What safety considerations must you be aware of when working in a home based care situation?

Being aware of hazards within your home is the first step to preventing them. Some of the most common hazards at home include fire, poisoning and allergies. There may also be risks posed by your home’s contents, such as falls, choking, cuts and burns. This is not an exhaustive list, so you may find it useful to do your own research and conduct a risk assessment of your home.

Your home is your castle.

So it's important to understand and minimise common safety hazards.

Here are a few ways to reduce the risk of fire at home:

Always pay full attention when cooking.

Regularly inspect your chimney and electrical systems, and always ensure you have working smoke alarms in the house.

Poisoning is another common safety hazard at home.

Things like carbon monoxide poisoning from fossil fuel burning appliances, ingesting cleaning supplies, or medications could affect you or your family.

To mitigate the risk of poisoning install a carbon monoxide detector and keep chemicals and medications away from children.

Water can be hazardous for everyone. But it is especially so for little people.

It only takes 20 seconds for a toddler to drown so it’s important to supervise young children around water at all times.

If you haven’t already, install a fence or a barrier around pools and spas for extra protection.

This is by no means an exhaustive list.

Be sure to do your own research and conduct a risk assessment of your home.

And for extra cover in an insured event like a fire consider GIO Home and Contents Insurance.

Fires at home can be highly dangerous, not only to your property but also to you and the people you live with. Be sure to have working smoke alarms in the house tested regularly, and a fire plan with safety protocols in place.

To reduce the risk of home fire, it’s important to:

• reduce flammable clutter, such as old boxes or paper
• never leave cooking unattended
• maintain any fireplaces and chimneys, with regular inspections from a professional, and
• assess electrical systems, and seek the assistance of an electrician if you notice frayed or loose wires.

Having adequate home and contents insurance could help cover your property if it’s affected by an accidental fire, including bushfire (among other features and benefits!). GIO offers three levels of Home and Contents Insurance cover, so you can choose the policy that’s right for you.

Discover Home and Contents Insurance

Poisoning

Several household items present poisoning risks, such as cleaning and maintenance supplies, medications and petrol. Keeping these things locked away and out of reach of children can reduce the chance of them being accidentally ingested. And when storing these items, try not to keep chemicals or petrol in bottles that could be mistaken for something that’s drinkable, like a soft drink bottle.

Another hazard to be aware of is carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide poisoning can occur in homes with appliances that use fossil fuels, like gas. It’s very difficult to detect carbon monoxide, but you can reduce your risk of exposure by installing a carbon monoxide detector. Regular maintainance of appliances that might cause a leak, such as heaters and ovens, is also important.

Allergies

Mould grows when water condenses onto surfaces, like walls and window frames, and is directly related to humidity within your home. If you have an allergy to mould, symptoms can include sneezing, itchy eyes and headaches.

To keep mould at bay, remove condensation from surfaces in your home, especially in damp areas like your bathroom and kitchen, and keep air vents clear. You may also benefit from using an air purifier.

Water

Pools, and other water-related hazards such as bathtubs that aren’t properly secured or monitored, present a risk of drowning, especially for young children. Be alert when they’re in use and install a fence or another barrier around them for when they’re not.

Hazards caused by contents

Falls

In Australia, falls account for 40% of injuries requiring hospitalisation1. Accidents may happen where there is poor lighting, such as near stairs, and in areas that can become slippery, like your bathroom and kitchen.

It’s also worth being aware of:

• rugs or loose carpet
• clutter, and
• power cords.

You might even choose to wear rubber-soled shoes or bare feet around the house if your flooring is smooth; socks could put you at risk of a fall.

Choking

Choking and strangulation risks are a common hazard at home. Food that isn’t prepared well may present a risk. Try to cutting food into small bites, encourage your family or housemates to slow down while they eat, and consider pairing your meals with a non-alcoholic drink to moisten dry food.

In addition to food, there are objects in your home, such as cords and small toys, that could be dangerous. Consider doing a sweep around your home where children might be present, to ensure choking and strangulation hazards are out of the way.

