In addition to legislation and regulations, Occupational Therapists (OTs) working in assistance animal practice must understand the role of standards, codes of practice and guidance materials that support safe, ethical and effective service delivery.

Legislation establishes the minimum legal requirements that must be met. Standards, Codes of Practice and guidance materials provide additional information about how these requirements can be practically implemented within workplaces and professional practice.

For assistance animal practice, these resources assist OTs to:

• identify and manage risks
• establish safe systems of work
• support consistent assessment practices
• protect client health and safety
• promote assistance animal welfare
• improve collaboration between disability, health and animal sectors
• demonstrate professional accountability.

OTs should use these resources alongside clinical reasoning, professional standards and organisational policies when assessing, recommending or supporting assistance animal partnerships.

Standards Relevant to Assistance Animal Practice

What are Standards?

Standards are formally developed documents that provide agreed specifications, requirements, guidelines or procedures designed to promote safety, quality, consistency and reliability.

Standards may be developed by:

• Standards Australia
• International Standards Organisation (ISO)
• government agencies (e.g. Queensland GHAD)
• professional organisations (e.g. OTA)
• industry bodies (e.g. WAFA)

Unlike legislation, standards are generally not laws unless they are specifically referenced or incorporated into legislation. However, they may represent accepted industry practice and can support organisations in demonstrating that appropriate systems and processes are in place.

Australian Standards Relevant to Occupational Therapy and Assistance Animals

AS/NZS ISO 45001: Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems

AS/NZS ISO 45001 provides a framework for organisations to establish, implement and continually improve workplace health and safety management systems.

The standard focuses on:

• leadership and commitment to safety
• worker consultation and participation
• hazard identification
• risk assessment
• risk control
• incident investigation
• continual improvement.

For assistance animal organisations and OT practices, principles from ISO 45001 may support:

• structured risk management processes
• incident reporting systems
• workplace safety procedures
• consultation with clients, workers and stakeholders.

Accessibility and Inclusion Standards

OTs working with assistance animals should also understand standards and guidance relating to accessibility, inclusion and disability rights.

Relevant considerations include:

• equitable access to services
• reasonable adjustments
• accessible environments
• inclusive communication
• removal of barriers to participation.

These principles support the lawful inclusion of assistance animals in:

• workplaces
• education settings
• healthcare environments
• community spaces.

Infection Prevention and Control Standards

Assistance animals may enter environments where infection prevention is particularly important, including:

• hospitals
• aged care facilities
• disability services
• schools
• therapy environments.

OTs should consider recognised infection prevention principles including:

• hygiene procedures
• cleaning requirements
• animal health management
• waste management
• prevention of disease transmission.

Codes of Practice Relevant to Assistance Animal Practice

What is a Code of Practice?

A Code of Practice provides practical guidance on how to achieve compliance with workplace health and safety legislation.

Codes of Practice:

• explain legal duties in practical terms
• provide recommended approaches to managing hazards
• assist organisations and workers to understand reasonably practicable safety measures.

While Codes of Practice are not usually legislation themselves, they may be considered when determining whether appropriate safety measures have been implemented.

OTs should consult relevant Codes of Practice when developing risk assessments, workplace procedures and assistance animal management plans.

Relevant WHS Codes of Practice

How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks

This Code provides guidance on identifying hazards and managing risks.

Key principles include:

1. Identify hazards.
2. Assess risks.
3. Implement appropriate controls.
4. Review controls regularly.

Application to assistance animal practice includes:

• assessing risks before recommending an assistance animal
• evaluating environments such as workplaces and schools
• identifying animal-related hazards
• developing risk management strategies.

Hazardous Manual Tasks

Manual handling risks may occur in assistance animal practice through:

• handling animals
• transporting equipment
• assisting clients with mobility-related tasks
• managing unexpected situations.

Risk controls may include:

• environmental modifications
• appropriate equipment
• safe handling techniques
• training and supervision.

Managing the Work Environment and Facilities

This Code assists workplaces to provide safe physical environments.

Relevant considerations include:

• accessibility
• space requirements
• emergency exits
• environmental hazards
• animal movement pathways
• safe areas for assistance animals.

This is particularly relevant when supporting clients to introduce assistance animals into:

• offices
• schools
• healthcare facilities
• community environments.

First Aid in the Workplace

Assistance animal practice may involve risks including:

• bites
• scratches
• falls
• allergic reactions
• animal-related injuries.

Appropriate first aid systems should include:

• accessible first aid equipment
• trained personnel
• incident reporting procedures
• emergency response processes.

Managing Risks of Plant and Equipment

While assistance animal practice may not commonly involve industrial equipment, risks may arise through:

• mobility equipment
• harness systems
• animal-related equipment
• client assistive technology.

OTs should ensure equipment recommendations consider:

• safety
• suitability
• correct use
• maintenance requirements.

Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work

Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work

Psychosocial hazards may cause psychological or physical harm and should be managed systematically as part of workplace health and safety.

