Health and Safety

Guidelines on COSSH and Personal Protective Equipment

• Where appropriate you will be provided with gloves and aprons for handling body or clinical waste
• Splashing of the eyes with any product should be followed immediately by rinsing with clean, running cold water for 5-10 minutes and medical attention should be sought immediately
• When using bleach or cleaning fluids always wear gloves
• Store all chemicals and cleaning materials in a safe place out of reach of young children or confused service users
• Never mix cleaning chemicals, or transfer them into another container

Any accident or incident to yourself or service user must be reported to your Manager. The accident/incident will be entered into the Branch Accident Book.

Risk Assessments and a Safe Working Environment

Your Manager or nominated person will undertake risk assessments on service users who require care in their own homes. Any hazards that have been identified will be documented in the Service User Plan. If you encounter any hazards, document these in the Service User Plan, inform your service user or their relative and report these hazards to your Manager.

If the fault is with a piece of equipment put a DO NOT USE notice on it and date it.

If you carry out work in a service user’s own home hazards can include:

• Unsafe furniture, commodes, wheelchairs
• Loose carpets, mats, rotten floorboards or stair treads
• Loose handrails
• Faults or defects to equipment
• Equipment left in a precarious place
• Overloaded electric sockets
• Inadequate lighting
• Stair lifts with loose connectors
• Hot water thermostat set too high
• Sharps not disposed of correctly

Never undertake repairs or maintenance work of any description to equipment provided. You are advised to carry a circuit breaker for use with electrical equipment in a service user’s own home.

Always follow any Moving and Handling assessment as detailed in the Service User Plan.

Statement on Smoking

In the event of you attending a Service User who smokes, we will discuss with them ways of meeting their needs and safeguarding you from the possible harmful effects of passive smoking.

Statement on Pets

In the event of you attending a Service User who has pets, we will undertake a risk assessment and, if the animals pose no risk, it will be possible for the animals to have free access. If a risk is identified we will discuss with the Service User ways of safeguarding you.