Employee Safety Training - Animal Bites

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

Hi all you Home Health nurses. I thank God for you guys. I tried it and didn't last but about 3 months. Anyway, my wife is a Home Health PT, for about 15 years. Over that time she has been actually bitten by 5 dogs and one cat. One incident required antibiotics and a tetorifice shot and one incident required her to take the rabies injection series because the animal could not be found. She has had untold incidents of close calls wherein "nips" by patient dogs have only contacted clothing and not skin; the most recent resulted in a knee injury when she was twisting away from an aggressive animal while shielding herself with her computer bag - but was not bitten. Three weeks ago a coworker of hers sustained a serious animal attack from a patient's dog and has yet to return to work. My wife's company has never offered any employee safety training in regard to this subject and has no rules or policies for patient's to secure their animals during home health visits. I'm interested in getting an idea as to what other home health agencies/companies provide their employees, if anything, regarding employee safety and animal bites/attacks during home health visits. You know, kind of get an idea of what the industry standard is for this subject. Thank you.

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Hi, friend! :)

I'm so sorry about the injuries.

I work HH and we ask the patients to lock up their pets prior to us coming over. When I make my call the night before I confirm the address, ask that the patient has all DC paperwork and insurance cards out, and ask about pets. If they say the pets are "part of the family", I tell them mine are as well, but it's our policy that they pets are locked up prior to us coming over.

If we get to the house and the pets are loose, we CAN REFUSE to see the patient.

Our company backs us on this.

Good luck to you, OldDude!

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Part of our admission eval visit is discussion of agency's pet and gun policy: Pets need to be restrained in another room, guns need to be locked up/or out of room visit occurs. Those who don't agree are not admitted. Agency safety committee track animal bites and admin team have other workplace violence guidelines: clients will not be accepted/discharged if patient/caregivers are verbally abusive, home without roof/caving in, high crime area-2 person visits, no active drug use in front of staff, gun shot wound result gang violence. etc. Education on these topics part of every employee orientation session, included in patient admission education booklet + admission visit instruction.

ANA OJIN Jan 2013 has good article:

Workplace Violence Prevention Policies in Home Health and Hospice Care Agencies

OSHA's Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Health Care & Social Service Workers (PDF*) provide the agency's recommendations for reducing the risk of workplace violence to workers in healthcare, including home healthcare, and in social services.

Home Healthcare Workers: How to Prevent Violence on the Job

We have a PT on our safety committee. This may be an opportunity for your wife to discussion with management having workplace violence policy and inservice. Some insurance companies will give discount for having active program in place too.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

Very good information - thank you both very much!!

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The only employee safety I have encountered is the usual orientation emphasis on topics like proper lifting techniques. When there was an issue about personal safety due to human threat, the employee was brushed aside. Animal attacks/bites ignored just as readily as the situations where the patient attacks/bites.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
The only employee safety I have encountered is the usual orientation emphasis on topics like proper lifting techniques. When there was an issue about personal safety due to human threat, the employee was brushed aside. Animal attacks/bites ignored just as readily as the situations where the patient attacks/bites.

Hear ya, with my wife's most recent injury, HR told her it happened because she was allowing the dog to sense her fear.

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Hear ya, with my wife's most recent injury, HR told her it happened because she was allowing the dog to sense her fear.

Um, wut?

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Wow--that's a lot of injuries. In my over 20 years in home care, I've never had a single bite or nip. There were a couple of dogs I insisted be locked up or put outside while I was there because of their behavior, but overwhelmingly, the animals I've encountered in patient's homes have been just fine. I don't typically ask people to put them away, nor do I usually even consider it. Sometimes, the patient will do so on their own. The only time I was ever actually afraid of a "critter" was when I went to see a patient in an old farmhouse. She had a "pet" domestic goose that chased me around the yard when I tried to head to the house. Now THAT thing scared me a bit. :) I believe my current employer's policy on this issue is to leave it up to the discretion of the RN/PT, etc., but they will be backed up for requesting should a patient/family complain.

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Any updates on this?

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
Wow--that's a lot of injuries. In my over 20 years in home care, I've never had a single bite or nip. There were a couple of dogs I insisted be locked up or put outside while I was there because of their behavior, but overwhelmingly, the animals I've encountered in patient's homes have been just fine. I don't typically ask people to put them away, nor do I usually even consider it. Sometimes, the patient will do so on their own. The only time I was ever actually afraid of a "critter" was when I went to see a patient in an old farmhouse. She had a "pet" domestic goose that chased me around the yard when I tried to head to the house. Now THAT thing scared me a bit. :) I believe my current employer's policy on this issue is to leave it up to the discretion of the RN/PT, etc., but they will be backed up for requesting should a patient/family complain.

Geese might be the meanest, most fearless, animals on the face of the earth.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
Any updates on this?

I've contacted the local OSHA office and they are checking to see if this would be something they would have jurisdiction over??????????? Occupational Safety and Health Administration??????? Occupational????

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I've contacted the local OSHA office and they are checking to see if this would be something they would have jurisdiction over??????????? Occupational Safety and Health Administration??????? Occupational????

How's your wife? Is she okay? Is her employer being supportive?

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