Blood Glucose Monitoring At Work

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falcon123

falcon123

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi, I am a middle-aged diabetic who has been insulin dependant for over 40 years. My routine has included regular blood glucose monitoring for over 20 years. During the day I test my blood at my desk. I have been in my current job for eight years and have as a result of a recent ?Health & Safety? audit been asked to use the toilet for monitoring my blood sugar. The nearest toilet sometimes is far from desirable. Many years ago I was advised, by my then consultant, that toilets should be the venue of last resort for blood testing and insulin injections because of the increased risk of infection. Obviously I am unhappy with this and cannot see any ?Health & Safety? issue with monitoring my diabetes at my desk. Has anybody had any similar experiences and how did you deal with it?
 
Welcome to the forum 🙂

I don't think it's right that you need to go elsewhere to test. Can you see what was actually written in the audit to suggest that you are posing a risk by testing at your desk.

What about your personal risk assessment of your health and safety, you are hypo and need to walk x distance to a toilet to test your blood sugar, where you could pass out.

I don't think you should settle for this without further explanation and discussion.
 
The rest of the world does seem to want to see us diabetics spending most of our time in toilets!!

Nicky is absolutley right, if you are testing because you suspect a hypo, walking some distance to the toilet is certainly not acceptable. As long as you are careful and considerate of others (ie, i take used strips home with me and do not put them in the office bin as i dont think our cleaners should have to deal with medical waste etc) you should be allowed to test wherever and whenever you like.
 
I always test at my desk. I keep my desk clean, and so far no one has told me I pose any risk to anyone else. I have everything I need to hand, and put all of my used test strips and sharps straight into an empty plastic drinks bottle. I also keep a pack of anti bacterial wipes with which to wipe everything over.

In one sense it helps that three other people in my office also test at theri desks. I agree you shouldn't have to go any place else to test, especially if you think you might be having a hypo!

Must admit I warn the people I know who are squeemish about needles/sharp implements and/or blood when I am testing, and when my plastic bottle is full up I contact the help desk to arrange for safe disposal of contaminated waste. I have to seal the bottle with sticky tape too.

Have you a welfare or personnel officer or someone you can talk to who may help you over this hiccup? Or a union rep. Maybe even your manager might be sympathetic.
 
I am in full agreement with Nikki. I cannot see what possible H&S issues there can be, and would imagine that this contravenes your rights under the DDA, especially as you are being asked to go and do something like this in a potentially very unhygenic place.

I would request to see the logic behind their decision. Please let us know what happens.
 
Hi falcon and firstly welcomr.

I have always tested at break times unless of course i have needed to test due to a hyper through my own choice i have chosen to test out of the way as i work in a kitchen, never once have work had issues and i know they would not, i would certainly do as suggested dont just settle for thid kick up a fuss and get further explanations as to why
 
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Hi Falcon, welcome to the forum! 🙂

I agree with everyone else, I test at my desk several times a day, and it's never been an issue. Can you maybe contact your DSN and see if you can get a letter or something from her to show H&S? Our DSN has always been very adamant that we should not be forced to test in the toilets, and maybe H&S just need someone to explain to them why it's a bad idea.
 
As a certified H&S type I can say with some authority there is no risk associated with people testing at their desks. Doing so in a toilet posts a significant health risk to the testee, and thus a definite legal risk for the employer. A letter from your DSN or doctor should clear up any confusion. Do they have a First Aid room on the premises? That might be an acceptable alternative.
 
I personally would refuse to test in the toilets where i work, they are filthy,

I test in the staff room at work, this is where people are eating and although i have had some funny looks at times i would not do it anywhere else when working. Under the disability at work act, your employer has to provide a safe and comfortable place for you to use. I do not interpret this as the toilet.
 
AlisonM said:
As a certified H&S type I can say with some authority there is no risk associated with people testing at their desks. Doing so in a toilet posts a significant health risk to the testee, and thus a definite legal risk for the employer. A letter from your DSN or doctor should clear up any confusion. Do they have a First Aid room on the premises? That might be an acceptable alternative.
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My firm has a first aid room, but it is some way from the office, and for some people would involve getting into two lifts to get to it. I'd have to go down 6 floors to use it for testing and would hate to risk the journey if I think I'm having a hypo. I know not all buildings are so lucky and I do take the point that a first aid room is more appropriate for testing than the toilet.
 
