Question

Jonathon works for a community services organisation that provides domestic assistance and care to people in their own home. There are many documentation requirements that Jonathon must complete every time he goes to work.

This morning he did a home visit to shower and dress Maisy, an 81-year-old lady with Alzheimer’s disease and mild dementia. As this was his first visit to Maisy’s house he had to call Maisy beforehand and go through a home safety checklist that would ensure that he would not be put at unnecessary risk by visiting her.

On the first visit to Maisy’s house he also had to complete a risk assessment to alert himself and his team of any hazards that are present in the environment. It might be a lot of documenting but the checklist and risk assessment makes sure that everyone is aware of things like dogs, uneven steps, syringes and aggressive family members that the team need to know about of when going into someone else’s home.

Jonathon’s work place also has documentation policies and procedures to help him to provide best practice care, while complying with relevant work health and safety and privacy legislation.

Why is it important for Jonathon and his team to maintain and keep up-to-date records in their workplace?

Answer 1

Risk assessment helps to identify the risk and safety associated within the workplace. Workplace risk can cause harm to staff, patient, and employees. Maintaining the records up to date help the staff to be more precautioned and avoid the risk of harm. Employees need to improve their implementation to ensure the safety of everyone. It also acts as a legal document when the investigating of any accidents in workplace practices.  Employers are also ethically and morally bound to maintain safety standards of the workplace and control of the existing environment. Moreover, it evaluates and made necessary changes in the checklist.