Safety Policy

The Helping Hand PCS places a high value on the safety of its employees. The Helping Hand is committed to providing a safe workplace for all employees and has developed this program for injury prevention to involve administrators, area managers, and employees in identifying and eliminating hazards that may develop during our work process.

It is the basic safety policy of this company that no task is so important that an employee must violate a safety rule or take a risk of injury or illness in order to get the job done.

Employees are required to comply with all company safety rules and are encouraged to actively participants in identifying ways to make our company a safer place to work.

Area Managers are responsible for the safety of their employees and as a part of their daily duties must check the workplace for unsafe conditions, watch employees for unsafe actions and take prompt action to eliminate any hazards.

Administrators will do its part by devoting the resources to safety which is composed of administrators and area manager. We will develop a system for identifying and correcting hazards. We will plan for foreseeable emergencies. We will provide initial and ongoing training for employees and area managers.

Safety is a team effort - Let us all work together to keep this a safe and healthy workplace.

Safety and Health Responsibilities

Administrators Responsibilities-

·        Insure that the safety policy is carrying out its responsibilities as described in this program.

·        Insure that sufficient employee time and support for safety training is carrying out in this program.

·        Evaluate employees each year to make sure they are carrying out their responsibilities as described in this program.

·        Insure that incidents are fully investigated and corrective action taken to prevent the hazardous conditions or behaviors from happening again.

·        Insure that a report of injuries and illnesses is maintained and posted as described in the program.

·        Set a good example by following established safety rules and attending required training.

·        Report unsafe practices or conditions to the managers of the area and report where the hazard was observed.

Area Managers Responsibilities-

·        Insure that each employees you supervise has received an initial orientation before beginning work.

·        Insure that each employee you supervise is competent or receives training on safety.

·        Insure that each employee receives required personal protective equipment (PPE) before starting work.

·        Observe the employees you supervise working. Promptly correct any unsafe behavior. Provide training and take corrective actions necessary. Document employee evaluations.

·        Set a good example for employees by following safety rules and attending required training.

·        Investigate all accidents/incidents in your area and report your findings to the administrators.

·        Talk to administrators and Executives about changes to work practices that will improve employee safety.

Employees Responsibilities-

·        Follow safety rules in the company policy and program, and training you receive.

·        Report unsafe conditions or actions to your area managers or administrators promptly.

·        Report all injuries to your manager promptly regardless of how serious.

·        Report all accidents and incidents to your manager promptly.

·        Always use personal protective equipment (PPE) in good working condition where it is required.

·        Do not remove or replace any safety safeguard provided for the employees.

·        Encourage co-workers by your words and example to use safe work practices on the job.

·        Make suggestions to your manager or administrators about changes you believe will improve employee safety.

Identifying Workplace Hazards:

Employees are required to report any injury or work-related illness to their immediate supervisor regardless of how serious. Minor injuries such as cuts and scrapes can be entered on the minor injury log posted. The employee must use an "Employee's Injury/Illness Report Form" to report more serious injuries. 

The supervisor will:

• Investigate a serious injury or illness using procedures in the "Incident Investigation" section below.

• Complete an "Incident Investigation Report" form.

• Give the “Employee’s Report” and the “Incident Investigation Report” to (Add the name or title of the person to whom this information will be given.). 

Incident Investigation

Incident Investigation Procedure 

If an employee dies while working or is not expected to survive, or when two or more employees are admitted to a hospital as a result of a work-related incident, you shall or will contact the office immediately, regardless of the time. (Contact your area manager) and talk with an area manager of the area. Fax and answering machine notifications are not acceptable. must report: the employer name, location and time of the incident, number of employees involved, the extent of injuries or illness, a brief description of what happened and the name and phone number of a contact person.

• DO NOT DISTURB the scene except to aid in rescue or make the scene safe.

Whenever there is an incident that results in death or serious injuries that have immediate symptoms, a preliminary investigation will be conducted by the immediate supervisor of the injured person(s), a person designated by management, an employee representative of the safety committee, and any other persons whose expertise would help the investigation.

 The investigation will take written statements from witnesses, photograph the incident scene and equipment involved. The team will also document as soon as possible after the incident, the condition of equipment and any anything else in the work area that may be relevant. The company will make a written “Incident Investigation Report” of its findings. The report will include a sequence of events leading up to the incident, conclusions about the incident and any recommendations to prevent a similar incident in the future. The report will be reviewed by the safety committee at its next regularly scheduled meeting.

