Are Support Workers Allowed to Lift Clients? What to Check First
26 October 2026
There is no single rule that says a support worker can or cannot lift a client. Whether you should lift or move someone depends on the task you agreed to, what you are trained to do, whether the right equipment is there and the work health and safety rules where you work.
This guide is for independent support workers who are asked to help a client stand, transfer or move. It covers what to check before you say yes and when it is reasonable to say no. It does not teach lifting technique, which is learned through hands-on training and not from an article.
Why lifting a person is treated as a safety risk
Safe Work Australia's guidance says hazardous manual tasks are tasks that require a person to lift, lower, push, pull, carry or otherwise move, hold or restrain any person, animal or thing that involves one or more of the following: repetitive movement, repetitive or sustained force, high or sudden force, sustained or awkward postures or exposure to vibration.
Safe Work Australia's guidance on manual tasks says that if the risks of manual tasks are not managed, workers could develop health conditions called musculoskeletal disorders.
Helping a person to move fits that description. Its model Code of Practice on hazardous manual tasks says that most jobs involve manual tasks, such as lifting, pushing, pulling or carrying, and that manual tasks can be hazardous, so you must assess and manage the risks.
What the rules say
Regulation 60(1) of the Work Health and Safety Regulations (Cth) reads: "A person conducting a business or undertaking must manage risks to health and safety relating to a musculoskeletal disorder associated with a hazardous manual task, in accordance with Part 3.1."
Safe Work Australia says it is not a regulator and cannot advise about work health and safety issues in the workplace, and that anyone who needs help should contact their state or territory work health and safety authority. It also says to check with your regulator to find out if the Code of Practice has legal effect in your jurisdiction.
Questions to settle before you agree to lift or move a client
Treat each request to move a person as its own decision, not as part of the job by default. Before the first visit, work through these with the client or the person arranging the support:
What exactly is the task? "Help me out of the chair" and "move me from the bed to a commode" are different jobs with different risks.
Have you been trained for it? If someone has not shown you how, in person, for this client, you are guessing.
Is there equipment, and do you know how to use it? Safe Work Australia lists redesigning tasks to minimise manual handling, for example by using mechanical aids, among its control measures. Do not use equipment you have not been shown.
Has anyone assessed the task? Ask whether a health professional has looked at how this client is best supported to move, and what they recommended.
Is the agreement clear? The task, the hours and who is responsible for what should be in writing.
If the answers leave you unsure, ask for more information before the visit and not at the bedside.
When it is reasonable to say no
You can decline a moving or lifting task you are not trained for, that has no suitable equipment or that feels unsafe for you or the client. Say it early, calmly and kindly, and offer what you can do instead.
"I'm not trained to move you in that way, so I'd like to ask for an assessment first. In the meantime I can help with the rest of the visit" is a fair way to put it. Our guide to common mistakes new support workers make explains why it is easier to say no kindly once, early, than to reintroduce a boundary later.
Safe Work Australia's control measures also include providing training on correct manual handling procedures. If a task is part of the work you want to do, look for training before you take it on. Whether a particular qualification is needed is a conversation to have when a client or job asks for it.
Put it in your agreement and your notes
Write down which moving tasks are included, which are not and what equipment is in place. If a client's needs change, revisit the agreement rather than letting the task quietly grow. Our guide to rates and agreements shows how to keep an agreement specific.
After a visit, a short note of what you did, what help you needed and anything you raised protects both of you. Our guide to record keeping as a support worker has simple habits that make this easy.
How CareVicinity fits in
CareVicinity is the marketplace: it does not employ clinicians and does not provide, deliver, supervise, manage or clinically oversee any service, including nursing or allied health.
Independent support workers on CareVicinity are independent contractors; CareVicinity does not employ or assign them as staff.
If you want to offer your services as an independent support worker, you can start on the Deliver Care page.
Questions people ask
Are carers allowed to lift clients?
It depends on the task, your training, the equipment and the agreement. Say no to any task you are not trained for, and settle the details in writing before the visit.
What if a client's family asks me to help with lifting?
Treat it like any other request. Ask what the task is, whether anyone has assessed it and whether you are trained for it. If the answers are not clear, say you would like to settle them first and write down what was agreed.
Do I need a qualification to help a client move?
That depends on the task and on who has asked for it. Raise it with the client or the person arranging the support, and ask for training or an assessment if the task is outside what you are trained for.
Who decides how a client should be moved?
Ask the client or their representative whether a health professional has made a recommendation, and follow that and your agreement. If there is no recommendation, ask for one before you attempt the task.
Sources
Safe Work Australia, Lifting, pushing and pulling (manual tasks), captured 25 October 2026.
Safe Work Australia, Model Code of Practice: Hazardous manual tasks, captured 25 October 2026.
Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 (Cth), regulation 60, read on 26 October 2026.