Health and Safety in Veterinary Practices: A compliance guide

Contents:

● Why is health and safety important in a veterinary practice?

● Who is responsible for health and safety in a veterinary practice?

● What are vets legal obligations for health & safety?

● What are the most common safety hazards in veterinary practices?

● How do you manage health & safety in a veterinary practice?

○ Risk assessment

○ Fire risk

● How can Crysp help?

As a vet, veterinary nurse or a practice manager, you’ll know that health and safety in veterinary practice can never be taken lightly. It’s crucial to ensure your practice is safe not only for your customers and employees, but also their beloved pets. Compliance with legislation is necessary, but it can be daunting for busy practices and without solid health and safety management in place, it can become very stressful too.

If you’re worried about making sure your veterinary practice is compliant with health and safety regulations, or your legal obligations feel overwhelming, then look no further. This health and safety compliance guide for veterinary practices is here to demystify the process, offer support, and help take the complexity out of compliance. Read on to find out more.

Why is health and safety important in a veterinary practice?

Veterinary practices are legally obliged to adhere to health and safety regulations. If they fail to meet safety requirements, the practice may be forced to shut down and penalties could be incurred. There are a number of legislations that veterinary practices and employees have to follow, which we’ll discuss in further detail below.

Beyond being legally required to follow health and safety regulations, veterinary practices are also morally obliged to adhere to these rules. If you’re negligent or careless, then you aren’t just putting yourself and your employees at risk, but also your customers and their beloved pets. Bearing in mind it’s a veterinarian’s job to protect the welfare of animals, it seems counterintuitive to have your own practice pose a risk to them.

Who is responsible for health and safety in a veterinary practice?

Every veterinary practice should have at least one person appointed to oversee and enforce health and safety in the workplace. This person is usually the practice manager or practice owner. They are responsible for making sure that the practice remains compliant with health and safety legislation, and that everybody has received sufficient training.

What are vets legal obligations for health & safety?

Although you have a moral obligation to protect the people and animals on your premises, you do have a legal duty to comply with the law. And the consequences for not following the rules can be harsh. Should an incident happen and your health and safety procedures were found to be inadequate, you could face huge fines, closure of your practice and damage to your personal reputation - or in the worst case, a prison sentence.

The nature of veterinary practice means that there are a wealth of health and safety regulations to adhere to. Here are some of the pieces of legislation relevant to you:

● Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974

● Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966

● The Fire Precaution Act 1971

● Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992

● Control of Substances Hazardous to Health 2002

● The Control of Pollution Act 1974

● Environmental Protection Act 1990

● The Controlled Waste Regulations 1992

● The Special Waste Regulations 1996

● The Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005

It’s important to note that list is not exhaustive and it is the responsibility of the practice owner to ensure they comply with legislation relevant to their specific services. In addition, regulations are updated and reviewed regularly, so it’s crucial you are aware when changes come into force.

What are the most common safety hazards in veterinary practices?

Health and safety in veterinary practice is extremely important, particularly when analysing why risk assessment protocols are needed within the veterinary field. It’s crucial to understand the context behind the industry itself, and the fact that there are lots of risks that may occur for staff that work at a veterinary practice. Whether you work as a vet, a veterinary assistant, a receptionist or a cleaner, there’s a myriad of risks that you may be exposed to.

It’s important to note that this list doesn’t encompass every potential hazard in a veterinary clinic. The hazards in your practice might be different depending on what services you provide and what your business premises look like.

Here’s a list of potential dangers you may come across in a veterinary practice:

Animal-inflicted injuries - As you know, animals can get very distressed at the vets because it’s an unknown environment where they often receive invasive treatments. As a result, pets can sometimes become aggressive and lash out at whoever is close to them - usually the veterinarian. When handling animals that may be unwell or hurt, members of staff must know how to deal with animal-inflicted problems. For example, if a staff member is bitten, scratched or kicked by an animal, the correct risk assessment procedure must be followed.

This includes preventative measures, such as training staff on animal restraint techniques, and ensuring that staff consistently wear the correct uniform, such as gloves and masks if necessary.

Various injuries from lifting heavy animals - If an animal is resisting, or wriggling, the correct health and safety procedures must be followed. This may be a reaction such as using other members of staff to help lift the animal, using medication to calm down, or sedating the animal. Staff should also follow correct lifting techniques.

Cuts and potential infections - All members of staff should wear the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) to ensure that they aren’t at risk of gaining any infections or illnesses if they are scratched or bitten. The veterinary practice should also supply specific bins for those who are disposing of hazardous waste. Practices should also have a veterinary first aid kit in case of any wounds. In addition, vets often have to use like needles and scalpels. Though a small cut from one of these tools might seem innocuous, it can actually be incredibly dangerous if the equipment has been contaminated by a blood-borne disease from an animal.

