What's in this template?
This Manual Handling Policy template gives Australian healthcare practices a complete policy aligned to regulation 60 of the WHS Regulations 2011 and the Safe Work Australia Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice. It is the standard control document for the manual-handling rows of your Hazard and Risk Register, including patient transfer, vaccine fridge stocking, sterilisation loading and prolonged sitting.
The policy covers 15 sections plus a sign-off block:
- Purpose — links the policy to s19 WHS Act and reg 60
- Scope — workers, contractors, students, off-site work
- Definitions — hazardous manual task, MSD, PCBU, worker
- Roles and responsibilities — PCBU, WHS Officer, workers
- Risk identification — 9 healthcare-specific manual tasks pre-mapped
- Risk assessment — four-factor methodology from the Code
- Risk control — hierarchy of controls — eliminate, substitute, isolate, engineering, admin, PPE
- Two-person lift rule — clear thresholds (16 kg, awkward loads, patient transfer)
- Patient transfer — no-lift, mechanical aids, competency-based training
- Workstation ergonomics — monitor, chair, mouse, sit-stand standard
- Training and consultation — induction + 2-yearly refresher
- Reporting and incident response — link to Incident and Hazard Report Form
- Monitoring and review
- Related documents
- Approval and review
Editable placeholder fields
{{practice_name}},{{abn}},{{practice_address}}{{whs_officer}},{{whs_officer_phone}},{{whs_officer_email}}{{pcbu_representative}}{{review_date}},{{next_review_date}}and signature blocks
Who needs a Manual Handling Policy?
Manual handling injuries are the single largest category of workers compensation claims in Australian healthcare. Every PCBU with workers needs a documented policy.
The template suits:
- General practices, day procedure clinics and specialist medical practices
- Allied health practices — physiotherapy, podiatry, occupational therapy, optometry
- NDIS providers — particularly those performing patient or participant transfer
- Aged care providers, home care and community nursing
- Pharmacies, pathology and diagnostic imaging providers — manual handling of stock, samples and equipment
- Dental practices — sustained postures and instrument handling
Workers compensation insurers, accreditors (RACGP C3.5, NDIS Practice Standards, ISO 45001) and WHS regulators routinely require evidence of a manual handling control program — particularly after any musculoskeletal claim.
WHS requirement at a glance
WHS Regulations regulation 60 — Hazardous manual tasks. A PCBU must manage risks to health and safety associated with a musculoskeletal disorder arising from a hazardous manual task. The PCBU must have regard to:
- Postures, movements, forces and duration involved in the task
- Workplace environmental factors that may affect the task or worker
- Worker characteristics
- The system of work in place
Safe Work Australia Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice. Sets out the four-step process for managing manual task risks (identify, assess, control, review) and provides detailed guidance on healthcare-specific scenarios including patient transfer.
Why "manual handling" matters in healthcare
Australian healthcare has a higher MSD claim rate than the all-industry average. Common claim drivers:
- Lifting boxes of patient records, vaccine boxes, supplies from delivery
- Restocking the vaccine fridge or pharmaceutical store above shoulder height
- Patient transfer (couch to wheelchair, sit-to-stand, pivot transfers)
- Pushing and pulling of trolleys with patients or equipment
- Repetitive keyboard, mouse and stylus use causing upper-limb MSDs
- Sustained sitting at reception or for telehealth without microbreaks
- Sterilisation cycle loading and unloading
The policy translates the Code of Practice into healthcare-relevant rules: a 16 kg two-person lift threshold, mandatory mechanical aids for patient transfer, sit-stand workstations, and microbreak schedules.
