Monthly Huddle & Safety in 60 Seconds
The “Huddle” provides team leaders, OH&S committee members, and other interested staff with quick, impactful activities that can be done as group activities in 10 minutes or less.
“Safety in 60 Seconds” offers quick, bite-sized tips and tools for managers and OH&S committee members to help create safer, healthier workplaces.
OCTOBER
The Huddle
Every year, over 2,600 workers require time off work due to a work-related injury. This has far-reaching implications, affecting everything from staff retention and facility costs, to staff quality of life and quality of patient care.
- What are three things you can do in the workplace that will help reduce injuries for you and your co-workers?
- What do we do well as a group to create a safe workplace? What can we do better?
Safety in 60 Seconds
“Safety in 60 Seconds” offers quick, bite-sized tips and tools for managers and OH&S committee members to help create safer, healthier workplaces. It is the legal responsibility for supervisors to ensure that steps are taken to prevent injuries in the workplace. Use this quick Due diligence checklist on pages 57-59 (Appendix L) to ensure that you are implementing steps to prevent injuries, illness, and accidents in the workplace.
AUGUST
The Huddle
Communicating a resident’s risk of violent behaviour is an important step in preventing workplace violence. Communicating this sort of risk is not an invasion of someone’s privacy – it’s a legal responsibility.
- How do we let our coworkers know if a particular resident is at risk of violent or responsive behaviour? What kind of systems are currently in place (e.g. purple dots)?
- Why is it important to communicate the risk of violence? Who do you report it to / who needs to know if a resident may be at risk of violence?
Safety in 60 Seconds
We all have an obligation to communicate resident information relating to risks of violent behaviour to others. If you’re unclear as to whether or not you or your organization needs to communicate information out, consider the following two questions:
- Is disclosing this information necessary to protect this staff member’s (or anyone else’s) safety?
- Will disclosing this information lead to changes in work practices to reduce the risk of injury?
If the answer is yes to both questions, then disclosure is required. More information on disclosing information can be found here.
JULY
The Huddle
Providing care for dementia residents can sometimes be tricky. Before you enter a room or situation, take note of your own emotional state and what your body language is communicating, as well as take note of what the resident is communicating or expressing.
This “Working with Dementia” video teaches you how to stay safe when caring for those with dementia and how to determine the best ways to speak to and approach residents with dementia.
Suggested discussion questions:
- What are some things you’ve done to put a resident at ease when you enter their room to provide care?
- Why is it important to read the chart, ask questions, and learn about a resident before providing care?
- If a resident becomes upset while you’re providing care, what should you do? Why?
Safety in 60 Seconds
Looking for resources for staff to help them understand behaviours related to dementia? This quick two-page guide explains how dementia can affect a person’s ability to communicate, provides guidance on interpreting behaviour, and gives practical tips on approaches for care workers. Great to use as a resource for an in-service or as a hand-out for staff.
JUNE
The Huddle
You can help prevent injuries by understanding risks and creating informative care plans when caring for dementia residents.
This “Getting to Know Me” Questionnaire (pages 37-39) can help you gather important information about your residents and aid you in developing a care plan that will asses the resources needed to provide better care and prevent the risk of violence-related injuries.
Suggested discussion questions:
- Why would we want to learn about the personal preferences and personal history of our residents?
- Whose responsibility is it to communicate incidents of responsive behaviour or violence that take place at work?
Safety in 60 Seconds
WorkSafeBC’s High Risk Strategy is targeting the prevention of injuries in the workplace, particularly serious injuries related to violence. Use this Violence Prevention checklist on pages 9-12 as a guide to assess your organization’s readiness on key items like: Violence risk assessment, related policies and procedures, supervision and training of workers, and investigations.
MAY
The Huddle
Safety huddles are important because they:
- Focus on improving staff safety by creating solutions and opportunities to communicate
- Help build a culture of safety and change within the workplace
- Provide staff a chance to share important information
This guide can help you learn more about effective communication and the importance of safety huddles. Can you come up with some ideas on your own?[1]
Suggested discussion questions:
- When would you call a safety huddle, and what kind of topics would you bring up?
- Who is in charge of calling the safety huddles to action?
- How would an issue raised in a safety huddle be followed-up on?
Safety in 60 Seconds
How do you structure a Safety Huddle? What are the purpose and benefits? Who is in charge of calling them? Refer to pages 13-15 to access a quick guide that will answer these important questions.[1]
APRIL
The Huddle
A pseudo police officer, construction worker, care aide, and stumped Vancouverites gathered to take part in SafeCare BC’s Be Care Aware Challenge. Watch participants attempt to determine which profession is most at risk of getting injured on the job.
Suggested discussion questions:
- Did you find any of the statistics surprising? Which ones stood out for you?
- What are some strategies you can follow to reduce your risk of injury?
Safety in 60 Seconds
Does your staff use a Point of Care Risk assessment? Point of Care Risk assessment ensures that the transfer method identified in the resident’s care plan is still safe to use at that point in time. Click here for access to the tool and online e-modules for staff.
MARCH
The Huddle
What’s wrong with this photo?
Suggested discussion questions:
- There are at least 6 dangerous hazards shown in this photo. Can you find them all?
- How would you have approached this situation differently?
Safety in 60 Seconds
Back strains alone account for 30% of all work-related injuries reported; other strains account for 44%. Help reduce the number of musculoskeletal injuries in the workplace by clicking here and learning how to develop and implement your organization’s safe resident handling policies.
FEBRUARY
The Huddle
- Do you have a bullying and harassment policy? Did you know that it’s the law? Click Here for an easy step-by-step process!
- Addressing a bully can be challenging. View this video to learn how you can proactively approach this sometimes-difficult conversation as a manager.
- Is your reporting procedure out-dated? Follow this simple template with easy-to-follow steps for creating an updated process.
Safety in 60 Seconds
What is bullying and harassment? Stimulate discussion with this great video
Discussion Questions:
- Where can you find your bullying and harassment policies?
- What are ways you can help prevent bullying and harassment in the workplace?
How do you approach a bully? This video outlines a scenario between two coworkers and how the person being bullied approaches the issue.
As a supervisor, are you confident in identifying the warning signs? Find out here
Discussion Questions:
- What can bullying and harassment look like?
- What do you think about the approach shown in the video? How would you talk to someone you thought was bullying you?
Discussion Questions:
- How would you report bullying at our facility?
- What would you do if you were / saw someone being bullied?
Put your support to #EndBullying in writing (you can encourage your colleagues or your entire workplace to do it, too!).
Download our #EndBullying Poster and put your name or your workplace’s name beside a pledge to create a respectful, caring team environment.
[1] Let’s Talk. A Guide For Collaborative Structured Communication for Care Aides, Licensed Practical Nurses, Registered Nurses and All Members of the Health Care Team. November 25, 2009. PDF accessed here
