WorkSafe has issued a safety alert for Victorian healthcare employers to remind them of the importance of ensuring that employees have appropriate duress alarms and know where to find them and how to use them.
Healthcare workers face an increased risk of work-related violence. Being unable to quickly activate a duress button might result in:
- delayed emergency response
- increased risk of physical and psychological harm to staff
- escalation of aggressive behaviour
- increased risk to bystanders and patients.
It is important to consider where the work is conducted and the risk of aggression or violence when deciding between a fixed duress alarm or a portable alarm that can be carried or worn. Keep in mind, however, that a portable duress alarm should never be worn around the neck.
Appropriate training is required to ensure that all staff know the location and function of all duress buttons in their working area, and at the start of each shift staff should be briefed on the specific ward, clinic or area alarms that are available. Staff should also receive training on how and when to use duress alarms, including simulated drills.
Regular audits of all duress alarms should be scheduled and testing conducted at the start of each shift to ensure that alarms are turned on, batteries are charged, and alarm is transmitting correctly.
A further area of risk that employers should be aware of is the need to develop a system to inspect batteries and remove damaged ones – particularly in relation to the risk of lithium-ion batteries causing fire. Last year WorkSafe highlighted instances of personal duress alarm lithium-ion batteries being cracked, punctured or crushed, or showing signs of swelling, bulging, leaking. Wherever possible, lithium-ion batteries should be replaced with other batteries that are less likely to overheat.