CARE AND HEALTH
CARE AND HEALTH
Managing safety in care homes, domiciliary care and health settings
No. 1
sector for work-related musculoskeletal disorders in the UK.
Care workers suffer more manual handling injuries than any other workforce. Resident moving and handling, combined with violence and aggression, makes health and social care one of the highest-risk sectors for staff injury.
Your legal framework
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 and Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 all apply. Care providers registered with the Care Inspectorate (Scotland) or CQC (England) face additional regulatory obligations. RIDDOR reporting applies to injuries to both staff and service users.
The highest-consequence risks
Moving and handling injuries
Transferring, repositioning and assisting residents creates high musculoskeletal risk for care workers. Properly specified equipment and regular training are both critical.
Violence and aggression
Care workers face physical and verbal aggression from residents, particularly those with dementia or challenging behaviour. Lone working amplifies this risk significantly.
Slips, trips and falls
Wet areas, uneven surfaces and night-time working in unfamiliar environments create slip and trip risk. Resident falls are also a significant regulatory concern.
Infection control
Care environments carry inherent infection risk. PPE provision, hand hygiene protocols and outbreak management procedures must be documented and followed consistently.
Five priorities for care settings
1
Complete a moving and handling assessment for every resident. Individual handling plans, maintained equipment and trained staff reduce musculoskeletal injury rates substantially.2
Train all staff in conflict de-escalation. Recognising early warning signs, de-escalation techniques and clear incident reporting procedures protect staff and maintain care quality.3
Conduct regular lone working risk assessments. Domiciliary care workers are particularly vulnerable. Check-in systems, mobile communication and clear escalation procedures are essential.4
Maintain equipment inspection records. Hoists, slings, wheelchairs and beds must be inspected, maintained and withdrawn from service when defective.5
Review your RIDDOR reporting procedures. Many care providers under-report RIDDOR events. Clear internal reporting procedures and knowledge of the reporting thresholds are both legally required.
Did you know?
Care workers are three times more likely to suffer a work-related injury than the average UK worker. The sector has the highest rate of working days lost to injury and ill health of any industry. Most of those injuries are preventable with the right management systems.