HH109 - Occupational Hazards in Home Health Care (1.0 HR)

Purpose: To increase the participant’s awareness of occupational hazards that can occur in the home health care setting and measures that can be taken to prevent injury should hazards occur. Hazards addressed include occupational stress; workplace violence infectious diseases; and exposure to unsanitary work conditions, environmental temperature extremes, travel risks, falls, and chemical hazards.

Objectives:

1. Identify risk factors, and give examples of workplace violence that can occur in the home health care setting; 
2. Discuss the impact of workplace violence for the home health care worker and the organization; 
3. List measures a home health care person should take to prevent vulnerability for workplace violence; 
4. Discuss the need for home health care workers to know and follow the employer’s infection-control prevention program; 
5. Identify measures to be taken that will safeguard home health care workers when dealing with hazards in the work setting; 
6. Discuss recommendations for dealing with extreme temperatures, unsafe environmental hygiene, and risk factors for falls in the home health care setting; 
7. List actions to limit the employee’s exposure to hazards in the workplace.

Continuing Education Credits:  1.0 contact hours Iowa BON #335; 1.0 contact hours CA Board of Nursing CEP 14033; 1.0 contact hours CE Broker # 50-4572 Florida and District of Columbia; 0 contact hours for Social Work State of Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. License No. 159.001315; 0 contact hours for Physical Therapy State of Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. License No. 216.000284; 0 contact hours for Occupational Therapy State of Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. License No. 224.000164; 1.0 CE hours for certified nursing assistants; long term care department heads; and other health care disciplines.