OHS and Working with Difficult

behaviours training
Safety Comes First
July 2014

Safety comes first!

Better a thousand times

careful than once dead
~Proverb

LEGISLATION
The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH

Act) and regulations place certain duties on

employers, employees, self-employed people,
manufacturers, designers, importers and
suppliers and must be complied with. Duties
include:
Not exposing workers to hazards.
Providing information, instruction and training.
Conducting risk assessments.
Investigating hazards or injuries that have
been reported to employers by employees.
Notifying WorkSafe of reportable injuries.
Providing safe workplaces.

Legislation Impact
Regulations: elaborates the processes to comply

with the legislation.

Code of practice: Is industry specific and

includes best practice procedures to set better

standards.

OSH Policy and Procedure

States clearly the processes and steps taken in

the Flex Health Group to ensure compliance with

legislation and code of practice
Help staff members working as per the OSH
standards

Flex OSH Policy

Purpose:
Providing a safe workplace environment
Implementing safe work systems and practices
Providing appropriate training, support and
supervision to staff members
Implementing processes to identify hazards,
assessing risks and elimination of them
Providing personal protective equipment
Ensuring other third parties have a safe
relationship with Flex

Responsibilities
Managers: training, hazard control, consultation,

working in compliance
Employees: take reasonable care of their own
safety and others, cooperate, use equipment, not
to refuse reasonable request for assistance, not
to obstruct attempts to reduce risks, notify
managements of changes in environment and to
make themselves aware of fire and emergency
procedures in all facilities before the beginning of
each shift

Documentation
in the event of an incident
External Staff should: inform your
roster/allocations consultant, or the Team
Leader, or the HR department of the incident
Internal Staff: inform your supervisor, business
manager, HR department, OSH representative
Documentation must be completed asap

Written Communication
Must be:

Accurate
Clear and concise
Based on facts
Respectful and non discriminatory
Any amendments must be dated and signed
Underline to prevent others making entries in
space left

Fire and Emergency

Purpose:

Fire and hazard prevention

Safe evacuation
Early control of a fire or emergency
Efficient resumption of duties after the
emergency is controlled

Fire and Emergency

Employee must find the fire and emergency

procedure in each facility before they start their

shift and:
Be aware of nominated fire warden/coordinator
Be aware of floor plan: rooms, exits, assembly
area, fire alarms, extinguishers, fire equipment
and evacuation procedures

Fire and Emergency

If a Flex staff member discovers a fire or

emergency they must:

Raise the alert by using manual alarm points
or calling 000/112 for international calls
Alert the fire warden
Warn people if safe to do so
Close doors
Ensure fire is confined if safe to do so

Safety Signs

Duty of Care
Everyone in the workplace has duty of care responsibilities

Our Duty of Care

Employers
Provide safe well maintained equipment
Provide PPE
Provide training and information
Provide access to policies and procedures and
keep them updated
Consult with and listen to staff regarding OSH
issues

Duty of Care
Employees
Take responsible care in relation to the safety of
themselves and others
Follow policies and procedures
Wear PPE
Ask for information and training
Report and document

Manual Handling
Manual handling codes of practice:
Identify hazards
Identify risks
Assess risks
Control risks

What is manual handling

Any activity requiring the use of force exerted by a
person to lift, lower, push, pull, carry or otherwise
move, hold or restrain a person, animal or thing.

Types of Manual Handling

Injuries
Sprains and strains
Torn Muscles & Tendons
Worn Joints
Cuts
Grazes
Bruising
Hernias
Back Injuries

HAZARD
IDENTIFICATION

Review information from designers or manufacturers

Read relevant care plans and instructions
Analyse unsafe incidents, accidents or injury data
Look for trends
Analyse work processes
Consult with co-workers

RISK ASSESSMENT

Prioritise manual handling tasks

Select the task beginning with the highest priority and work
through to the lowest
Understand why the task is a problem.
Consider actions and posture, load, work environment and the
characteristics of employees such as; weight, height, sex, build,
experience, prior knowledge and learning and special skills or
capabilities

RISK CONTROL

Modify workplace layout and equipment

Modify the load
Control the work environment
Redesign work patterns by rotating and mixing tasks to include
different actions and postures
Implement warming up and stretching exercises prior to
manual handling
Provide manual handling training during orientation and as a
refresher

FOLLOW-UP AND
EVALUATION

Consultation with employees, supervisors and safety and

health representatives
Assess any changes to ensure that no new hazards have
been introduced.
Monitor injury reports and analyse data for any new trends

Key principles
Maintain natural

curvature of the
spine
Maintain upper
body alignment
Bend knees
Bottom out
I faces forward
Hold load close

Dos and Do Nots

Do:
Communicate with your client and colleagues
Wear the correct footwear
Ask for training
Get help
Dont:
Stretch
Twist
Bend
Be complacent

Working with Challenging

Behaviours
By understanding difficult behaviours, we are

able to manage these situations better and in a

safe manner for everyone
Observe the context in which the behaviour has
occurred and try to identify triggers

