Employee Safety

Home Health Aides 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% higher than that in hospitals, according to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics reports

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. Keep a reasonable pace and some flexibility in your daily schedule so you aren’t tempted to
take injury-inducing shortcuts.

Watch Your Step
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. 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. 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.

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,”
Go with your gut. “Most of the time, it’s not imperative that you 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.

Q&A

1. HHAs face an array of safety risks. True o False
2. As a caregiver, what should you do if you feel threatened in a home/
3. A reasonable pace and flexibility are necessary for longevity as an HHA. True/false
4. To be culturally sensitive to clients who prefer their guests to go shoeless, wear disposable shoes
   , or surgical shoe covers. True or False
5. List 3 safety risks that HHAs face
6. What do some health agencies do to prevent on-the-job injuries
7. It is essential to be mindful of household hazards like _ (fill in the blank)
8. It is not advised to remove shoes in a client’s home. True or false
9. In comparison to the injury rate in hospitals, how much higher (percentage) are injuries likely to be
   to occur in a home care setting?
10. As a caregiver, it is essential to avoid settings/ situations that make you feel unsafe.
    True or False