Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Employees
with Disabilities
An employer’s guide to implementing inclusive health
and safety practices for employees with disabilities
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/Contents
1. Introduction 2
2. Accommodating disability 3
6. Case studies 10
Useful contacts 15
01/ Introduction
This guide has been produced by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) using
guidance and expertise from the National Disability Authority (NDA). It aims
to assist employers to provide a healthy and safe workplace for employees
with disabilities.
The guide addresses aspects of work-related highlights some current health and safety and
safety, occupational health and facilities employment legislation.
management and welfare as they pertain to
This publication is intended to be a useful
workplace health and safety for employees with
resource for owners, managers and employees
disabilities.Workplace health and safety covers all
working in Ireland today.
stages of employment including the initial
selection and induction processes.The guide also
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Practical examples might include: An employer is not obliged to provide any facility
A talking lift with tactile floor buttons
or treatment that employees can reasonably be
Adjustable-height desks
expected to provide for themselves.
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Ensure you have good systems to communicate Are all employees with access to machinery
the policy clearly to all your employees, including fully trained in and aware of the safety
new staff members. hazards of each machine? Do they know and
understand how to operate it safely?
Do all employees understand the importance
Implement safe and healthy practices
Ensure that the safety policies and procedures of washing their hands after working and
you have adopted are actually being before eating?
implemented. For example, that there are no Are all employees adequately supported and
trailing wires or inappropriately stored boxes, supervised to ensure that they know the
which are a trip hazard for any staff member, but step-by-step procedures required to complete
particularly for those with restricted vision or their tasks, including any safety routines?
Are instructions provided to employees in an
limited mobility. Carry out regular checks,
thoroughly investigate any safety lapses and
easy-to-read format using simple language
address the causes. Make health and safety
and visual aids? Is there a staff member
everyone’s business, and build that into your
delegated to talk people through what is
systems to recognise good performance.
involved?
Keep the safety policy updated Are employees, especially those who may find
it hard to remember details and instructions,
Keep your health and safety policy updated
given a daily run-through on procedures,
through regular reviews. It is good practice to
including safety precautions?
Is there a buddy system in operation to
have employees with disabilities represented on
your health and safety committee so their
concerns are always considered as you update supervise more hazardous tasks such as
your policy and undertake regular safety checks loading the shredding machine?
and drills. Is there someone on the staff with
responsibility for planning and overseeing
Examples of risk assessment and control health and safety procedures for this work unit?
measures
If any of these criteria are not met, then additional
Example 1 control measures need to be implemented.
In a landscaping company, employees are Control measures for a landscaping company
responsible for planting, trimming lawns and would address the following:
All employees, including those with
hedges, spraying plant fertiliser and operating
leaf shredders and other machinery. Some staff
disabilities, should receive thorough training
members have an intellectual disability. A risk
in the safe way to operate machinery such as
assessment of this work environment would ask
leaf shredders and to use equipment such as
the following questions:
shears, rakes or lawnmowers.
Are all employees trained in the safe use and Employees with disabilities should be talked
storage of chemicals and fertilisers? through the safety procedures daily if so
Are all employees provided with gloves, masks required.
and other safety equipment that protects Safety instructions should be in an easy-to-
them from hazardous materials and read format (simple text with pictures) with
machinery? easy-to-follow visual guidance.
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There may be particular challenges to address to Consultation and engagement with employees
ensure that employees with disabilities can exit with disabilities are essential elements of
their place of work safely in the event of an identifying risk and planning to address it.Consult
emergency. Different disabilities present different your staff members individually and develop and
challenges. For example: document personal emergency egress plans
Mobility impairment affects the range or
(PEEPs) for individuals who require them.
speed of movement to varying degrees. PEEPs should be developed or modified in
Sensory impairment affects the ability to response to any issues that emerge during
gather information through the senses such routine fire drills. Regular review of these plans is
as sight or hearing. essential to ensure they are up to date and taking
Cognitive or mental health impairment
account of any changing needs.
affects the capacity to process information The NDA’s Safe Evaluation and Egress for People
and react appropriately. with Disabilities provides a step-by-step approach
With hidden disabilities, the stress of an to preparing an inclusive evacuation plan. Copies
emergency situation may trigger a condition of this publication are available from the NDA and
such as asthma or heart problems. can be downloaded from www.nda.ie.
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Recognise that your remit in terms of health their health and safety requirements. If you
and safety ‘duty of care’ is to all employees. want to talk to an employee’s doctor about
Carry out risk assessments and develop
his or her needs, you will need the worker’s
consent.
control measures to minimise identified risk.
Check with relevant specialist disability
Review and update your risk assessments and
organisations on safety requirements,
health and safety plan at regular intervals,
adaptations and supports for employees with
and factor in safety planning around
disabilities.
disability.
Ensure an inclusive workplace where all
Check how the plan is being implemented in
employees’ needs are respected.
practice.
Be alert to and protect all staff from bullying
Consult with individual staff members on
and harassment.
Don’t:
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The following sample case studies are included to demonstrate how easy and
effective it is to implement inclusive health and safety processes that
contribute to an optimum work environment.They cover a range of different
conditions and set out some practical solutions to the issues presented.
Laura, an employee with epilepsy information regarding the best ways to assist
Laura if she has a seizure in the workplace.
