Dealing with Health issues in your team

I have been working with a number of my clients over the last few months on certain staff health issues and the ways to support their staff. I thought I would share this information with you as it may help you put procedures and documentation into place.

Diabetes

In the UK, 1.4 million people are diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. For each affected employee, the level of treatment will vary greatly and within each individual from day to day.

It may therefore be necessary to seek specialist advice.

Symptoms associated with diabetes –

Weakness, faintness or hunger
Palpitations and muscle tremors
Strange actions or behaviour where the casualty may seem confused or drunk, belligerent or may even be violent
Sweating
Pallor
Cold clammy skin
A strong pulse
Deteriorating level of response
Shallow breathing.

Employers need to be aware that people who are diabetic may not wish to reveal their health problem. However, workplace adjustments can only be made if the individual is willing to let the employer know about the condition.

Disclosure should help the individual in their job and facilitate help and support from management and colleagues, in this regard the business should, upon being advised of the condition: –

Carry out a risk assessment of each job to determine whether there are any significant health and safety risks
Introduce the appropriate control measures to remove the risk or manage it
Meet the cost of making reasonable adjustments, depending on the nature of the adjustment
Permit employees with diabetes to organise their work area if possible
Allow more time and greater flexibility for induction training and choose the location for this carefully
Allow employees affected by diabetes to maintain a check on blood sugar levels throughout the day and to take regular breaks
Give access to a fridge for storing insulin.
Give the employee a private area in which to check blood sugar levels
Establish procedures for dealing with any issues
Allow special leave for counselling, diabetic management sessions, eye examinations or treatment
Identify any specific training needs of the individual
Make provision for diabetic employees within the arrangements for first aid, fire etc.

Employees Responsibilities

Co-operate with the employer in relation to Health & Safety arrangements
Follow any training, guidance and instruction
Report any accident or incident to the employer.
Alerting the employer if their condition is having an adverse effect on their day-to-day ability to work or increase the likelihood of an accident.
Notifying the employer/DVLA if:

Epilepsy

Epilepsy is defined as having repeated seizures, which start in the brain. A brief disturbance to the brain’s normal electrical activity causes the nerve cells to fire off random signals. The result is like an electrical storm that causes a temporary overload in the brain.

There are many different kinds of seizure. Some end in seconds while others may last several minutes. People affected might lose awareness of what is happening or where they are during a seizure and they may lose consciousness altogether. Each person’s experience of epilepsy is unique.

Recognition Of Minor Epilepsy

Sudden ‘switching off’; the casualty may be staring blankly
Slight and localised twitching or jerking of the lips, eyelids, head or
Odd ‘automatic’ movements such as lip smacking, chewing, or making

Associated Hazards

Some jobs can carry considerable risk to a person who has frequent seizures and their colleagues. These can include working:

At heights, underground or by open water
On heavy, unguarded machinery or driving
With hot ovens or open fires
With high voltage / open circuit electricity.

Employer’s Responsibilities

We are aware that people who are epileptic may not wish to reveal their health problem. However, workplace adjustments can only be made if the individual is willing to let the employer know about the disability. Disclosure should help the individual in their job and facilitate help and support from management and colleagues.

Carry out a risk assessment of each job (including lone working) to determine whether there are any significant health and safety risks, taking into account individual circumstances such as epilepsy
Introduce the appropriate control measures to remove the risk or manage it
Meet the cost of making reasonable adjustments, depending on the nature of the adjustment
Permit employees with epilepsy to organise their work area and work time themselves, except in exceptional cases where it is operationally impossible
Allow more time and greater flexibility for induction training and choose the location for this carefully
Establish procedures for dealing with a seizure in conjunction with the affected employees
Allow special leave for counselling, management sessions, or treatment
Identify any specific training needs of the individual
Make provision for epileptic employees within the arrangements for first aid, fire and emergency

Employees Responsibilities

Co-operate with the employer in relation to health and safety arrangements
Follow any training, guidance and instruction
Report any accident or incident to the employer

Employees suffering from Epilepsy have an additional duty to:

Alert the employer if his/her epilepsy is having an adverse effect on his/her day-to-day ability to work
Where necessary, to inform the employer if the condition could increase the risk of an accident at work
If part of your job includes driving, to notify the employer and the DVLA if receiving treatment or tablets. Notification to the DVLA is a strict legal requirement
To follow any training, guidance and instruction provided by the employer

Legionella

Legionellosis is a collective term for those diseases caused by legionella bacteria including the most serious, Legionnaire’s disease as well as the less serious Pontiac fever and Lochgoilhead fever.

