Case study $3$: Krystal

Krystal is a new client to your organisation who is relocating from interstate next week. The Department of Social Services has arranged her a community unit to live in$.$ Her medical history reveals that as a result of a stroke recently, Krystal has weakness on left side of her body. She is able to walk using a walking aid but reports that she has trouble sitting on to the toilet seat and getting up again. She wants to be as independent as possible in the toilet$/$bathroom$.$

Your organisation$$s WHS policy for new clients is as follows:

Organisational procedures to follow for accepting new clients:

$$ Conduct a safety audit of clients$$ premises including bathroom using a safety checklist

$$ Report all hazards using a Hazard Form

$$ Conduct a risk assessment for the hazard$/$s

$$ Enter the hazards and actions required in the Hazard Register

$$ Inform the relevant personnel

a$)$ Your supervisor has asked you to visit Krystal$$s unit and complete a bathroom safety checklist provided by your organisation. You need to identify any safety issues and suggest actions required to make this bathroom safer for Krystal considering her physical needs.

For the purpose of this task, you are allowed to use your own household bathroom.

Bathroom Safety Checklist

Your name: Date:

Bathroom location:

Yes $/$ No Comments $/$ Potential hazards for Krystal $/$ solutions

Is there room for a seat near the shower?

Is there room for a seat in the shower?

Is there a rail in the shower and close to the toilet?

Is lighting adequate?

Is heating adequate?

Is there sufficient room near the shower area for the support worker to provide assistance and support?

Is there sufficient ventilation to prevent condensation?

Are there any other safety issues?

S NYS Comments:

b$)$ Just after moving into the unit, you were rostered to assist Krystal with personal care $($including assistance in the shower$).$ When you arrive at Krystal$$s unit for the shift, she greets you in the lounge room while having her morning tea. After her morning tea, you advise Krystal to head to the bathroom for the shower while you will turn the dishwasher on in the kitchen. While loading the dishwasher, you hear a loud thump. You went to see what happened and found Krystal fallen onto the bathroom floor. In pain, Krystal tells you that she fell because the floor was wet and very slippery. She avoided getting seriously injured but developed a bump on her forehead and hip turned blue.

Your organisation$$s health and safety officer has called on a toolbox meeting after this incident to learn what happened and how to prevent it happening again. Work in small groups of $3-4$ students $($where one acts as a WHS officer, another one as supervisor and the rest as support workers$)$ to discuss:

o Why has this accident happened?

o Conduct a risk assessment

o How can this accident be avoided in the future?

o Can the bathroom safety checklist be improved and made more comprehensive?

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Meeting minutes

Meeting title: Slippery bathroom floor at Krystal$$s unit

Date:

Chairperson:

Attendees:

Apologies:

Topic $($issue$)$ Speakers$-$ who contributed to the discussion Details

Cause of the accident

Risk assessment result

$($Refer to the risk assessment matrix on the next page and answer$)$

Likelihood of recurrence:

Consequence $($severity of outcome$)$:

Level of risk:

How to prevent this accident happening again?

Action required:

Who is responsible?

By when?

Suggestions for improvement in the bathroom safety checklist

Notes & Comments:

S NYS Comments:

Risk Assessment Matrix

Likelihood Consequence

Insignificant Minor Moderate Major Critical

Almost certain Medium Medium High Extreme Extreme

Likely Low Medium High High Extreme

Possible Low Medium Medium High High

Unlikely Low Low Medium Medium High

Rare Low Low Low Low Medium

Risk Assessment Matrix $($explanation of terms$)$:

Consequence Description of consequence Likelihood Description of likelihood

$1.$ Insignificant No treatment required. $1.$ Rare Will only occur in exceptional circumstances.

$2.$ Minor Minor injury requiring first aid treatment

$($e$.$g$.,$ minor cuts, bruises, bumps$).2.$ Unlikely Not likely to occur within the foreseeable future, or within the project lifecycle.

$3.$ Moderate Injury requiring medical treatment or lost time. $3.$ Possible May occur within the foreseeable future, or within the project lifecycle.

$4.$ Major Serious injury $($injuries$)$ requiring specialist medical treatment or hospitalisation. $4.$ Likely Likely to occur within the foreseeable future, or within the project lifecycle.

$5.$ Critical Loss