Why Injury Prevention in Aged Care Is Essential for a Sustainable Workforce

Australia’s ageing population is growing at a rapid rate, placing an increased pressure on its workforce. This makes it more important than ever for organisations to foster a working environment where workers feel safe and supported. For businesses, injury prevention in aged care is not just a compliance requirement. It is an important way to protect staff, reduce disruptions and provide the best care for clients.

As demand for aged care services continue to surpass the size of its current workforce, providers face increasing challenges in recruiting, retaining and supporting skilled employees. This is particularly difficult in the healthcare and social assistance sectors, where the Select Committee on Job Security identifies cultural and operational barriers as key obstacles.

To build a sustainable aged care workforce, it is important that organisations implement proactive workforce health strategies that prioritise injury prevention, employee wellbeing and early intervention. When a worker suffers from an injury or illness, the impact it has extends well beyond the person. Injuries and illnesses can lead to staff shortages, increased overtime and pressure, workers compensation claims and disruptions to the quality of care for residents. By investing in injury prevention in aged care, organisations can better protect their workforce and improve employee wellbeing.

The Cost of Workplace Injuries in Aged Care

Recruiting and retaining skilled workers has long been a challenge within the healthcare and social assistance sector. With workforce shortage already placing pressure on organisations, every preventable workplace injury further reduces capacity and increases operational strain.

Injuries that occur within the workplace have both direct and indirect consequences that can significantly impact the worker and aged care provider.

The direct cost of these injuries may include:

• Workers’ compensation claims.
• Medical treatment and rehabilitation.
• Return to work support.

However, the indirect costs are often even greater than their direct counterpart. They can include:

• Increased overtime expenses.
• Reliance on agencies.
• Recruitment and onboarding of replacement staff.
• Reduced productivity.
• Increased workload for existing workers.
• Lower worker morale and engagement.
• Disruptions to the continuity of resident care.

The health care and social assistance industry has continued to have the highest number of workplace injuries of any industry in Australia.  Data from Safe Work Australia shows that that during 2023-24, 29,100 serious worker’s compensation claims were made in the healthcare and social assistance industry, with a median cost of $12,000 and an average of 7 weeks’ time lost. In addition to this, there has also been a rise in the amount of mental health condition related claims made by workers in this sector.

These statistics highlight why injury prevention in aged care should be a strategic priority for every provider. By acting early, organisations can support safe, durable and timely recoveries while reducing the broader impact on staffing, operations and quality of care.

The Most Common Injuries in Aged Care

Aged care workers are required to perform physically and emotionally demanding tasks within their role. As a result, they face an increased risk of both physical and psychological injuries. According to the SafeWork Australia, the largest mechanisms for work related injuries were:

• Body stressing.
• Falls, trips and slips.
• Being hit by a moving object.
• Mental stress.
• Vehicle incidents.
• Biological factors.
• Hitting objects with a part of the body.
• Chemicals and substances.

Musculoskeletal injuries are also among the most common injuries experienced by aged care workers, and are often caused by:

• Manual handling of residents.
• Repetitive lifting and transferring.
• Awkward postures.
• Pushing and pulling equipment.
• Repetitive movements.

These activities commonly affect a worker’s back, shoulders, neck and knees. While symptoms may initially appear minor, they can quickly worsen without early intervention, leading to costly workers’ compensation claims, extended time away from work and long-term workforce shortages. Over the past decade, care and support workers have lodged 3x the national average of serious claims for musculoskeletal injuries.

Psychological injuries have also risen across the aged care sector, driven by factors such as high workloads, increased overtime, exposure to violence and aggression, staffing pressures and the cumulative impact of caring for vulnerable residents. The People at Work Survey also identified that workers in this sector were more likely to experience and report bullying in the workplace.

Without proactive injury prevention in aged care and effective early intervention, psychological injuries can have long-lasting impacts on employee wellbeing, workforce participation and staff retention.

How Aged Care Providers Can Prevent Workplace Injuries

While not every workplace risk can be eliminated, many injuries can be prevented through proactive planning, effective workplace systems and a strong safety culture.

1. Recruit the Right People for the Role

Effective injury prevention in aged care begins before an employee is hired. Pre-Employment Health Assessments help to ensure that a candidate can safely perform the inherent requirements of the role.  It also helps to identify opportunities for reasonable workplace adjustments where appropriate.

By ensuring a worker’s functional capacity is suitable for the demands of the role, providers can reduce the likelihood of early injuries and support long-term workforce sustainability.

2. Invest in Safe Manual Handling Practices

Investing in safe manual handling practices remains one of the most effective injury prevention strategies in aged care. Providing staff with effective manual handling training, access to assistive equipment and providing regular refresher education can help to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injuries. Creating a culture where safe techniques are consistently reinforced is also equally important.

3. Address Psychosocial Hazards

Psychosocial safety in the workplace is no longer optional. It is a legal obligation. Under the model WHS laws, a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) must manage the risk of psychosocial hazards in the workplace.

Psychosocial hazards in the workplace can include:

• Poor support.
• Lack of role clarity.
• Poor environment.
• Inadequate recognition.
• Traumatic events.
• Excessive job demands.

Organisations that actively identify and manage psychosocial hazards can create psychologically safe workplaces that reduce the risk of psychological injury, strengthen staff engagement and support long-term retention.

4. Encourage Early Reporting

Many injuries start off as minor aches, strains or discomfort before developing into more significant issues. Encouraging employees to report symptoms early allows organisations to intervene sooner, preventing injuries from worsening and reducing time away from work.

Having an effective injury management process ensures employees receive timely support and appropriate care from the outset. Early clinical intervention has been shown to improve recovery outcomes, reduce the severity of injuries and support a faster, safer return to work.

Building a Sustainable Workforce Starts with Prevention

As Australia’s aged care workforce continues to face increasing demand, protecting employees has never been more important.

Injury prevention in aged care is about far more than reducing workers’ compensation claims. It is about protecting employee wellbeing, retaining experienced staff, and ensuring residents continue to receive safe, high-quality care.

By combining proactive recruitment practices, effective workplace injury prevention strategies and early injury intervention, aged care providers can build a healthier, safer and more sustainable workforce for the future.