Legionellosis can affect anyone who inhales small droplets of water (aerosols) from water systems, e.g. showers that are contaminated with legionella bacteria.

The Health and Safety Executives (HSE)’s Approved Code of Practice defines the following responsibilities: –

The employer, where the risk from their undertaking is to their employees or others
A self-employed person, where there is a risk from their work activities to themselves or others
The person in control of the premises (or systems in connection with work), where there is a risk from the systems in the building e.g. where a building is let to tenants but the landlord keeps responsibility for its maintenance

The Responsible Person

This is the person(s) appointed by the Duty Holder, to help them carry out the risk assessment and the day-to-day operational procedures to control the risks from Legionella bacteria. They will have sufficient authority, competence and knowledge of the water systems and installation.

The Risk of Someone Contracting Legionellosis Depends On:

The presence of Legionella bacteria: the conditions that encourage Legionella bacteria to multiply include poorly maintained systems, ineffective control measures, presence of rust, sludge, scale, etc. and water temperatures between 20 – 45 deg C.

The means of creating and disseminating breathable aerosols, e.g. from spas, showers, taps, fire sprinkler systems, water jets, hose pipes, fountains and hot water systems, etc.

The person: The disease/fever can affect anyone however some people are at higher risk than others e.g. those people over 50, smokers, heavy drinkers, diabetics, those with respiratory problems and immune system impairments.

The Duty Holder’s Responsibilities

A suitable and sufficient risk assessment is carried out to identify and assess the risk of exposure to Legionella bacteria from work activities and water systems.
A Written Scheme is produced and implemented, where a reasonably foreseeable risk of exposure exists, for preventing or controlling the
A Responsible Person is appointed to help the Duty Holder manage the day-to-day operational control procedures in accordance with the Written
Steps are taken to check that equipment supplied for water systems are designed to minimise the growth of legionella bacteria and are installed in compliance with relevant water related
Persons working with water systems are appropriately supervised and have been provided suitable information, instruction and training including the significant findings of risk
The risk of Legionella is eliminated, where reasonable practicable, through improved engineering design of water systems, e.g. by removing dead legs or removing unused showers where water can stagnate
Regular cleaning, treating, maintaining and operating of water systems at predetermined
Regular monitoring, inspecting, testing, e.g. water temperatures and Legionella bacteria levels, if needed and reviewing of the water system’s control measures, risk assessments and the Written Scheme to check their effectiveness
The risks from scalding are
Records are kept of the: –

Appointed responsible people for conducting the risk assessment, managing and implementing the Written Scheme
Significant findings of the risk assessment
Written Scheme and its implementation
State of operation of the water system (working or not).

Results of any monitoring, inspections, tests or checks carried out including dates
Where relevant, the requirements of the Reporting Injuries and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations, RIDDOR is complied with

Employees must: –

Co-operate with management arrangements for the control of Legionella in the workplace.
Follow any information, training and instruction given by the employer to prevent ill health

Occupational Asthma

You need to recognise that occupational asthma is the most frequently reported occupational respiratory disease in the United Kingdom.

To reduce the risks from occupational asthma companies will need to assess the potential and introduce controls to reduce the risk to an acceptable level.

Associated Hazardous Substances Include –

Isocyanates
Latex
Glues or resins

Employer’s Responsibilities

To maintain a safe working environment for all employees and others who may be affected by our working processes, you need to:

Identify the hazards – The safety data sheet and product labels may assist. The risk phrase R42 “may cause sensitisation by inhalation” indicates a need to complete a full COSHH assessment
Decide who may be harmed and how
Evaluate and monitor the risks – special attention should be paid to the potential of the substance being released into the air
Implement controls that will prevent the exposure of employees (and others) to substances with the potential to cause occupational asthma
Where relevant, set out procedures for responding to a confirmed new case of asthma, which may be occupationally related
Report any, GP diagnosed, notifiable disease to the enforcing authority
Provide suitable health surveillance and maintain records for all employees exposed or liable to be exposed to respiratory sensitisers.

Communicate appropriate information, instruction and training to all persons who may be exposed to substances hazardous to health, this will include: –

The typical symptoms of asthma
The nature of any substance used by the company likely to cause occupational asthma
Information on the nature of sensitisation i.e. once sensitisation occurs it may be permanent and the likely effects of further exposures
The importance of reporting asthmatic symptoms and details of the actual reporting procedure.