Safety Committee Meeting Jan 18, 2006

Safety Committee Meeting

January 18, 2006

Agenda

WCB Claims Review 2005

Training Suggestions

Risks, Hazards, Concerns?<= /p>

Vehicle Safety: Should vehicles receive an annual safety inspection? Is there= such a thing that would be substantially different than the check provided= by the vehicle’s regular mechanic?
WCB Claims Review 2005: Six claims filed. Two claims involved days off – seven shifts in total. Five claims involved acciden= ts around the house – slipping, falling, bumping, pinching, dropping. =

Stairs: Watch for ice and snow – ensure you have salt / sand / de-icing material for cold weather conditions. Clear sidewalks if it snows. (Ensure your own physical health allows you to shovel snow).
The home can be a dangerous place – staff should always be watchin= g for dangers when they take on physical tasks.
One injury was from an aggressive incident with a program participant. Staff teams are now getting= MANDT training to better equip staff to respond to people who are getting upset.

Early 2006 WCB claim review: = There have been two claims in the past two weeks for back injuries during m= anual transfers of folks from wheelchairs.= Both staff were in their first mont= h of work at the program. Suggestions:

Get managers to review orientations on transfers. New staff should demonstrat= e and express comfort with transfers or ask for further training.
Teams should review back care and transfers as an agenda item at every oth= er team meeting.
Get WCB booklet on back care for each program.
Demonstrate the transfer that employees will need to do when prospective employe= es come to visit a program where the resident uses a wheelchair. This allows the employee to= better judge their ability to do the work.
If the team has concerns about a transfer, the manager should call the = Physio to assess the transfer and make suggest= ions for changes or for additional training.
Be clear that back injuries are to be avoided – it can only take one in= jury to affect you for the rest of your life.

Frequency of Staff Meetings (from item above on back care on team agendas). Teams should establish a predictable frequency for their team meetings – monthly, bi-mon= thly, quarterly, and then the manager can add a meeting if a training need arises, but should not skip meetings if they have been scheduled.
Day Program Outings – should staff have first aid kits with them?
1. Graffiti staff take backpack with them with small = first aid kit plus some personal care supplies. A number of small day progr= am staff are out on long day outings with their participants and should= have access to a first aid kit. Jay will look at ordering small kits for those staff on commu= nity outings without access to a kit in a spectrum vehicle.
Natural Disaster Preparation / Pandemic Preparation:

Are we ready for a pandemic? If the flu virus shows up and starts causing mass illness, people will = start hording food and staying home – should managers figure out contingency plans for this possible disaster?
Earthquake Drills: People should review the potential consequences of a large earthquake for the staff and residents.

= &nb= sp; = ; &= nbsp; &nb= sp; = ; i. &n= bsp; Need for 72 hours at least of “on you= r own” supplies and resources.

= &nb= sp; = ; &= nbsp; &nb= sp; = ; ii. &= nbsp; Turn off the gas.

= &nb= sp; = ; &= nbsp; &nb= sp; = ; iii. = When can staff leave? What if their family is within wa= lking / driving distance? Can they bring the residents with them to their family home? When do they go to an = emergency shelter?

Next Meeting: April 26, 2006 – after Policy & Procedures Meeting= which begins at 4pm.