Working safely in visiting health services: A handbook for workplaces

What it contains

This handbook outlines the OHS duties of employers who have employees that provide health services in clients' houses. The handbook is useful for people who provide services such as:

• hospital in the home
• district nursing
• community mental health
• pathologists
• general practitioners

Topics covered in the handbook include:

• how OHS laws apply to health services in clients' houses
• how to manage OHS issues and identify risks
• ways to prevent occupational violence
• managing risks by ensuring employees prepare for home visits, travel to and from visits, when working alone or at night, while working with clients and their families, and when managing drugs, cash and valuable equipment
• how to prevent employees from being injured
• how to choose the right manual handling aids and equipment to use in the home

At the end of the document, there are example checklists for:

• referral information
• initial safety assessment information