Work Place Risk Assessment

[Meady]

Does anyone have experience with completing work place Health and Safety Risk Assessments? I've been asked to complete one. I currently take insulin and will need to inject at work. Will be doing this at my desk and it's around injections that I particularly could do with some assistance. It's not a matter of resistance from anyone about injecting and where I can do this, moreover about needles in the office and 'accidents'.

I have to identify "Foreseeable Significant Hazards" and "Control Measures and Monitoring Processes"

I've no issues with do this as, I work in several different environments, office, construction sites, driving etc. so will need to do a lot of testing as well as my morning injection.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Inka]

Welcome 🙂 Does your pen-case have slots for needles @Meady ? Mine does (3 slots/indents), so when I remove an old needle, I drop it in a slot and take a new needle from another slot to put on the pen.

If you’re using lancets for a fingerpricker, I’d just keep the same one on all day.

I’ve worked in various jobs and never been asked to do a risk assessment. I hope they’re assessing your safety too!

 

[helli]

I do not have experience of workplace assessments.
I wonder if it is something that the Diabetes UK helpline can help you with.

I notice your focus has been on the needles you are using - if you are always at your desk, is it possible to have a sharps box for work?
But what about the risk if you have a hypo as a result of the insulin. You mention being on construction sites and driving. Whilst nowhere is a good place for a hypo, these are two places where you need to be extra careful. Maybe you just need to mention things like taking your BG reading and treating if necessary (e.g, if below 5 mmol/l) before driving and when arriving on site. Maybe also mention that you always have hypo treatment close to hand.
Anyone with little knowledge of diabetes is understandably likely to focus on the needles (and probably assume they are 6 inch syringes rather than the very discrete needles on the end of pens) rather than the side effects of our treatment - hypos.

 

[nonethewiser]

What about old bg test tube to store your used needles until you get back home, never had to do one of these assessments so can't help much there.

 

[Amity Island]

Does anyone have experience with completing work place Health and Safety Risk Assessments? I've been asked to complete one. I currently take insulin and will need to inject at work. Will be doing this at my desk and it's around injections that I particularly could do with some assistance. It's not a matter of resistance from anyone about injecting and where I can do this, moreover about needles in the office and 'accidents'.

I have to identify "Foreseeable Significant Hazards" and "Control Measures and Monitoring Processes"

I've no issues with do this as, I work in several different environments, office, construction sites, driving etc. so will need to do a lot of testing as well as my morning injection.

Thanks in advance.

Hi,

I've never come across this before.

Thinking about it from from the other workers/staff perspective, it would be a good idea to have pens and cases labelled with your name and the words insulin pen, should anyone find it lying around or should it fall onto the floor.

The lily savvio pen looks just like any other pen/art pen or marker.

 

[Lucyr]

Never done one, inject at my desk all the time at work and just put the needles back in my diabetes kit after

 

[Carlos]

I've never needed a risk assessment either, usually I was just asked to make sure that people around me knew what to do if I didn't feel right.

 

[Martin62]

I work in an office and they have supplied a sharps bin for my needles. We do an annual risk assessment but that just involves if you have a safe environment to work in and if all the furniture and computers etc are fit for purpose. My diabetes does not come into it at all . My work colleagues are aware of my diabetes and what to do should I have an unexpected hypo.