Relevant hazards within Occupational Therapy and assistance animal practice may include:

• high job demands and excessive workload;
• fatigue;
• low job control;
• inadequate support;
• poor role clarity;
• poor organisational change management;
• inadequate recognition or organisational justice;
• traumatic or emotionally demanding work;
• remote or isolated work;
• occupational violence and aggression;
• bullying;
• harassment and sexual harassment;
• workplace conflict;
• discrimination and assistance animal access disputes; and
• emotional demands associated with animal illness, retirement, partnership breakdown or death.

Psychosocial risk management should focus primarily on identifying and controlling hazards arising from the work and its design rather than relying solely on individual coping strategies.

Controls may include:

• appropriate work design;
• realistic workload and scheduling;
• clear roles and responsibilities;
• adequate staffing and resources;
• supervision and organisational support;
• safe lone-worker systems;
• violence and aggression prevention;
• reporting and escalation processes;
• consultation with workers;
• appropriate training;
• clear behavioural expectations;
• support following traumatic or distressing incidents; and
• ongoing monitoring and review.

Individual wellbeing supports may complement workplace controls but should not substitute for addressing identifiable hazards at their source.

Occupational Therapists should consult the psychosocial hazard Code of Practice or equivalent guidance applicable within their jurisdiction when assessing and managing psychosocial WHS risks.

Guidance Materials Relevant to Assistance Animal Practice

What are Guidance Materials?

Guidance materials provide practical information about how legislation, regulations and Codes of Practice can be applied in real-world situations.

They are often developed by:

• Safe Work Australia
• WHS regulators
• government departments
• professional organisations
• industry bodies

Guidance materials assist workers to understand:

• recommended practices
• risk management approaches
• compliance expectations
• emerging safety issues.

Relevant Guidance Areas

Risk Management Guidance

Guidance materials may support OTs to:

• complete risk assessments
• identify hazards
• determine appropriate controls
• review outcomes.

Examples include assessing:

• client capacity
• environmental suitability
• public access risks
• animal workload.

Infection Prevention and Control Guidance

Relevant guidance includes:

• hygiene practices
• cleaning protocols
• management of infectious risks
• animal health requirements.

OTs should ensure assistance animal practices support safe participation while minimising infection risks.

Manual Handling Guidance

Guidance assists practitioners to manage risks associated with:

• lifting and moving equipment
• client transfers
• animal handling
• repetitive tasks.

OTs should incorporate ergonomic principles into environmental assessments and recommendations.

Public Access Guidance

Assistance animal practice requires consideration of public access expectations.

Guidance may address:

• appropriate assistance animal behaviour
• handler responsibilities
• community education
• respectful interactions.

OTs should support clients to understand their responsibilities when accessing public environments.

Animal Welfare Guidance

Animal welfare guidance assists OTs to recognise that assistance animals require:

• appropriate workload management
• rest periods
• veterinary care
• behavioural support
• enrichment opportunities.

OTs should incorporate welfare considerations into assessment and recommendation processes.

Organisational Policies and Procedures

Standards, Codes of Practice and guidance materials must be implemented through workplace policies and procedures.

A policy explains:

• why an organisation undertakes a particular activity
• expected standards of behaviour and practice.

A procedure explains:

• how tasks should be completed
• what steps workers must follow.

Relevant organisational policies may include:

WHS Policy

Outlines:

• workplace safety responsibilities
• consultation processes
• hazard reporting requirements.

Incident Reporting Procedure

Provides processes for reporting:

• injuries
• unsafe events
• animal-related incidents
• client safety concerns.

Infection Control Procedure

Outlines:

• hygiene requirements
• cleaning processes
• PPE use.

Emergency Management Procedure

Provides guidance for:

• evacuation
• medical emergencies
• animal emergencies.

Assistance Animal Assessment Procedure

May include:

• assessment requirements
• documentation standards
• risk assessment processes
• referral pathways.

Applying Standards and Guidance in OT Assistance Animal Practice

Occupational Therapists should integrate standards, Codes of Practice and guidance materials throughout the assistance animal process.

This includes:

Assessment

Considering:

• client goals
• functional needs
• environmental risks
• animal suitability.

Recommendation

Ensuring:

• evidence-informed decision-making
• appropriate risk controls
• consideration of animal welfare.

Implementation

Supporting:

• safe integration into environments
• stakeholder education
• monitoring of outcomes.

Review

Evaluating:

• ongoing safety
• effectiveness
• changes in client or animal circumstances.

Key Practice Principle

Legislation establishes what must be done. Standards, Codes of Practice and guidance materials provide direction on how safe and effective practice can be achieved.

For Occupational Therapists working with assistance animals, these resources support a balanced approach that protects:

• the rights and wellbeing of people with disability
• the welfare and safety of assistance animals
• the safety of workplaces and communities
• the professional responsibilities of the OT.

A strong understanding of these frameworks enables OTs to deliver assistance animal services that are safe, ethical, evidence-informed and aligned with Australian regulatory expectations.