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Programs & Services

Programs and Services

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We are dedicated to providing comprehensive occupational health and safety (OHS) consulting services tailored to your needs.
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Psychological health and safety, often called workplace mental health, encompasses principles and practices to foster a supportive, respectful, and psychologically safe work environment.
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The Provincial Violence Prevention Curriculum is recognized as best-practice in violence prevention training for health care workers.
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Guidelines & Regulations

Guidelines and Regulations

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Amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation (OHSR), Part 5: Chemical Agents and Biological Agents – Emergency Planning came into effect on February 3, 2025. Changes include additional requirements to minimize the risk, likelihood, and harm caused by an emergency involving hazardous substances.   Hazardous substances include biological, chemical or physical hazards that may reasonably […]
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WorkSafeBC has acknowledged an error in calculating the 2025 insurance premiums that are paid by our two member employer groups–those providing community health support services (classification unit 766006) and those in long-term care (classification unit 766011).
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Safety Huddle

Working Alone in Home Care

This safety huddle provides supervisors, managers, and employers with information to guide home care workers toward a better understanding of the processes and procedures for keeping workers safe when working alone or in isolation.
Safety Huddle - Working Alone in Home Care

Learning Outcomes

After this huddle, workers should be able to: 

  • Identify workplace hazards.
  • Describe how preparation and following procedures reduce risk. 
  • Recall how to report hazards, unsafe acts, conditions, incidents, or injuries. 

Instructions

  • Collect and review your working alone policy, any related procedures or processes, and our additional resources.
  • Read the scenario out loud. Then, using the guiding questions, facilitate a discussion about recognizing the hazards, reducing the risks of working alone, and reporting unsafe actions or conditions.  

Scenario

Sarah is a new home care worker, making her first solo visit to a client. Before arriving, she reviewed the client’s care plan and communication logs, which noted the client’s friendly but unrestrained dog. As Sarah enters the home, she notices the dog barking more aggressively than expected. Sarah also notices the client seems agitated.

Notes to the Huddle Leader

  • All home care workers should be familiar with hazards associated with working alone, and the requirement to promptly report concerns to their supervisor.  
  • The supplemental resources can be integrated into the huddle as needed and provided to workers as a quick reference.
  • If you are unsure of any content within this safety huddle, email us for further explanation at info@safecarebc.ca

Guiding Questions

  1. What steps should Sarah take to ensure her safety before she enters the home?
  2. If the dog or the client’s behavior becomes a concern, how should Sarah respond?
  3. What should she do if she needs to leave?
  4. Where can Sarah find information on workplace hazards?
  5. How should she report her observations and any new safety concerns?
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Safety Huddle - Working Alone in Home Care
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Working Alone in Home Care

Additional Resources

Starting at $12
Employees who work alone or in isolation tend to be more vulnerable to safety hazards than those who have coworkers present.
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When working alone, you may face a risk of violence, as the care you are providing may cause a client to feel nervous or agitated. Being exposed to violent or aggressive behaviour is not part of your job.
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Download and print your own Point of Care Assessment card. Share with your colleagues. We’ve made it easy with the Avery business card template.
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The Home Care and Community Health Support Pocketbook was created to bring awareness to several health and safety issues faced in home and community care.
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View Toolkit

More Safety Huddles

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In this huddle, we’ll review safe and effective cleaning and disinfecting practices in the workplace. Staff will learn how to follow workplace policies, clean and disinfect shared equipment and high-touch areas, and select the right personal protective equipment (PPE) for different cleaning tasks. We’ll also cover where to find important information such as safety data sheets and product labels, which explain safe handling and spill response procedures. Use the guiding questions to spark discussion about common high-risk areas, frequently shared items, and strategies for reducing the spread of infectious diseases.
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Providing compassionate end-of-life care is a profound part of the job, but it can also lead to grief and loss for frontline staff. This can impact well-being and team morale. Fostering a workplace culture where open conversations about grief are supported is crucial for the health and safety of your team. Discover how to recognize grief in the workplace and provide essential support to your healthcare staff.
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Working with clients or residents and their families is not always easy. You may not be able to control how others act, but you can control how you respond.
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When a critical incident impacts your team, it's vital to have a safe space to talk and heal. Our critical incident debriefing tools provide leaders and frontline staff in BC's long-term care and home support sectors with a structured way to discuss what happened, ensuring everyone feels supported with dignity and respect. Discover how to create a culture of psychological safety, identify available resources, and learn to navigate these challenging conversations to promote recovery and well-being.
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This SafeCare BC safety huddle provides guidance on how to utilize your Joint Occupational Health and Safety (JOHS) Committee to improve workplace safety. Learn how to report safety hazards, understand the role of the JOHS committee, and find JOHS resources. Ideal for healthcare workers and safety training.
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A strong organizational culture fosters employee engagement, collaboration, and productivity, while a weak or toxic culture can lead to dissatisfaction and high turnover.
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Learn to recognize feeling unsettled, use effective self-settling strategies in situations self-setting may be helpful.
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We strive to empower those working in the continuing care sector to create safer, healthier workplaces by fostering a culture of safety through evidence-based education, leadership, and collaboration.
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