Consider these safety suggestions for home healthcare workers.
In recent years, the home healthcare industry has grown at an unprecedented rate. Unfortunately, this growth also magnifies the risks associated with working in the home healthcare industry. While having the right workers compensation insurance for home healthcare is one way to protect providers, there are other things that you can do to ensure the safety of your staff. Here are some of the safety precautions to consider.
Understanding Home Healthcare Risks
First, it’s important to understand who qualifies as a home healthcare provider and know which risks they most commonly face. Typically, home healthcare providers include care attendants, nursing aides, home health aides, and registered nurses who come to a patient’s home to assist them with everyday tasks and help them manage their medical conditions. The most common workplace injuries that those in the home healthcare sector face include the following:
- Musculoskeletal disorders
- Illnesses
- Puncture wounds (from administering IV medications and injections)
- Slips and falls
- Violence-related injuries
Keeping Home Healthcare Workers Safe
While it’s not possible to eliminate the risks that home healthcare providers face, there are things that you can do to help them mitigate their workplace risks. For instance, offering your staff comprehensive health and safety training will educate them on the types of risks that they face and offer them strategies for how they can avoid injuries. Other safety suggestions include:
- Creating safety committees and encouraging participation among stakeholders.
- Establishing reporting guidelines for instances of injury or workplace violence.
- Exercising basic safety precautions such as watching for signs of violence in the home and being aware of the safety of the patient’s neighborhood.
- Understanding how to diffuse or escape the situation when it escalates towards violence.
- Knowing where home healthcare staff is at all times.
- Organizing workplace safety programs, such as violence prevention policies.
In addition to these safety precautions, it’s vital that you have the right workers compensation insurance for home healthcare in place. Do you need help securing coverage for your client? If so, then contact the experts at PMC Insurance Group. Our dedicated team is eager to assist you with all your commercial coverage needs today.