When an area manager becomes aware of an employee injury where the injury was not serious enough to warrant a company investigation as described above, the manager will write an "Incident Investigation Report" to accompany the "Employee's Injury/Illness Report Form" and forward them to (the Executive Board).

 Whenever there is an incident that did not but could have resulted in serious injury to an employee (a near-miss), the incident will be investigated by the area manager or a company depending on the seriousness of the injury that would have occurred. The "Incident Investigation Report" form will be used to investigate the near miss. The form will be clearly marked to indicate that it was a near miss and that no actual injury occurred. The report will be forwarded to the bookkeeper to record on the incident log. An “Incident Investigation Checklist” form can be found in the Safety and Health Program Guide to help the supervisor carry out his/her responsibilities as described above. (Customize by adding any additional Incident Investigation policies that you may have and/or deleting any that do not apply to your company.)

Hazard Recognition

Record Keeping and Review

Employees are required to report any injury or work-related illness to their immediate supervisor regardless of how serious. Minor injuries such as cuts and scrapes can be entered on the minor injury log posted. The employee must use an "Employee's Injury/Illness Report Form" to report more serious injuries.

The Area Manager will:

 • Investigate a serious injury or illness using procedures in the "Incident Investigation" section below.

 • Complete an "Incident Investigation Report" form.

 • Give the “Employee’s Report” and the “Incident Investigation Report” to (To Executive board and Director of Personnel).

 Hazard Prevention and Control

Eliminating Workplace Hazards

The Helping Hand Personal Care Services is committed to eliminating or controlling workplace hazards that could cause injury or illness to our employees. We will meet the requirements of state safety standards where there are specific rules about a hazard or potential hazard in our workplace. Whenever possible we will design our facilities and equipment to eliminate employee exposure to hazards. Where these engineering controls are not possible, we will write work rules that effectively prevent employee exposure to the hazard. When the above methods of control are not possible or are not fully effective, we will require employees to use personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, face mask, and other clean solutions etc.

Basic Safety Rules

The following basic safety rules have been established to help make our company a safe and efficient place to work. These rules are in addition to safety rules that must be followed when doing particular jobs. Those rules are listed elsewhere in this program. Failure to comply with these rules will result in disciplinary action.

 • Never do anything that is unsafe in order to get the job done. If a job is unsafe, report it to your area manager or other administrators. We will find a safer way to do that job.

 • Do not remove or disable any safety device!

• Use your personal protective equipment whenever it is required.

• Obey all safety policy.

• Working under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs or using them at work is prohibited.

• Do not bring firearms or explosives onto client’s property.

• Smoking is only permitted outside the home away from any entry.

• Horseplay, running and fighting are prohibited.

 • Clean up spills immediately. Do not allow trash to accumulate where they will become a hazard. Good housekeeping helps prevent injuries.

Disciplinary Policy

 Employees are expected to use good judgment when doing their work and to follow established safety rules. We have established a disciplinary policy to provide appropriate consequences for failure to follow safety rules. This policy is designed not so much to punish as to bring unacceptable behavior to the employee's attention in a way that the employee will be motivated to make corrections. The following consequences apply to the violation of the same rule or the same unacceptable behavior:

Except in a case where the Administrator concludes the circumstances warrant discharge, a progressive discipline procedure will generally be used in an effort to give employees advance notice of unacceptable performance and an opportunity to correct the problem. Under this approach the employee will be counseled concerning the unacceptable behavior and a verbal reprimand will be issued. If the behavior continues, then a written reprimand will be issued, and the individual will be again counseled concerning the unacceptable behavior by a Management. If the unacceptable behavior still continues the employee will be discharged.

Examples of the types of conduct for which a reprimand may be issued, but are not limited to:

1. Unwillingness or failure to satisfactorily perform the duties of your job.

2. Unsatisfactory work performance.

3. Cancellations without proper excuse/notice.

4. Leaving an assignment without proper relief/approval.

5. Failure to report to work as assigned without notifying your Area Manager.

6. Failure to schedule or staff any client without notifying your Area Manager.

7. Failure to report a missed shift or visit to an Area Manager.

8. Poor work effort or attitude.

9. Minor insubordination.

10. Working or scheduling overtime without prior authorization from your Area Manager.

11. Accepting gifts or tips from your client or client’s family members without prior approval of your Area Manager.

12. Failure to abide by The Helping Hand Personal Care Services employee’s dress code.

13. Discussing personal problems with a client.

14. Failure to abide by The Helping Hand Personal Care Services policies or procedures.

15. Providing a client with another employee’s telephone number or personal information.

The preceding list is not all inclusive. Other types of unacceptable conduct may occur for which written reprimands may be issued. Furthermore, under the circumstances of a particular case, a written reprimand may not be issued. The exercise of the discretion by the Administrator of THE HELPING HAND PERSONAL CARE SERVICES is not a waiver of the agency’s right to issue a written reprimand to the same employee or any other employee for the same type of offense in the future.

