006 Work Health and Safety Policy
1. Purpose
Proactive Support is committed to providing and maintaining a safe and healthy workplace for all staff and participants. Hazards and risks to health and safety will be eliminated or minimised, as far as it is reasonably practicable to ensure an environment that is free from workplace injury and illness. This will only be achieved through the participation, co-operation, and commitment of everyone in the workplace. The system and processes are most effective when risks and issues are reported promptly so that an appropriate response can be implemented as soon as possible.
We are committed to complying with the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011, codes of practice and other relevant safety guidance material. We do not support, nor expect staff or clients to carry out any unsafe activity or compromise health and safety or safe working practices.
2. Scope
This policy applies to any environment where Proactive Support is conducting its business activities. This could be the Proactive Support office, any designated meeting area, or area (including public places) where Proactive Support staff are supporting participants and have control over the environment.
3. Definitions
In this policy:
Staff means any person employed by Proactive Support, including managers and workers, regardless of pay, status or working hours
Participant means a client or potential client who is receiving supports or services from Proactive Support
PCBU is a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking
Environment or workplace is any place where Proactive Support conducts work, e.g., in the office, in participant’s residences, in the external environment
A Safety Data Sheet contains all relevant information about a toxic or dangerous material such as physical properties (e.g., melting/boiling point, toxicity, and reactivity), health effects, first aid requirements and safe handling procedures (e.g., personal protective equipment, safe storage/disposal, and management of spills)
4. Rights and Responsibilities
The responsibility for managing health and safety ultimately rests with the person in control of the business or undertaking (PCBU), directors and management. Staff also have important responsibilities for health and safety in the workplace.
All Staff
All staff are required to:
- Take reasonable care for their own health and safety and for the safety of the participants they are working with
- Follow safe work procedures, instructions, and rules
- Participate in safety training
- Report health and safety hazards
- Report all injuries and incidents to the Proactive Support Director immediately, or at the latest, within 24 hours of the incident occurring via ShiftCare or an Incident form
- Use safety equipment and personal protective equipment as instructed
- Notify Proactive support Administration if there are missing or used items from the issued first aid kits
Management
Management will:
- Ensure the business complies with all legislation and guidelines relating to health and safety
- Eliminate or minimise all workplace hazards and risks as far as is reasonably practicable
- Provide information, instruction, and training to enable all staff to work safely
- Be responsive to staff who raise work health and safety issues, as per 016 Reporting an Incident Procedure
- Schedule yearly emergency drills at workplaces e.g. fire and flood evacuation
- Supervise staff to ensure work activities are performed safely
- Consult with and involve staff on matters relating to health, safety, and wellbeing
- Provide appropriate safety equipment and personal protective equipment
- Provide a suitable injury management and return to work program
- Commit to its legal obligations to comply with all the elements of legislative, regulatory and Policy requirements.
5. Safe Environment
Each participant will be able to access supports in a safe environment that is appropriate to their needs. This will mean that where supports are provided in the participant’s home, work is undertaken with the participant to ensure a safe support delivery environment which complies with work health and safety standards.
Work may need to be undertaken with other providers and services to identify and treat risks, ensure safe environments, and prevent and manage injuries.
Where Proactive Support staff are carrying out administrative tasks, their office environment will be a safe and healthy workplace, incorporating the following:
- Free from slips, trips and falls hazards
- Ergonomic workstation set up
- Sufficient space for necessary tasks
6. Routine Practices for All Staff
Hand Hygiene
Hand washing is the most important hygiene measure in preventing the spread of infection. Managers will ensure that staff are informed of the need to correctly wash their hands to protect against infection. Hand hygiene strategies to follow include:
- washing your hands with soap and water for 10-15 seconds under running water, and dry them thoroughly
- using alcohol-based handrub if you don’t have immediate access to soap and water
Environment Cleaning
Routine environmental cleaning is conducted of settings in which supports are provided to participants (other than in their homes), particularly of frequently touched surfaces.
Personal Protective Equipment
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is required by all staff in circumstances where they have direct contact with:
- blood (including dried blood)
- other bodily fluids
- secretions and excretions, for example faeces, saliva, mucous and broken skin.
