If you have cold or flu symptoms (such as a runny nose), an upset stomach, or skin problems,
contact your manager before coming to work. If you have diarrhoea or vomiting, you should not return to work until you have been symptom-free for 48 hours.
Some diseases, such as many types of food poisoning, may cause you to be unable to handle food for a period of time even after you feel well, and some infections may cause you to be unable to handle food indefinitely, such as if you are a carrier of a disease such as typhoid.
Carriers of disease are typically those who have an infection but haven’t seen any symptoms or who no longer have the symptoms but are still able to transmit it on to others. One such infection is typhoid.
Hand hygiene is important
Maintaining adequate hand hygiene and avoiding touching areas that can be a source of germs more than necessary. These include your nose, hair, and mouth, as well as not biting your nails. This also applies to workplace habits like using foot-operated bins instead of lifting bin lids with your hands.
Personal care
Personal hygiene is especially vital for those who care for others. Most bacteria on your skin can be removed by washing, showering, or bathing on a daily basis. Hand hygiene is essential as well. Keep your fingernails as short as possible. Rings (other than basic wedding bands), wristwatches, and bracelets should be avoided since they can make hand cleaning less efficient.
Personal effects
Other personal goods, such as fake teeth, hearing aids, spectacles, combs, and nail care equipment, should be considered personal and not shared again owing to the risk of infection. Wearing other people’s clothes poses concerns if they have not been properly cleaned. If shoes are worn by more than one person, they may spread illnesses. Cutlery, crockery, linen, and towels should all be washed at a high temperature and/or sterilised before reuse.
Items used to meet one person’s personal hygiene needs should never be utilized by another. A care worker would put someone at danger if they provided a shaver or razor (whether electrically driven or not) that had previously been used by another person, as blood borne infections can be spread in this manner.
Service users who share items with other service users should be educated about the hazards of doing so so that they can make an informed decision.
Animals
Some animals, such as tortoises, terrapins, and frogs, can transmit disease, thus strict hygiene must be practiced whenever animals are present.
Head lice, fleas, lice, and scabies can all be spread from person to person. This can be avoided by using preventative measures.
Mental state
Stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses, whether work-related or not, can all have an affect on how we conduct our jobs and interact with others. They do not necessarily preclude us from earning a living or from coming to work, but our employer may need to make changes to reduce any dangers to ourselves or others. Employers must recognize that they have a responsibility to their employees and that issues in their personal lives as well as at work.
Smoking
Active Care Workers are not permitted to smoke in the presence of Clients or for at least one hour before their shift. They are also not permitted to smoke, even if Clients consent.
Employees who violate the smoking regulations will be warned about the implications of future transgressions and may face disciplinary action. Continued infraction may result in dismissal.
Because of the health concerns it poses, smoking is prohibited in public areas such as restaurants.
Medicine, drug, and other substance use and abuse
Some prescribed medications and substances that people abuse (for example, alcohol) have an effect on how we function. Employees who use drugs or drink while at work put themselves and their coworkers at greater risk of danger and harm.
The use of alcohol and drugs in the workplace is unlawful in some situations, but it can also have an impact on the overall health and safety of the workforce. The use of alcohol and drugs is an issue not only when it occurs in the workplace, but also when drinking outside of work hours impairs performance when attending work.