMT)?

A HMT requires a person to lift, lower, push, pull, carry or otherwise move, hold or restrain something involving risk factors such as repetitive or sustained force, high or sudden force, repetitive movement, sustained or awkward posture, or exposure to vibration.

What risk management steps must a PCBU or employer take for MSDs from HMTs?

The PCBU must identify hazards, eliminate risks so far as reasonably practicable, and if not practicable to eliminate, minimise risk using control measures in line with the hierarchy of control, then maintain and review those controls.

Oct 22, 2026

Uploaded by lugxt