Exposure may occur during the cleaning of bathrooms, nappy changing, disposal of waste, cleaning of
bodily fluid spills, or the administration of first aid. Staff need to use appropriate PPE for these situations.
Staying Home If You Are Unwell
All staff have a responsibility under the WHS Act to take reasonable care for their own health and safety, and for the health and safety of others who may be affected by their actions while at work. Staying at home when you are unwell is an important measure to reduce the likelihood you will share your infection with a participant.
You should also go home immediately if you feel yourself coming down with an illness while you are at work. Your manager may ask for a medical certificate stating that it is safe for you to return to work.
Safe Handling of Sharps
Infection control procedures when handling needles and other sharp contaminated objects include:
- never attempt to re-cap or bend used needles
- handle by the barrel with a gloved hand
Place in an appropriate puncture-proof container (that meets the Australian and New Zealand Standards AS 4031:1992 and AS/NZS 4261:1994) – this will be yellow, labelled 'Danger contaminated sharps' and marked with a black biohazard symbol.
Responding to Risk of Exposure to Blood or Bodily Fluid
After exposure to blood or other body substances staff are to take the following action as soon as is safe to do so:
- Where the exposure involves a cut or puncture, wash the area thoroughly with liquid soap and water for a period of at least 30 seconds.
- If eyes are contaminated, while open, rinse them gently and thoroughly with water or normal saline.
- If blood or other body substances get in the mouth, spit it out, then rinse the mouth with water several times.
- Dispose of needles and/or syringes in the appropriate manner.
- If clothing is contaminated, remove clothing and shower if necessary.
- Consult with a doctor if a possibility of blood or body fluids entering the body.
Where water is not available, use of a non-water cleanser or antiseptic should replace the use of soap
and water for washing cuts or punctures of the skin or intact skin.
The injured person should report the incident immediately to The Director.
Safe Handling of Waste
All waste generated from support care, or the clean-up of spills should be handled with care, to avoid contact with blood and body substances. Disposable gloves should be worn when handling contaminated waste.
Place contaminated waste in a sealed, leak-proof bag and dispose of with general waste in accordance with the Hazardous Substances Procedure.
Soiled clothing should be identified as such and placed in a leak proof bag separate from other materials. Staff will take home any soiled clothing belonging to them and to wash as soon as possible. Normal washing procedures and detergents are adequate for decontamination of most laundry items.
Follow the Reporting an Incident Procedure regarding reporting and investigation of incidents resulting in
clinical waste and hazardous substances.
Preventing Spread of Infectious Diseases
Management will follow these protocols when a staff member or participant advises that they have an infectious disease:
• Maintain confidentiality but inform the appropriate staff or participant.
• Determine the nature of the infectious disease. Ask for the specific name of the disease e.g. whooping cough (pertussis), measles etc.
• Confirm diagnosis – medical certificate/doctor diagnosis. Some people may advise that they have an infectious disease however they have not been to the doctor, or they are still awaiting confirmation of blood tests. The Director will advise them to stay at home until well and to phone to advise of the details of the infectious disease once confirmed by a doctor.
• Seek relevant information to manage infectious disease and exclusion periods. Infected staff or participants may need to be excluded from shifts to prevent the infection spreading to others.
• Consider alternate ways of supporting participants when they are excluded from support.
7. Personal Safety and Security
Any staff member working in the community, providing care supports in private homes or otherwise in outreach services or fieldwork have a mobile phone on them.
Employees are not authorised to visit or attend a participant’s private home outside standing working hours.
Any staff that have health problems or medical conditions requiring medication or that may require emergency assistance, are advised to notify Proactive Support Management.
All staff are advised to take adequate breaks during the performance of repetitive tasks.
All staff have been allocated First Aid Kits for their vehicles
8. Vehicle Safety
- All vehicles used during work for Proactive Support must be roadworthy, be registered and have appropriate Insurance
- Staff must, in all circumstances, comply with Queensland road and traffic rules when undertaking work duties in a vehicle. Staff must advise Proactive Support Management in writing of any driving offences which may disqualify them from legally driving as soon as possible after the event.