Cuts

Knowing about items that present a potential risk of cuts and scrapes can help you avoid them. From a tin lid in an open recycling bin to sharp outdoor tools, it’s useful to be aware of the risk so you can mitigate it. This might mean:

• ensuring your bins have a lid
• keeping kitchen tools, like sharp knives, stored safely
• pointing sharp items such as forks and knives down if you use a dishwasher
• installing a lock on your bathroom cupboard so items like razors can’t be accessed easily, and
• putting tools away.

Burns

Dishwashers and stoves are the most likely culprits when it comes to burn-related injuries. Installing a latch on your dishwasher, or using the back burners when you cook, may help to avoid them.

Read more:

1 https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/health-conditions-disability-deaths/injury/overview

Insurance issued by AAI Limited ABN 48 005 297 807 trading as GIO. Consider the Product Disclosure Statement before buying this insurance.

The information is intended to be of general nature only. We do not accept any legal responsibility for any loss incurred as a result of reliance upon it – please make your own enquiries.This advice has been prepared without taking into account your particular objectives, financial situations or needs, so you should consider whether it is appropriate for you before acting on it.

Home health workers face an array of safety risks -- including overexertion, falls, car accidents and hostile pets -- that make their jobs more treacherous than those of their hospital counterparts. In fact, the injury rate in home care settings is about 50 percent higher than that in hospitals, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports.

Three home health veterans offer these tips for staying safe and injury-free when you're making house calls.

Keep Your Guard Up

Unlike the controlled environment of a hospital, working in patients' homes is unpredictable, so you must stay aware of your surroundings. "The risks [of providing home care] are the same reasons I love it," says Roger Herr, PT, MPA, a physical therapist for Swedish Home Care Services and president of the American Physical Therapy Association's Home Health Section. "It's a constant variable environment. You never know what you're going to see."

Don't Overexert Yourself

Back injuries from lifting or moving patients are one of the biggest risks to home health aides, nurses and other home health workers. To help prevent such injuries, some home health agencies use a buddy system that allows two workers to team up to provide care for heavy or hard-to-transfer patients.

If you're working alone, practice good body mechanics, says Mark Lueken, MSN, RN, clinical director of Verdugo Hills Hospital HomeCare. Take full advantage of transfer systems and other assistive devices, he says. Also, keep a reasonable pace and some flexibility in your daily schedule so you aren't tempted to take injury-inducing shortcuts.

Watch Your Step

Kathy Girling, MSW, director of social services for Girling Health Care, once had a porch collapse under her when visiting a client's home. While she wasn't injured, she has since become vigilant about watching where she steps.

Don't remove your shoes in a client's home, because you may slip, stub your toe or step on a nail, tack or piece of glass, Lueken says. To be culturally sensitive to clients who prefer their guests go shoeless, wear disposable surgical shoe covers, or leave a clean pair of shoes at the house to wear only there, Lueken suggests. Also be mindful of household hazards like slippery bathroom floors or open cupboards, which can also cause injury when you're engrossed in assisting patients, he says.

Protect Yourself

Follow basic personal-safety protocols, such as:

• Confirm with clients by phone before you visit.
• Make sure you have detailed directions to a new client's home.
• Keep your car in good working order and the gas tank full.
• Pull onto the shoulder or into a parking lot rather than trying to simultaneously drive, talk on the phone and read directions.
• Keep your car windows closed and your doors locked.
• Lock your bag in the trunk.
• Have an extra set of keys in case you lock yours in the car.
• Most importantly, make sure someone knows where you are at all times.

Trust Your Instincts

If you are driving into a high-crime area and see activity near a client's home that scares you, drive a few blocks away, and then call your client and/or supervisor to find out how to proceed. "Don't stop in front of the door," Herr says. "You look vulnerable."

Girling's advice: Go with your gut. "Most of the time it's not imperative that you make the visit at that moment. If you have a bad feeling about a situation, call your supervisor or the police. Never go into a situation where you feel you'll be unsafe." If you feel threatened in a home, leave immediately, Girling says.

Don't Touch the Animals

Even the friendliest pets can turn on you. The policy at Girling Health Care is to never touch an animal. Besides the potential threat, animals can distract you and interfere with your work.

When you call to confirm your appointment with a client, ask that animals be kept away during your visit. That's a request all caregivers should consistently make, says Herr. "You don't want a patient to say, ‘The nurse liked my dog. Why don't you?'"

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