Risk management – aged care hierarchy of controls

Wednesday 15 July 2026, 2.00PM AEST

Speaker: Carrie Spinks

Risk management – aged care hierarchy of controls

Effective risk management underpins safe, high-quality aged care and is a core expectation of the Aged Care Act and the Strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards. Infection prevention and control (IPC) remains a critical risk area, requiring structured, proactive approaches that extend beyond reliance on individual behaviours.

This presentation uses the Hierarchy of Controls to frame risk management in aged care, emphasising the importance of higher-order controls such as elimination, substitution, and engineering solutions, alongside administrative controls and personal protective equipment. Drawing on the Aged Care IPC Guide and national IPC guidelines, the session will demonstrate how these principles can be applied in practice.

Through practical examples and realistic aged care scenarios, participants will explore how IPC risks can be identified, managed, and monitored while balancing resident safety, dignity, and quality of life.

Objectives

• Describe the hierarchy of controls in aged care risk management.
• Link IPC risk controls to legislative and quality standard requirements.
• Identify practical IPC risk controls across care and environmental settings.

Apply the hierarchy of controls to aged care scenarios

About the Speaker: Carrie is a an infection prevention and control consultant (IPC) in aged care, with extensive experience in clinical governance, leadership, and workforce development. She works with the Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control (ACIPC) to develop resources and programs that support best-practice IPC across residential and home care services.

Carrie leads educational initiatives, including webinars, online forums, and short courses, fostering knowledge-sharing and collaboration across multidisciplinary aged care teams. She contributes to national research projects and engages with government, regulatory bodies, and aged care providers to advance IPC practice and policy.

A regular contributor to professional publications and conferences, Carrie advocates for practical, evidence-based approaches to IPC, supporting safe, high-quality care for older Australians.

To register for this webinar, please click the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zePbuBo7QIO92_D_Gj4oeg