- Clients that require transport have a risk assessment completed before travelling with staff for the first time
- If the staff member driving the vehicle has any concerns about their safety, the client's safety, or the safety of others, they must contact Proactive Support Management to discuss these concerns. If concerns are raised while driving, the staff member can pull over where it is safe to do so and contact Proactive Support Management.
9. Participants Visiting Staff Member’s Home
In general it is not advisable for a staff member to take a participant to their home as it can blur professional boundaries. However there are some instances where it may be appropriate.
The participant needs to be made aware of potential risks associated with visiting a worker's home, particularly concerning safety and security. These risks may include:
- Breach of personal privacy
- Exposure to environments that have not undergone risk assessment
- Compromise of confidentiality
If the participant is under the age of 18, it is essential for the staff member to obtain consent from their advocate, and this consent should be documented in ShiftCare notes. If the advocate's consent cannot be obtained, the staff member must seek prior approval from the Proactive Support Director or Community Access Coordinator before proceeding with any actions. It is crucial for staff members to acknowledge their Duty of Care to ensure the participant’s safety and prevent any injuries while in their home.
It is the participant’s right to receive supports and services in a safe and competent manner.
10. Safe Equipment, Materials and Substances
Proactive Support staff will be able to carry out their work to support participants and keep them safe when equipment is safe and hazardous materials and substances are kept in a controlled environment and disposed of correctly. This will be managed in the following manner:
- Equipment safety checks yearly
- Chemicals and Hazardous Substances Register maintained
- Emergency kits checked yearly e.g. first aid kit, fire extinguishers, torches, water etc.
- Medication protocols maintained as per the 013 Medication Procedure
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will be maintained and in good order
- Disposal of waste and hazardous substances is documented in the 019 Management of Waste and Hazardous Substances Procedure
All checks and details of equipment and substances will be recorded in Proactive Support’s appropriate Registers.
11. Work Tasks and How they are Performed
When working with participants Proactive Support staff will be supported in maintaining safe work practices through:
- Comprehensive training e.g. manual handling, use of PPE
- Adequate communication and hand-over
- Appropriate knowledge of the participant including relevant information which will be useful in supporting them
12. Accidents and Injury
First Aid kits are kept in the Proactive Support office and have been issued to every support worker to keep inside their vehicles.
All work-related injuries (or near misses), whether to staff or the participant, should be:
- Reported to Proactive Support management as soon as possible
- Considered for entry on the Continuous Improvement Register and Risk Register if relevant
- Followed up by Proactive Support management in accordance with Incident Management Policy and Procedures
- If the staff member’s injury requires time off work and rehabilitation this will be carried out in accordance with the Workers Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003
13. Training
Proactive Support’s comprehensive Training and Resources Manual details all available training sessions for staff to utilise as required. Staff will undergo specific training where required to ensure that they are well-informed and proficient in their roles. Staff will be offered refresher training as required. All training may be conducted face to face or remotely. Training outcomes include continuous professional development and compliance with PS Policies and Procedures. Training will be noted in the staff members’ Case and Training notes. Mandatory and Refresher training is recorded and tracked in ShiftCare with alerts when updates are required.
Examples of Mandatory Refresher training:
- infection prevention and control standard precautions including hand hygiene practices, respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette.
- Each worker who provides supports directly to participants has refresher training, in the use of PPE.
14. Related Documentation
Proactive Support
004 Risk Management Framework
005 Risk Management Policy
008 Incident Management Policy
015 Managing an Incident Procedure
013 Medication Procedure
019 Management of Waste and Hazardous Substances Procedure
095 Training and Resources Manual June 2024
Registers: First Aid Kit, Emergency Kit, Equipment, Chemicals and Hazardous Substances, Risk, Continuous Improvement Registers
External
Work Health and Safety Act, 2011
Work Health and Safety Regulation, 2011
Workers Compensation and Rehabilitation Act, 2003
Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice - Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (2021)
