It may sound absurd to have guidelines on safe use of Ladders in a Care Home, but then it is an important part of Health and Safety of Residents and Staff.
Normally in India we take the mundane tasks as simple activities which do not need supervision or training, however when an untoward incident happens due to oversight then the blame game starts.
A Senior Citizen Care Home is a place where we want and expect our parents, grandparents or ourselves to live in a safe and secure environment, but if a Home does not have basic standards or procedures in place then the chances of risks and threats increases.
Guidelines on safe use of Ladders is probably the last thing which a care home may think of, but if a person who has dementia climbs up an unattended ladder then it could be a major safety concern.
If a single person/staff who is using a ladder falls on a resident then again it is a safety concern.
If the nuts and bolts are loose, or the surface is slippery then it could be a safety concern for the staff.
These are a some of the concerns, issues and possibilities which could compromise the safety of residents and staff, hence it is critical that the Home Management should have guidelines and standard operating procedures in place.
Though there are enough National Guidelines on Health and Safety however the bigger question is, how many people actually take them seriously?
The attached resource document, “Safe use of Ladders and Stepladders” by Health and Safety Executive (HSE), UK is a crisp note on the basics of Ladder use and guidelines
The document can be downloaded here (Safe Use of Ladders in Senior Citizen Care Homes) or can be viewed below