The healthcare and social assistance industry is Australia’s largest, employing more than 2 million workers. It is also one of the fastest growing industries, driven by Australia’s ageing population and a strong demand for disability care support. Workers in the healthcare and social assistance industry do incredible work caring for others or supporting that care, demonstrating a culture of service we can all admire.
Regrettably, the industry also has the highest number of work-related injuries of any industry in Australia, and a workers’ compensation claim rate more than twice that of the national average. Musculoskeletal conditions, slips, trips and falls and mental stress all accounted for large shares of workers compensation claims by healthcare and social assistance workers. Common hazards in the industry include patient handling, bullying and harassment, violence and aggression, and fatigue. The industry’s workforce is predominantly female, older on average when compared to other industries, and includes a high proportion of workers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Despite high levels of work health and safety risk, until now there has been a lack of guidance available to employers and workers on how to manage risks. Many people in the industry report a focus on patient or client safety to the detriment of workers, and a general sense that work-related hazards are just ‘part of the job’.
This culture needs to change. Workers must be able to go home from work each day without the fear of a life altering injury. The choice between patient and worker safety is a false one: in fact, worker safety is good for patients too. No one wants to visit a hospital where nurses are at risk of violence; or be operated on by an exhausted doctor.
We are taking a new approach with this Code of Practice, with the aim being to make it easier for employers, workers and others to understand how WHS laws are implemented in their workplace. It is intended that the Code will offer a step-by- step guide to help employers and workers understand their legal obligations and protections and improve the way risks are managed in workplaces across the healthcare and social assistance industry.
A good health and safety culture that is also compliant with work health and safety laws starts with the commitment of the leadership team, including Board Members. I ask that leaders in the health care and social assistance industry use this Code to improve their work health and safety outcomes. I also ask that others who use this Code do so with one goal in mind: to create healthcare and social assistance workplaces that are free from work-related fatalities, injuries and illnesses.
 | Marie Boland Chief Executive Officer Safe Work Australia |
Safe Work Australia is a national policy body representing the interests of the Commonwealth, states and territories, as well as workers and employers to improve work health and safety (WHS) and workers’ compensation arrangements. Safe Work Australia does not regulate WHS laws or administer workers' compensation arrangements.
Safe Work Australia is providing this model Code of Practice as a practical guide to achieve the standards of health and safety required under the model WHS Act and Regulations in relation to the healthcare and social assistance industry. This model Code of Practice uses simplified language and examples to assist readers. The language used in this model Code of Practice may not always align with the precise legal meaning of terms found in the model WHS Act and model Regulations.
This model Code of Practice does not constitute and should not be relied on as legal, business, health, or financial advice. You should obtain independent professional advice relevant to your circumstances. More information on model Codes of Practice, can be found on the Safe Work Australia website.
Safe Work Australia has used its best endeavours to ensure the quality of the information in this document but cannot guarantee its accuracy or completeness. The Code is not exhaustive and does not cover every WHS duty or scenario.
Neither Safe Work Australia, nor the Commonwealth of Australia will accept liability for any direct, incidental, or consequential loss or damage resulting from this model Code of Practice, or the information provided through this model Code of Practice.
This copyright work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International licence. To view a copy of this licence, visit creativecommons.org/licenses. In essence, you are free to copy, communicate and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes, as long as you attribute the work to Safe Work Australia and abide by the other licence terms.