Health and Safety Guidelines for home care workers

1 Health and Safety Guidelinesfor home care workersHealth and Safety Guidelines for home care workers1 IntroductionHome care workers can face considerable workrelated Health and Safety risks. Activities such as liftingand moving those receiving care, lone working as wellas their exposure to infections, violence and abuseand more general hazards, such as slips and tripsmean that it is essential that good Health and safetypractices are in place. The overwhelming majority of home care workers arewomen, half of whom work part-time and play anessential role in improving the quality of life forthousands of people including the sick, elderly anddisabled, those with learning difficulties and peoplesuffering from mental ill- Health .

2 This work involveslooking after adults and children in a wide variety ofsettings ranging from highly intensive residentialestablishments through to caring for clients in theirown and Safety risks can be reduced in many areasbut this is only possible if employers make sure thatthey address the Health and Safety hazards faced bythis group of workers aim of these Guidelines is to provide goodpractice advice for UNISON Safety representatives and stewards working with members in the socialcare sector, such as home care and residential scale of the problemHome care workers are relied on to carry out a widerange of different duties for their clients, and may notrecognise many of the potential dangers they duties of home care workers can include liftingand handling tasks, using a range of householdchemicals, using electrical equipment such asvacuum cleaners, cookers, microwave ovens andheaters etc.

3 They may also administer or assist clientswith their medicines, shop for clients and do otherdomestic chores such as lone workers , home care workers can beparticularly vulnerable as they are isolated from otherworkers and cannot easily liaise with home care workers such as those in residentialcare are based in static workplaces, while othersregularly work with different clients in their ownhomes. However, many of the Health and safetyconcerns are the must ensure that policies and proceduresare in place to protect home carers while they are atwork by: Carrying out suitable risk assessments that takeaccount of the real risks faced by home careworkers Providing Health and Safety training and informationas well as refresher training so that care workersare confident in carrying out their duties Ensuring that a reporting system is set up thatencourages care workers to report and recordincidents and accidents Monitoring, evaluating and reviewing practices andprocedures on a regular legal dutiesUnder the Health and Safety at Work Act (HASAWA)1974 and the Management of Health and Safety atWork Regulations (MHSW) 1999, employers have alegal duty to assess all risks to the Health and safetyof employees.

4 If the risk assessment shows that it isnot possible for the work to be done safely, then otherarrangements must be put in place. Risk assessments are the responsibility of theemployer, but Safety representatives have the legalright to be consulted on how they are carried out,what is included and any prevention measures thatare put in place following the assessment. Employersare also under a duty to provide: Information and training on lifting and handlingunder the Manual Handling Operations Regulations1992 Suitable equipment and training in its use under theProvision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations1998 and the Lifting Operations and LiftingEquipment Regulations 1998 Information and training on any chemicals usedunder the Control of Substances Hazardous toHealth Regulations (COSHH) 1999 Training and information on fire risk assessmentsunder the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations1997 (as amended in 1999) and the Managementof Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 Facilities for first aid under the Health and Safety (First Aid)

5 Regulations must also report to the enforcingauthorities certain accidents suffered by employees,including incidences of violence, under the Reportingof Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous OccurrencesRegulations (RIDDOR) is separate from the duty on employers to recordall accidents in the accident domiciliary care standards and regulationsBuilding on the Care Standards Act 2000, theNational Minimum Standards for Domiciliary CareAgencies were introduced in April 2003 to form thebasis on which the National Care StandardsCommission determines whether agencies in Englandprovide personal care to the required standard. Theregulations outline 27 standards under five headingsand apply to all providers of homecare, whether inHealth and Safety Guidelines for home care workers3local authority voluntary/community sector or privateagency settings.

6 Health and Safety is covered in standards 11-15, andlists all the relevant Health and Safety legislation. Theregulations specify that each agency has to have acomprehensive Health and Safety policy and writtenprocedures for Health and Safety management. Theseshould define individual and organisationresponsibilities for Health and Safety matters and riskassessments, as well as reporting and investigatingprocedures. Branches should ensure that they work with theemployer on the implementation and monitoring ofthese procedures. In addition, a UNISON branchhealth and Safety officer or Safety representativeshould have a seat on the Health and safetymanagement committee that deals with home information on the content of the Health andsafety training is set out in a schedule to the assessment What your employer must doEmployers main risk assessment duties under the1999 Management of Health and Safety at WorkRegulations are to.

7 Make a suitable and sufficient assessment of therisk to the Health and Safety of their staff, andothers who may be affected Identify the preventative and protective measuresneeded (as far as is reasonably practicable) Review the assessment if there is reason to believethat it is no longer valid Keep written records, where there are five or moreemployees, of the findings of the assessment andany groups of employees particularly at risk, forexample, home care workers who work on theirown Have arrangements for the effective planning,organisation, control, monitoring and review of thepreventative and protective measures Provide any Health surveillance required Appoint competent people to assist them Establish procedures to be followed in the event ofserious and imminent danger Provide Health and Safety information.

8 Instructionand training for all employees Consult with Safety risk assessment must be wide ranging andshould include all potential risks to care workersincluding: Travelling to and from the home of the service user,particularly at night, in isolated areas and/or on foot Manual handling The working environment including outside thehome Control of hazardous substances Dealing with violent incidents or challengingbehaviour Dealing with pets, pests and infestation The handling of cash Procedures for administering and assisting clientswith their medication Procedures in place for reporting and recordingaccidents, incidents, new risks, faulty equipment orother risk assessment should also take account of risksassociated with the use of bleepers, pagers andmobile phones, and the carrying of medication,equipment or sums of money.

9 Branches should ensure that these issues are takeninto account when risk assessments are carried and Safety training and information Employers have legal duties to give Health and safetyinformation and training to all employees. Trainingshould include all the risks that employees areexposed to and the precautions is usual for all new staff to be given inductiontraining on joining the home care service. The trainingshould make clear the areas of activity home carersshould and should not undertake and should also giveguidance on appropriate footwear and the risk assessment identifies that suchclothing is required to protect staff from hazards theyshould be provided and maintained at no cost tomembers.

10 Induction programmes must also include Health andsafety training and should cover: Manual handling Infection control Fire procedures First aid4 Basic hygiene Food preparation, storage and hygiene Dealing with emergency situations The use of protective clothing and/or Safety representatives have the right to beconsulted on the type and level of Health and safetytraining and information developed or offered addition to the induction, training should be givento employees when: There is a transfer of job, a change in clients orchanges in responsibility New equipment is used, or existing use changed There are changes in work must also provide information foremployees, that is easy to understand and which isrelevant.