Discharge

If at any time a report of patient endangerment against THE HELPING HAND PERSONAL CARE SERVICES employee is substantiated, immediate discharge of that employee will result. It must be remembered that your employment with THE HELPING HAND PERSONAL CARE SERVICES is at the mutual consent of THE HELPING HAND PERSONAL CARE SERVICES, and yourself, and either may terminate employment at will, at any time, for any reason. The Administrator of THE HELPING HAND PERSONAL CARE SERVICES, therefore, may immediately discharge an employee without a prior written reprimand whenever the Administrator believes the circumstances warrant discharge.

Examples of other types of conduct which can result in an immediate discharge include:

1. Submitting a false reason for absence from work.

2. Placing false or misleading information on an application for employment or other THE HELPING HAND PERSONAL CARE SERVICES records.

3. Theft, destruction or waste of agency or a client’s property.

4. Serious insubordination.

5. Solicitation during working time.

6. Rudeness, discourtesy, verbal or physical abuse of any client, client’s family member, visitor, or THE HELPING HAND PERSONAL CARE SERVICES employee.

7. Failure to obtain and submit to THE HELPING HAND PERSONAL CARE SERVICES acceptable health test, physical examinations, license or certification as required by license regulations.

8. Use, possession, or appearing under the influence of intoxicants or controlled substances on working time.

9. Two (2) complaints of poor work performance from client or client’s family members which the Administrator determines to be valid complaints.

10. Sleeping on duty (except when permitted, i.e. live ins)

11. Contacting clients or client’s family members without prior approval from the supervisor.

12. Excessive cancellations or other absences.

13. Hiring privately with a client without prior written approval of THE HELPING HAND PERSONAL CARE SERVICES administrator.

14. Signing the client’s or any other persons’ name for any reason.

15. Dishonesty, including being untruthful to anyone.

16. Failure to pay any debt owed to THE HELPING HAND PERSONAL CARE SERVICES.

17. Performing techniques beyond the employee’s level of training or qualification.

18. Loss or restriction of appropriate license or certification to practice.

19. Driving a client’s automobile or allowing a client to drive an employee’s automobile.

20. Falsification of any HELPING HAND PERSONAL CARE SERVICES record, including time slip.

Emergency Planning

What will we do in an emergency?

 In case of fire,ytu7 an evacuation plans should be map by the Area Manager, Employee, and any other family members of the participants (Customize by adding location, if this applies to your company). It shows the location of exits, fire extinguishers, first aid kits, and where to assemble outside (Customize by adding meeting location for your location). All employees will receive training on how to use of fire extinguishers as part of their initial orientation. A fire evacuation drill will be conducted once a year. (Customize by adding fire drill and fire extinguisher training information as it pertains to your business.) If you discover a fire:

·        Tell another person immediately.

·        Call or have them call 911 and a supervisor.

·        If the fire is small (such as a wastebasket fire) and there is minimal smoke, you may try to put it out with a fire extinguisher.

·        If the fire grows or there is thick smoke, do not continue to fight the fire.

·        Tell other employees and family in the area to evacuate.

·        Go to the designated assembly point outside the building. (north parking lot)

·        If you are a supervisor notified of a fire in your area: Tell your employees to evacuate to the designated assembly location. Check that all employees have been evacuated from your area. Verify that 911 has been called.

·        Determine if the fire has been extinguished. If the fire has grown or there is thick smoke, evacuate any employees trying to fight the fire.

·        Tell other areas to evacuate the building.

·        Go to the designated assembly point and check that all your employees are accounted for.

 If an employee is missing, do not reenter the building! Notify the responding fire personnel that an employee is missing and may be in the building. (Customize the above rules by adding procedures in case of fire as it pertains to your

If you are outside: Stand away from buildings, trees, telephone and electric lines.

If you are on the road: Drive away from underpasses/overpasses. Stop in a safe area. Stay in the vehicle.