State variations
| State / Territory | Primary instrument | Notes | |---|---|---| | NSW, QLD, SA, TAS, ACT, NT, Cth | WHS Regulations 2011 — reg 60 | Harmonised; Code of Practice referenced | | Victoria | Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 — Part 3.1 (Manual Handling) | Methodology materially identical; references the OHS (Manual Handling) Compliance Code | | Western Australia | Work Health and Safety (General) Regulations 2022 | Harmonised with model WHS regs since 2022 |
How to customise this template
- Download the Word document and replace every
{{placeholder}}with your details - Walk the practice with the WHS Officer and identify the actual manual tasks performed — delete tasks that don't apply, add tasks that do
- Audit your equipment — trolleys, hi-lo couches, mechanical lifters, adjustable workstations, anti-fatigue mats. Buy what's missing before publishing the policy
- Set thresholds — confirm the 16 kg two-person lift threshold or set a more conservative threshold for your workforce
- Customise patient transfer — delete or expand section 9 depending on whether your service performs transfer
- Train workers — induction + 2-yearly refresher, document in the staff training register
- Consult workers before publishing (s47 WHS Act)
- Review annually and after every musculoskeletal injury
Related templates and tools
The Manual Handling Policy is a control document that lives within the broader WHS system:
- Hazard and Risk Register — the manual-handling rows reference this policy
- Incident and Hazard Report Form — used to capture pain, near misses and injuries
- Workplace Inspection Checklist — section 6 (manual handling and ergonomics) audits this policy
- WHS Induction Checklist — ensures new workers are trained before performing tasks
- Return to Work and Injury Management Procedure — used after a musculoskeletal injury
- Psychosocial Hazards and Workplace Wellbeing Policy — addresses the workload demands that drive overuse injury
For the high-level policy, see the Work Health and Safety Policy in the RACGP library.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Manual Handling Policy mandatory?
The WHS Regulations require a PCBU to manage the risk of MSDs arising from hazardous manual tasks. The Code of Practice describes a documented policy and risk assessment as the standard means of evidencing that management. Workers compensation insurers and accreditors treat a policy as effectively mandatory.
What is "hazardous" — does every lift need a policy?
The Code of Practice defines a hazardous manual task as one involving repetitive movement, sustained or awkward postures, high or sudden force, exposure to vibration, or unsuitable load handling. Most clinical and reception roles include at least some hazardous manual tasks. The policy applies the risk-assessment approach to whichever apply at your practice.
Why a 16 kg two-person lift threshold?
There is no universal legal weight limit, but Safe Work Australia and most state regulators recommend mechanical aids or a two-person lift above 16 to 20 kg, especially for awkward or unstable loads. The 16 kg threshold in the template is conservative and captures most healthcare loads (boxes of records, full vaccine cartons, equipment cases). You can tighten it for your workforce if appropriate.
Does the policy cover patient transfer?
Yes — section 9 sets out the no-lift expectation, the use of mechanical aids (slide sheets, transfer belts, sit-to-stand lifters, ceiling hoists), and competency-based training. If your service does not perform patient transfer (e.g., pure consult-room GP), simplify or delete the section.
What about ergonomics for desk workers?
Section 10 specifies the workstation set-up standard for every desk-based worker. The Code of Practice and the WHS Regulations explicitly cover sustained sitting, repetitive keying and awkward postures — these are hazardous manual tasks even though no lifting is involved.
Do solo practitioners need this policy?
A solo GP with no employees still has duties to contractors, students and any worker — and to themselves under the WHS Act's general duties. The policy can be cut down, but the four-factor risk assessment and the use of mechanical aids should still apply.
Will accreditors accept this template?
Yes. RACGP 5th Edition Criterion C3.5 (work health and safety) requires documented WHS systems including manual handling. NDIS Practice Standards Core Module 1 (governance) and ISO 45001 (clause 6 risk and 7 support) cover the same territory. The policy's structure — risk assessment, hierarchy of controls, training, review — maps cleanly to all three frameworks.
How often does the policy need to be reviewed?
Annually as a minimum, and after any musculoskeletal injury, change in equipment, change in workforce, change in service offering, or worker concern raised. Keep dated review records in the WHS file.