It's not as if your employer is supplying suitable facilities in toilet - and they don't want your to dispose of sharps there, presumably expecting you to take them home with you? With the proviso that you don't want to cause offence / harm to anyone else, as long as you don't test in sight of anyone who is especially squeamish about the sight of blood or needles / lancets, I can't see any valid H&S objection to testing at your desk.
Hope you get this sorted.
As you mention monitoring, presumably you mean routine testing to keep an eye on levels, rather than in the case of a hypo, because if you feel hypo, you'd sit still and eat first, "ask questions" later?
 
If you're hypo, then testing at your desk is far better than trying to struggle your way to some other location, whether it be the First Aid room or the loo. But for the sake of peace it might get you some Brownie points if you offer to use the FA room at other times. BTW, I don't know what other folk do but I've got an old strips pot that I take with me to put used lancets in. I take them home a put them in the sharps bin later.
 
It might be useful if I add a bit of background to where I work. It is a very small company with less than 10 employees and as such has no First Aid or rest room. As the building is multi-tenanted the toilets are a shared facility which makes them especially undesirable as some people have some strange habits! The HR side was outsourced some 18 months ago and it was these consultants (?) that carried out the H&S audit. I think the consultant saw me doing a blood test and was the person that drew attention to it. Did they have a blood phobia? The request came from a director and allegedly this has been discussed with a ?nurse? who thought the request reasonable. Therefore I have no avenues to pursue at work and am hoping to find some suitable reference/guidelines/legislation.
 
I doubt there's any legislation that would help, unless the danger to your health could be proved. The best option would be a letter from your DSN or consultant explaining the risks to you of testing in the toilet and the lesser of risk involved in testing at your desk, especially as you're careful with disposal of the debris. You may be able to point out that making you test in the loo opens them up to legal action should you pick up an infection as a result of having to test in an unhygenic environment. Ask if their insurance covers that risk.
 
I wont post on here what my employer would be told, I will leave that to the imagination.
The polite version would be, "Please go away and let me do my testing in peace".
 
I've worked for a few companies and am office based and I've never had any problems with testing. OK, I can understand there is blood involved, but it's a tiny amount. I'd say theres more risk of you catching something in the toilets, than someone catching something from the tiny droplet of blood at your desk.

Seems like political correctness gone mad to me.

It amazes me what people can get away with under the banner of "Health & Safety".

At one of the schools where we play 5-a-side football they took away the goal posts because they posed a health & safety risk. We now have to make do with lines painted on the walls!!!

NiVZ
 
NiVZ said:
I've worked for a few companies and am office based and I've never had any problems with testing. OK, I can understand there is blood involved, but it's a tiny amount. I'd say theres more risk of you catching something in the toilets, than someone catching something from the tiny droplet of blood at your desk.

Seems like political correctness gone mad to me.

It amazes me what people can get away with under the banner of "Health & Safety".

At one of the schools where we play 5-a-side football they took away the goal posts because they posed a health & safety risk. We now have to make do with lines painted on the walls!!!

NiVZ
Click to expand...

Your post confirms the health and Safety rules have gone mad, although litigation society has probably played a large part in it unfortunately.
 
"The polite version would be, "Please go away and let me do my testing in peace"." Sounds completely polite, appropriate and accurate - hope you can get someone from your diabetes team to back up your request to be left alone in peace... Probably also worth phoning Diabetes UK helpline in case they have any suggestions / written material to help you.
 
I cant believe companies are still like this.
I am very lucky where I work, Any time for Hospitals is granted and paid.
Any new gizmo like test meters and including my pump is always greeted with questions and interest.
And that includes from the top man in the company.
 
At least you work in an office. Im a rail worker, and the best place I have to go back to to test is a van which luckily does have full hand washing and cleaning facilities on board. Still aint the best though, though its better than testing trackside and some places along the track make even the worst toilets seem like paradise. Thankfully my employer is generally pretty good about it though, they dont mind me going away for a bit to test and wotnot because they realise that it is important to my personal safety when working.
 
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