Home Care

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Health and Safety Guidelines for home care workers Health and safety guidelines for home care workers Introduction Home care workers can face considerable work related health and safety risks. Activities such as lifting and moving those receiving care, lone working as well as their exposure to infections, violence and abuse and more general hazards, such as slips and trips mean that it is essential that good health and safety practices are in place. The overwhelming majority of home care workers are women, half of whom work part-time and play an essential role in improving the quality of life for thousands of people including the sick, elderly and disabled, those with learning difficulties and people suffering from mental ill-health.…show more content…
However as home care workers often work on their own they are potentially more vulnerable. Employers should ensure that they assess the risk of violence and implement measures, which will prevent or reduce this risk. The risk of violence to home care workers who work alone should be no greater than for other workers, and alternative arrangements or additional staff to deal with high risk situations should be available. In general, employers will need to look at all aspects of the work activities including working practices and systems of work, the area that home care workers are likely to travel to and from and work in, staffing levels, the information and training provided and reporting procedures. They should also consider: • Avoiding the need for lone working whenever possible • Changing the way the job is carried out • Improving information gathering and sharing about clients or their family with a history of violence • Identifying visits which should not be carried out by a lone home care workers • Ensuring that managers of home care workers have details of their itinerary at all times. Employers should also ensure that written procedures on safe working practices are developed and implemented. UNISON and the HSE have produced detailed guidance on work-related violence (see further…show more content…
There are many others. Whatever the issue, safety representatives will need to ensure that employers address the health and safety concerns of this group of workers. Safety representatives will also want to ensure that employers include home care workers whenever health and safety strategies or policies are discussed and developed. Focusing on the concerns of home care workers may encourage them to take on the role of safety representative, and may also help to attract potential members. UNISON has produced a number of publications that safety representatives can use to tackle any health and safety problem faced by members. They are available free to UNISON members from the Communications Department at UNISON, 1 Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9AJ. Please quote the stock number when ordering. Stock no. Title 1351 1660 Risk assessment guide (A4 booklet) The health and safety ‘six pack’. A guide to the six pack set of health and safety regulations (A4 booklet) UNISON members need health and safety representatives (A5 pamphlet) UNISON health and safety representatives guide (A5 booklet) Women’s Health and Safety (A5 booklet) Caring for cleaning staff. A guide for safety representative Violence at work. Guidelines for branches, stewards, and safety representatives (A4 booklet) Stress at work. Guidance for safety representatives (A5 booklet) Repetitive strain injury. Guidance

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