Staff general appearance Select the most appropriate option for your practice, or create your own procedure <Option 1> All clinical, nursing and administrative staff are required to wear neat, tidy, clean and ironed clothing. Personal hygiene is a priority and staff must be aware that excessive fragrance from deodorants and perfumes can be harmful to persons with allergies. Staff are to refrain from unnecessary use of these items for both staff and patient sensitivities. Long hair is to be kept clean, neat and tidy. This may include tying it up. Cosmetics such as nail polish and personal jewellery are to be kept to a minimum. <Option 2> All clinical, nursing and administrative staff are required to wear the prescribed uniform whilst on duty. In cases where a uniform is not able to be worn staff are to wear neat clothing similar to the prescribed uniform (eg blue jumper, white skirt, blue shirt, white pants). Clothing must be ironed, clean and kept in good condition. Staff code of conduct Our staff are the most valuable resource of this practice. Patients are attracted and retained because they receive a high standard of care and service from well-trained medical and administrative staff. It is the policy of this practice to recruit and retain the best available team of people. This is achieved by: Attracting the highest standard of candidates for any vacant position. Equitable and thorough selection of personnel. Orientation and training in practice procedures. Treating all members of staff with respect, fairness and honesty. Providing a safe, healthy, rewarding and satisfying working environment. Providing staff with the opportunity for personal and professional development. Facilitating and inviting staff to participate in quality improvement practises, setting key performance indicators and suggestions for adaption of policies and procedures where necessary. It is expected that each staff member act according to acceptable professional and social standards at all times. Each person will be treated with courtesy, dignity and respect and as an individual. Inappropriate language, smoking and taking of illegal drugs will not be tolerated on practice premises and those who indulge in this behaviour will be subject to disciplinary action. up,
Refers to the movements or postures adopted at any given time in order to perform a manual task. Hazard Means anything that may result in injury or harm to the health of a person. Those manual tasks that have the potential to cause injury or disease are referred to in this code of practice as hazardous manual tasks. Hazardous manual tasks Include: Manual tasks having any of the following characteristics: Forces exerted by the worker (eg lifting, lowering or carrying) or on the worker by an item, person or animal (eg restraining a dog); Awkward postures (eg bending forwards, twisting or reaching); Sustained postures (eg prolonged sitting or standing); Repetitive movements (eg repeating an action frequently, without breaks); Vibration – whole-body (eg sitting in certain vehicles) and hand-arm (eg using certain powered tools); Manual tasks involving the handling of a person or an animal; or Manual tasks involving the handling of unstable or unbalanced loads or loads difficult to grasp or hold. Musculoskeletal disorder Means an injury or disease of the musculoskeletal system. Risk In relation to any injury or harm, means the probability of that injury or harm occurring. It is the policy of this practice that all staff members are trained in correct manual handling procedures. The following methods are employed by this practice to reduce or eliminate the risks associated with manual handling: Using mechanical handling equipment where possible. Varying the task or having rest periods where repetitive tasks are carried out for long periods. Using adjustable working heights for benches or platforms so the majority of tasks carried out by standing workers are at waist height and within easy reach. Changing workplace layouts so twisting movements are kept to a minimum. Ensuring workers new to the work or returning from an extended absence are not required to perform prolonged repetitive movements. Ensuring adequate training and supervision are available to workers. The following procedures are to be used by all staff members: Assess the item to be handled. Weight is not the only factor. Size and shape will also affect the degree of difficulty of the lift.