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Aged Care Workers

Aged Care Worker Compensation Claims

Personal care workers, registered nurses, and other aged care staff face elevated rates of injury — both physical and psychological. Underfunded staffing, demanding workloads, and complex resident behaviours combine to create one of Australia's most injury-prone workforces.

Common aged care worker injuries

  • Manual handling — patient transfers, repositioning; the leading injury type
  • Slips on wet / soiled floors
  • Resident-aggression injuries — particularly dementia care
  • Sharps and infectious exposures
  • Cumulative spine and shoulder injury — sustained repetitive lifting
  • Mental health — burnout, vicarious trauma, moral distress at care failures

Aged Care Royal Commission context

The 2018-2021 Royal Commission documented:

  • Chronic understaffing across the sector
  • Inadequate manual handling equipment and training
  • High injury rates for personal care workers
  • Mental health impacts of moral injury (witnessing care failures)

Since the Commission's findings, minimum staffing ratios, mandatory reporting, and increased Department of Health oversight have changed the operating environment. Failures to meet post-Commission standards strengthen negligence claims.

HESTA TPD for aged care workers

HESTA is the dominant super fund for aged care workers. Default cover is generous, and TPD claims for workers permanently unable to return to aged-care work commonly succeed. The "Any Occupation" suitability test is favourable to long-tenure aged care workers because alternative work options are often limited.

See our HESTA TPD guide.

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FAQs

The questions claimants ask most.

I was assaulted by a resident with dementia — am I still covered?
Yes. The resident's condition doesn't affect your workers compensation claim. The injury occurred in the course of employment, which is the relevant test.
I'm a registered nurse in aged care — different rules from a personal care worker?
Generally similar. Both are covered by workers compensation in their state. The duty of care owed to RNs may include different training and equipment expectations, which can strengthen common-law negligence claims.
I've developed back problems over years of lifting — when did I "get injured"?
Cumulative injuries are dated from when the damage forced you to stop work or change duties. Time limits run from that date.
Can I claim TPD if I can still do some part-time work?
Possibly. TPD's "Any Occupation" test asks whether sustainable suitable work is realistically available. Limited part-time or modified-duty work that you can't reasonably sustain may not defeat a TPD claim.

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