Policies need to take into account unique needs of staff
Kim Wrigley-Archer will never forget a scary time she had at a previous job. The power went out at a warehouse where she and her co-workers had temporarily relocated during a renovation, and the main entrance was blocked, so people were forced to go down back stairs into a dark underground tunnel.
It was noisy, unfamiliar territory and particularly frightening for Wrigley-Archer because she has hearing and vision loss. Fortunately, a co-worker provided her arm for support.
“I was totally cut off from communication even though I was with someone,” says Wrigley-Archer, president of Canadian National Society of the Deaf-Blind.
Such emergencies are common yet many workplaces have health and safety policies and procedures in place that don’t take into consideration people with disabilities.
“I don’t think there’s that much awareness from employers because I don’t think disabled people are well-represented as employed people,” says Richard Quan, president of the Toronto chapter of the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians. “I don’t think this is an area that’s been looked into very much.”
Political correctness can mean there’s hesitation to bring the topic up, and employers are also concerned about raising issues around human rights and accommodation.
“I’d rather see people talking about it than not,” says Quan, who is blind. “I don’t think there is enough open dialogue about any kind of safety concerns or any kind of disability concerns for that matter.”
Start with the employee
The first thing any employer should do is consult with the employee about his needs. In some cases, a person with a disability may not even know what to be concerned about when it comes to health and safety, so a third party such as the fire department can always be brought in to help.
“Work with the employee to make sure they’re OK with what’s being planned,” says Wrigley-Archer, who is also a disability consultant and researcher. “I’ve had people make a decision on my behalf and it wasn’t necessarily the right one.”
People with disabilities can have varying degrees of difficulties with their condition, so one person with hearing loss may be very different from someone else with the same disability, she says.
“Definitely a custom approach is better,” says Wrigley-Archer.
An emergency evacuation plan should be discussed with the employee and other relevant parties (such as security personnel, co-workers and other employees designated as fire wardens for their departments), she says, and security should know which floors have disabled employees working there.
More importantly, one or two colleagues should be selected to assist a person with a disability during an emergency. The assigned person would advise the person of what’s being announced over the PA system and, if necessary, take the employee’s arm and guide him out of the building.
The assigned worker should be properly trained and talk to the person with the disability about the kind of assistance she requires or prefers.
“If there’s an emergency, what I’ve found for myself is it helps me if I’m in constant contact with somebody, physical contact,” says Wrigley-Archer. “Just to know there’s somebody right there because if they take their hand off and it’s noisy and dark, I’m totally alone, I’m totally isolated, I have no idea what’s going on.”
Employers should not assume an employee with a hearing problem can hear the announcements because they are loud — the messages can still sound distorted, she says. It’s also a good idea for a workplace to use a flashing light when the fire alarm goes off (though this can be problematic for people with epilepsy). Another option is to incorporate some kind of flashing message that appears on computer screens to alert workers.
“That would be even more important for people who are deaf and rely on sign language and who don’t always have someone around who can communicate with them,” she says.
Many deaf, hard-of-hearing and deaf-blind people have BlackBerrys or cellphones with text messaging. Sending emergency alerts to their devices and informational updates as an emergency or fire drill progresses is another option.
Another procedure that may not be well-known in Canada, but is well-used in the United States and Europe, is to touch the worker’s back and mark the sign of an ‘X’ when employees need to evacuate immediately and there is no time to explain the situation.
Safety concerns can also extend to smaller areas such as the placement or movement of furniture and equipment. It’s just common sense to keep aisles clear of wastebaskets, chairs or boxes that can be a trip hazard or an obstacle for a wheelchair or scooter user, she says.
“Wet floor” signs have sent Jane Sayer flying across the room many times. To avoid such accidents, good uniform lighting and non-slip flooring materials are also a must in any work environment and even more so for persons with low vision, says Sayer, co-ordinator of the Resource Centre for Manitobans who are Deaf-Blind and vice-president of Canadian National Society of the Deaf-Blind.
It was noisy, unfamiliar territory and particularly frightening for Wrigley-Archer because she has hearing and vision loss. Fortunately, a co-worker provided her arm for support.
“I was totally cut off from communication even though I was with someone,” says Wrigley-Archer, president of Canadian National Society of the Deaf-Blind.
Such emergencies are common yet many workplaces have health and safety policies and procedures in place that don’t take into consideration people with disabilities.
“I don’t think there’s that much awareness from employers because I don’t think disabled people are well-represented as employed people,” says Richard Quan, president of the Toronto chapter of the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians. “I don’t think this is an area that’s been looked into very much.”
Political correctness can mean there’s hesitation to bring the topic up, and employers are also concerned about raising issues around human rights and accommodation.
“I’d rather see people talking about it than not,” says Quan, who is blind. “I don’t think there is enough open dialogue about any kind of safety concerns or any kind of disability concerns for that matter.”
Start with the employee
The first thing any employer should do is consult with the employee about his needs. In some cases, a person with a disability may not even know what to be concerned about when it comes to health and safety, so a third party such as the fire department can always be brought in to help.
“Work with the employee to make sure they’re OK with what’s being planned,” says Wrigley-Archer, who is also a disability consultant and researcher. “I’ve had people make a decision on my behalf and it wasn’t necessarily the right one.”
People with disabilities can have varying degrees of difficulties with their condition, so one person with hearing loss may be very different from someone else with the same disability, she says.
“Definitely a custom approach is better,” says Wrigley-Archer.
An emergency evacuation plan should be discussed with the employee and other relevant parties (such as security personnel, co-workers and other employees designated as fire wardens for their departments), she says, and security should know which floors have disabled employees working there.
More importantly, one or two colleagues should be selected to assist a person with a disability during an emergency. The assigned person would advise the person of what’s being announced over the PA system and, if necessary, take the employee’s arm and guide him out of the building.
The assigned worker should be properly trained and talk to the person with the disability about the kind of assistance she requires or prefers.
“If there’s an emergency, what I’ve found for myself is it helps me if I’m in constant contact with somebody, physical contact,” says Wrigley-Archer. “Just to know there’s somebody right there because if they take their hand off and it’s noisy and dark, I’m totally alone, I’m totally isolated, I have no idea what’s going on.”
Employers should not assume an employee with a hearing problem can hear the announcements because they are loud — the messages can still sound distorted, she says. It’s also a good idea for a workplace to use a flashing light when the fire alarm goes off (though this can be problematic for people with epilepsy). Another option is to incorporate some kind of flashing message that appears on computer screens to alert workers.
“That would be even more important for people who are deaf and rely on sign language and who don’t always have someone around who can communicate with them,” she says.
Many deaf, hard-of-hearing and deaf-blind people have BlackBerrys or cellphones with text messaging. Sending emergency alerts to their devices and informational updates as an emergency or fire drill progresses is another option.
Another procedure that may not be well-known in Canada, but is well-used in the United States and Europe, is to touch the worker’s back and mark the sign of an ‘X’ when employees need to evacuate immediately and there is no time to explain the situation.
Safety concerns can also extend to smaller areas such as the placement or movement of furniture and equipment. It’s just common sense to keep aisles clear of wastebaskets, chairs or boxes that can be a trip hazard or an obstacle for a wheelchair or scooter user, she says.
“Wet floor” signs have sent Jane Sayer flying across the room many times. To avoid such accidents, good uniform lighting and non-slip flooring materials are also a must in any work environment and even more so for persons with low vision, says Sayer, co-ordinator of the Resource Centre for Manitobans who are Deaf-Blind and vice-president of Canadian National Society of the Deaf-Blind.