Preventing Challenging Behaviours

Your approach is important, here are some guides;
Pause - stand back, take a moment to assess the individual
Speak slowly, clearly and in a calm voice
Explain your care actions
Act calmly - try not to rush the individual
Show respect and treat the individual with dignity
Minimise boredom, social isolation, irritating factors, such
as; noise, overcrowding and uncomfortable clothing
Enhance comfort
Know and try to avoid the triggers for the persons
behaviour
Talk to your supervisor about the triggers and be aware of
them

When confronted with challenging

behaviours

Back off if possible

Do not put yourself or others in the pathway of risk
Keep calm
Calmly call for help (if necessary)
It may be best to leave the person until he/she
calms down
Remove others from the environment (if possible)
Try to identify why it is happening and remove the
trigger
Be aware of your body language and nature of your
verbal interactions

Driving Safely
Know where you are going
Check the street directory before starting out
Do not answer mobiles while driving, either pull

over or return the call when you arrive at your

destination
We strongly advise you to use a hands free
device if you want to answer the phone while
driving
Never send texts while driving

Infection Control
Standard precautions include the following five
procedures:
hand washing
use of personal protective equipment
correct handling and disposal of waste
appropriate cleaning of client care equipment
Hygienic environmental control

Infection Control
Standard precautions apply whenever you may
come in contact with the following four bodily
substances:
blood (including dried blood)
all body substances, secretions and excretions
(excluding sweat)
regardless of whether or not they contain visible
blood
non-intact skin, and mucous membranes

Standard hand washing procedure

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Remove jewellery
Wet hands thoroughly all over
Use pH neutral soap
Lather soap all over hands
Rub hands together vigorously for 15-20 seconds. Pay
particular attention to the fingertips, thumbs, wrists, finger
webs and the backs of the hands
6. Rinse under running water
7. Pat hands dry with paper towels

8. Use Barrier creams

Sharps Management
Clinical sharps
Sharps must be placed in a sharps container. This
includes syringes and razors.
Sharps Management
Sharps are any item that has the possibility to puncture or
penetrate
They include:
needles, scissors, scalpels, razors, or
anything that could constitute a danger of penetration
such as a sharp piece of metal, broken glass or a sharp
piece of plastic

DISPOSAL OF DRESSINGS AND

INCONTINENCE PADS
All bins must have a liner
Never put razors or sharp objects in bins, use the

appropriate Sharps bin

All dressings and pads must be wrapped and tied
in a plastic bag and placed in the council bin
outside the house

Personal Protective Equipment

Waterproof Aprons
Masks and Protective Eye Wear
Dressings

Communication

Resident Interaction and Hazard

Identification
Communication is an important part of client care
Communication can be verbal or non-verbal
Communication Barriers include:

physical discomfort/pain
time of day
noise and interruptions
time constraints and psycho-social factors

Verbal communication
Adapt the message thinking about the recipient

and the context

Time your communication
Talk clearly
Ask questions and build rapport
Actively listen and use empathy

Communication with Dementia

Patients

Lower your voice

Eliminate distractions
Use simple words and sorter sentences
Speak slowly
Be patient and tolerant
Avoid open ended questions
Use positive non-verbal communication
Reassure the person
Understand that clients use swear words as a dementia
symptom

Supporting the elderly

Comforting Clients:
Caring for their wellbeing
Consistently being conscious about their
safety
Highlighting every single concern to client and
supervisor
Reporting it in documentation and client notes

Identifying Signs of
Abuse/Neglect
Elderly people sometimes suffer neglect or abuse.
It can be classified as:
Physical
Emotional
Sexual
Financial
Flex employees must identify the early signs of any of the
above factors. Sometimes elderly people can become
suspicious. This must be discussed with your roster
coordinator asap.

Identifying Signs of
Abuse/Neglect
Some signs of Abuse/Neglect may be:
Depression, low self-esteem, fear of sudden
movements, poor appetite
Brushing, scars, broken bones, drug overdose
Items or cash going missing, unpaid bills,
signs of fraud, over servicing

Restraints
Restraints are only used as a last resource for (and
when recommended by a doctor):

Safety of the client

Aggressive behaviour
Behavioural control
Physical support
To prevent tampering with treatment

Environmental Sustainability
Environmental sustainability means using the
earth's resources without substantially affecting the
ability of future generations to have access to
them.
Sustainability means reducing our ecological
footprint - our use of the Earth's resources
balanced with the Earths capacity to regenerate without affecting our quality of life.
You can do so by using the 3Rs - reduce, reuse
and recycle

Economic Sustainability
Economic sustainability means identifying ways to
ensure all resources are used in the most efficient,
beneficial and responsible way.
the efficient use and acquisition of resources
purchasing equipment that meets quality
standards, is fit for purpose and can be reused or
recycled at the end of its life
recruiting and retaining qualified staff
establishing effective operational processes and
procedures

Social Sustainability

Social sustainability is about ensuring future

generations have the same or greater access to
social resources
ensuring all clients have equal access to
participation in the service
supporting diversity in the community and
service
ensuring staff and clients enjoy a safe and
healthy care environment.

Workforce Sustainability
Workforce sustainability means retaining the right
people with the right skills to meet current and
future business requirements
For workers, it is your responsibility to:
understand what is expected of you
follow workplace policies and procedures
report any improvements or deficiencies you
become aware of

Any Questions