OSH - Safety and Health Of people with disabilities In workplaces - page 28

Israel Institute for Occupational Safety and Hygiene
28
their comprehension ability. Additionally, it is necessary to make sure that the employees
understand the training contents. It is necessary to practically supervise their working mode.
If necessary, you should provide the employees with personal protection equipment and
means of first aid and quick treatment in time of emergency.
Instructions for choosing safety measures for preventing risks
according to the employees’ disabilities
To reduce the risks for disabled people it is possible to plan safety measures and a working
environment that compensates the employees for their disabilities. Following are several
examples:
Hearing -
Using visual warning means (flickering light), accompanied by voice warnings,
safety signs specifying the safe and healthy behavior, etc.;
Vision –
Work instructions written in Braille, noticeable marking of obstacles, use of vocal
warnings, maintaining passages and work surfaces without obstacles, covering holes, leveling
pits, fencing moving and dangerous parts of equipment and machines, removing objects that
may fall and break by random touches, marking tanks and bottles with hazardous materials
also by means of their shapes rather than only marking their stamps (square, round, small,
big bottles, implying of the material types they contain) etc.
Mobility –
Removal of obstacles from work surfaces and from passages, designing posts
and work stations according to the mobility disablement, marking safe passages and
crossing ways for pedestrians, fixing signposts and setting limits for vehicles moving in the
plant premises, etc.
Mental disability –
Reducing crowdedness and noise near the work station, changes of
the job requirements in order to reduce the pressure on the employee, longer breaks, place
for undisturbed short rest breaks, accompaniment and support by a reliable person, social
worker or another professional, early identification of health deterioration signs and taking
the proper steps in such cases, etc.
In addition, the employer can turn to the ‘employers’ support center’ of the center for
the integration of people with disabilities into the labor market, and ask for help and
accompaniment in the employee’s absorption procedure, and also for the state participation
in funding the necessary modifications of the work environment due to the employee’s
disability (this also applies when the employees have mental disabilities), as largely explained
in the next chapter of this booklet.
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