5. Infectious Diseases
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, organisations have had to consider what their response should be to the outbreak of an infectious disease in the workplace. Not just global pandemics, but also localised outbreaks such as flu, norovirus and the other nasty illnesses that can sweep through a workplace.
This is a topic which crosses over with HR legislation, so do check with your HR department or advisor that the information given to the workforce is clear and not contradictory.
Obviously, if someone contracts a transmittable illness, he or she must not come to work. But, as we found out during COVID-19, it is possible to be contagious without showing any symptoms; and often, a person can be contagious before any symptoms become obvious. First aid is not a panacea for such a situation, but there are sensible steps you can take to make it easier to deal with.
Minimum requirements for dealing with infectious diseases
- Thermometers, including sensors, hand-held scanners etc.
- Painkillers. Have a common-sense attitude to this. There is a school of thought that painkillers should not be available in the workplace because of the danger of overdose, but this is incorrect. If you are concerned, operate a control of access rule: painkillers can only be issued by a nominated person and only (for example) two at a time. The HSE recommends that painkillers are not kept in the first aid kit.
- Sterile wipes.
- Hand sanitiser.
- Disposable masks.
- Disposable gloves.
- Safety goggles (to avoid infection entering the eye(s) when giving close contact first aid e.g. if patient sneezes).
- Disposable aprons.
- Cotton wool - pads/balls.
- Bags for clinical waste disposal.
Please note: this is NOT a definitive or exhaustive list; rather, it's a starting point which you can use to get you thinking about what you should have in place.