Employment consultants (EC) support a diverse group of individuals. What may be true for one person may not be true for another, yet despite individual differences, workplace safety remains a universal priority. While workers with disabilities are likely to face the same risks as workers without disabilities, a worker with a disability may face additional risks or challenges because of that disability.
As you know, disabilities can range from very severe to mild and are not always obvious. Workplace safety begins with first assuming all people will benefit from safety awareness and, additionally, that further, proactive consideration be given to safety-related issues for a person experiencing impacts of disability. Although there are several workplace safety considerations (harassment, bullying, COVID, etc.), in this post, we’ll focus only upon the physical environment.
Use the Discovery process to determine safety concerns
As you’ve no doubt heard, a Discovery and job analysis process is imperative to ensure “goodness of fit” for any individual. Providing both is a best practice for success. When identifying an optimal 
and safe physical environment for a job seeker, you’ll need to identify their strengths and needs within a particular workplace setting. Likewise, the job analysis will give you, as an EC, insight into potential safety-related issues or concerns, and it will help you identify necessary support needs and develop strategies to prevent risk or crisis. In other words, be prepared, with a keen eye towards safety!
Here are two safety-related, real situations that could have easily been avoided.
- Angie was a high school student, employed at a large distribution warehouse as part of a work experience program supported by an adult employment service agency. Angie worked on a line unloading boxes and stacking them on a skid. One day, an unannounced fire drill occurred with a very LOUD alarm indicating it was a drill. Angie, who is particularly frightened by loud noises, covered her ears and started screaming. She laid on the floor refusing to leave the building. Eventually, co-workers were able to guide her to the exit.
To avoid this situation, the EC should have discussed Angie’s experiences with fire drills (perhaps at school) or reaction to loud noises, during Discovery. The EC should have talked to the employer during the job site analysis process, to find out emergency procedures, especially in the case of a fire drill. Being prepared in this way would have allowed for development of a safety response that met Angie’s distinct needs.
- Chris was also a high school transition student with a moderate developmental disability. His job was a dining room assistant at a local restaurant, and after a while, he required only occasional support from his job coach. As part of his workplace training, he was taught to use the door-to-door bus service, learned how to recognize the bus, present his ID, and know the time frame for bus arrival. One day after his afternoon shift ended, he waited outside for over an hour. When the bus did not arrive, Chris took it upon himself to walk over two miles—on a four-lane busy street to his home. Luckily, there was a sidewalk, and he recognized the way to his house. The situation could have turned out very badly! The EC had made sure Chris knew how to ride the bus; however, the EC did not coach him on what to do if the bus was a no-show.
Perhaps the situation could have been prevented if the EC had included a step to check in with a key person, tell them the bus had arrived and that he was leaving.
Locate safety risks in the employment environment
Often employers lack knowledge about how to accommodate people with disabilities. Your job as an EC is to educate the employer whenever possible. A few things to observe and assist employers with before you begin supporting people on the job:
- Make sure there is suitable signage (e.g., symbols, pictures, large print notices and signs, braille) to assist with navigation of physical space
- Identify hazardous materials
- Recognize danger zones, such as forklift routes
- Share safety needs for evacuation procedures, (e.g., placing the person in an easy evacuation location, or identifying a natural support person to alert workers if there is an emergency, or asking that the employer provide audio and visual alarm systems.)
During the job site analysis, you’ll also want to address environmental conditions. It is important to understand the job requirements and the environmental factors to strategize for adaptations and accommodations. Environmental conditions to consider might include:
- Is most of the work inside or outside?
- Does the work take place in extreme cold or heat?
- What are the hazards?
- Does the environment have dust, fumes or odors, noise, or vibrations?
- Is the environment wet or humid?
A thorough Discovery process provides information about the job seeker’s health restrictions, preferences, endurance, and tolerance and can be used by the EC to compare to the job analysis when evaluating employment and safe working conditions.
In “Voicing for Safety in the Workplace: A Proactive Goal-Regulation Perspective” (Safety Science, 2020), Matteo Curcuroto and his fellow authors note that perhaps more than anything else, safety requires an ongoing process of identifying risks or dangerous work processes, while providing problem solving and suggesting alternatives to mitigate those risks. Failing to do so creates complacency, as this safety video, Nothing is Routine, from Dow illustrates.
Shared Solution of the day: Be Prepared and Stay Safe!