Aged-care workers are at a high risk of injury from performing manual handling tasks, according to an article on the Australian Aging Agenda website.
In 2012, more than three-quarters of aged-care facilities reported a work-related injury or illness in the previous three months, according the latest aged care workforce census.
Facility design, workload, accessibility of equipment, staffing and supervision, repetition of tasks and work organization are some of the contributory risk factors, the article said.
High-performing facilities were physically designed to support the use and accessible storage of lifting equipment.
The more recently the facility was built, the more likely it was to have doorways that took in all of the equipment, and included smooth flooring so as not to limit staff using mobility equipment, the article said.
What Accessibility in Senior Care Facilities Should Look Like
Corewell Health to Expand Grand Rapids and Troy Hospitals
Shoshone Medical Center Reports Data Breach
Cyberattack Results in Patient Reroutes at Anne Arundel Medical Center
Tangram Furnishes Be Well OC Irvine Behavioral Health Campus