Laura has worked in a factory for the past eight
years. As a result of a road traffic accident, she The company’s first aid person also trained the
recently developed epilepsy and has occasional staff on the proper procedures to use when
seizures. She has informed her employer and her someone has a seizure and the aftercare options
colleagues that she has epilepsy, and informed that such an individual requires.
them of the frequency of the seizures, what
induces them and how they should be managed. Robert, an employee with a vision
Laura has also explained how she manages her impairment
life – sleeping, eating etc. – to reduce the Robert has a vision impairment that means he
likelihood of having seizures. cannot see well close-up. He has been newly
With assistance from Brainwave (Irish Epilepsy recruited to the sales team of a leading car rental
Association) and Laura’s GP, a risk assessment was company and works in a large office to the side of
carried out. This assessment highlighted that a busy forecourt.He is the senior support manager
certain external factors such as lighting, noise for the sales team and supervises the distribution
levels and breathing problems as well as stress of invoicing and account management for the
can trigger epileptic seizures. Laura’s responsible team in addition to dealing with clients in person
attitude towards her health means that she is and on the telephone.
aware that factors such as being tired, run-down, Control measures
anxious or skipping meals could also cause
The risk assessment and control measures for
seizures to occur. These are factors that she can
Robert’s job include many aspects that are also
control.
relevant to his peers, such as:
Safe access and egress to the office from the
Control measures
Laura was given headphones to reduce exposure forecourt
to factory noise levels and was moved into a well- Highly visible signs in large format for
ventilated office space. Laura has also brought in entrances and exits
Highlighted walkways through the forecourt
cushions and blankets to her office.The cushions
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safety in the workplace. His employers have to ensure that she and her personal assistant
learned how to provide effective support for an became familiar with the company. Ciara’s
employee who has developed a mental health supervisor also ensured that she was included in
condition. In the process they have also retained all group/team projects and that she was not
a valuable staff member. isolated.
Mark’s employer and his work colleagues would Ciara advised her employer of the control
also benefit from a comprehensive series of measures that needed to be implemented to
disability equality training from a qualified ensure that she can evacuate the building safely.
disability equality trainer. This training should A personal emergency egress plan was prepared
cover the experiences of people with a range of and is tested and refined in routine drills. Ciara’s
different disabilities (including people with employer ensures that Ciara and her department
mental health conditions) in mainstream society. are located in an accessible part of the building
It should also focus on best practice procedures with an accessible fire exit. Evacuation chairs are
for including people with different disabilities in provided in the upper storeys of the building in
the workplace. case Ciara goes upstairs for a meeting.
Door handles, light switches and other controls
Ciara, an employee with cerebral palsy
that Ciara needs to use are placed at appropriate
Ciara is a wheelchair user, with limited use of her heights.The venue for the usual Friday night drink
arms. She also has a speech impairment. She was changed to an accessible bar where Ciara can
communicates using a computerised voice that join in the fun.
operates through her computer keyboard and is
attached to the side of her powered wheelchair. Ciara’s employer has now decided to develop a
Ciara is a qualified and experienced information written disability equality policy, and a group of
technology worker.She has a personal assistant to employees from across all departments are
support her in living and working independently. working with the human resource manager to
develop and implement the policy.
Control measures
Ciara’s employer was anxious to support and Tim, an employee with an intellectual
facilitate Ciara when she joined the company.The disability
company decided to arrange disability equality Tim has an intellectual disability and works as a
training for Ciara’s co-workers, and opted to porter in a busy kitchen. Along with the other
arrange this through Ciara’s support organisation, porters, he is responsible for cleaning and
Enable Ireland. maintaining the kitchen. Tim often deals with
cleaning chemicals, handles food supplies and
Ciara’s employer asked her advice on the best way
lifts heavy boxes.
for other staff members to communicate with her.
As a result of Ciara’s expertise and the disability Tim is an exemplary employee but forgets easily
equality training, other employees know that they and needs to be told on a daily basis that each
should ask her if she requires assistance in a task has to be completed. For example, when
situation and not just assume that she does. cleaning the ovens, he will need to be reminded
to wash the inside and the outside of the ovens.
On her first day at work, Ciara and her personal
Once Tim is given precise instructions, he is able
assistant were introduced to everyone that she
to complete his tasks effectively.
would be working with. Like any new employee,
Ciara was assigned a buddy in her first two weeks
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Tim has a ‘safety buddy’, who has the task of Because Janet works in her office and in the busy
ensuring that Tim leaves the building promptly loading area, it is important that she is alerted to
whenever there is a fire drill. This buddy will also any health or safety emergency. She carries a
help Tim in any actual emergency. vibrating pager linked to the company’s alarm
system. In addition, two of her colleagues have
Janet, an employee with a hearing been assigned responsibility to alert Janet in
impairment person and by text message in the event of any
Janet has a hearing impairment and is the emergency.
shipping manager for a busy educational Control measures
publications company. She is responsible for
Janet’s advice and expertise helped her employer
ensuring that the shipping department runs
to provide the following effective health and
efficiently and effectively; that it exceeds its
safety control measures:
targets; and that customers receive their products
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Janet was given a written health and safety All staff members are aware that Janet may
briefing as she was walked through the not hear approaching vehicles or any shouted
building and shown the fire exits at her warnings. Safety and alert routines have been
induction. modified accordingly, following consultation
Janet’s office has a flashing alarm, placed with Janet about her needs, and are practised
where she can easily see it from her desk. regularly.
Other places in the building also have Flashing warning lights are in place on all
flashing alarms. vehicles and forklifts, and are regularly tested
to ensure they are working properly.
There are mirrors at all intersections within
In addition to other established safety
precautions, the following additional control
measures are in place in the loading dock: the company’s loading dock and warehouse
so that Janet can see if a vehicle is
approaching.The drivers can also see her.
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