Falls as a result of physical barriers or slipperiness - Most workplaces need to be mindful of trip hazards and veterinary clinics are no exception. Examination and operation rooms are usually full of equipment with wires and cables that could trip someone up, and so these need to be tidied away accordingly. Areas with a lot of foot traffic (i.e. reception, corridors) should be kept clear for this reason too. Spillages should be dealt with immediately to prevent anyone from slipping over. The practice should also create a cleaning procedure that everyone in the workplace is aware of so that everything remains sterile and safe.

Prevention of zoonotic diseases - Zoonotic diseases are illnesses and infections that are passed from animals to humans. They pose a significant health hazard and so veterinary practices must be extra vigilant when it comes to cleaning tools, washing hands and wearing PPE. Wearing things like aprons, gloves, face masks and shoe protectors can help members of staff to stay protected against any diseases transmitted from animals to humans. There are 5 main categories of zoonotic diseases to be aware of; viral, bacterial, parasitic, mycotic and prions.

Exposure to chemicals and medication - Workers at a veterinary practice will likely be exposed to chemicals regularly because of cleaning products or the substances used for treatments. Exposure usually occurs through inhalation, ingestion or contact with skin. Staff members should make sure to avoid any exposure to chemicals and medication that can harm them. The best way to prevent this from happening is for employees to understand the specific protocols that need to be followed, such as washing hands frequently, never touching their face or body parts with a hand that may have been contaminated with dangerous chemicals, and using specific PPE equipment such as gloves to prevent cross-contamination.

Ergonomic and musculoskeletal hazards - Employees must have specific protocols in place for staff members who may have to lift, restrain or treat animals. This can vary from surgeons, to assistants who may experience back injuries, sprains and strains. Ergonomic and musculoskeletal hazards are very common amongst the veterinary field, and appropriate measures must be put into place to prevent this from happening. For example, making sure that there are multiple members of staff to assist with lifting larger animals, and using the correct kinds of procedures that employees will have been trained in.

How do you manage health & safety in a veterinary practice?

There are many rules and regulations to follow in a veterinary practice, and managing health and safety can be overwhelming when there’s so much responsibility on your shoulders. But compliance doesn’t have to be complicated. The key is to set up and follow procedures (as outlined in this guide) to ensure that health and safety becomes part of the daily routine of running a successful business - and ensures you have a golden thread of information ready for when inspectors call.

This process is a great place to start:

Appoint a competent person to carry out health and safety duties. A competent person or group of people should be appointed to help to meet the health and safety legal duties within the surgery. This person needs to have suitable skills, knowledge and experience so that they can recognise the hazards within the field of work, and put specific controls into place to protect workers from harm. The person who is appointed for this role doesn’t need to have any specific qualifications or training, but it would be really helpful for them to have some sort of experience in the role, so they feel confident and happy to identify the hazards. The person may be someone within the business, or you can use an external consultant. Either way, they need to know the veterinary industry well enough to understand the risks that may be associated with it.

Get to grips with legislation

Both criminal and civil law apply to workplace health and safety and there are a myriad of health and safety regulations associated with veterinary practice that you must adhere to. As an employer, you must, by law, protect your workers and others from getting hurt or ill through work. If you don’t, a regulator such as the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or local authority may take action against you under criminal law. In addition, the person affected may claim compensation against the surgery under civil law. Therefore, it’s crucial that you know your legal health and safety obligations.

Legislation can be hard to digest, so it’s recommended you seek support to help ensure you are compliant. There is lots of information available from the Royal College of Surgeons, or from health and safety compliance experts such as Crysp.

Undertake risk assessments

Completing a risk assessment is the first step towards complying with health and safety law in a veterinary practice. It is a document that has three main purposes:

1. To identify any hazards that may be present in a veterinary surgery - anything from animal bites, to injuries from sharps.

2. To assess the risk posed by these hazards - the chance of someone being harmed, and how serious the harm might be.

3. To identify what needs to be done to control the risk - what steps can be taken to eliminate or reduce the hazards.

The nature of veterinary practice means that there may be different areas of the business that pose different risks (e.g. on-site and off-site work). Therefore, it’s likely you will need to undertake more than one risk assessment, rather than go for a catch-all approach. In addition, it’s crucial that all staff are made aware of what’s contained in the risk assessment and that processes and procedures are adhered to, from senior management downwards.

Risk assessments must be updated regularly to take into account any new risks. It does take time to get these procedures in place to start with, but the time and effort you invest in this exercise far outweighs the potential consequences of not undertaking adequate risk assessments. Once your documents, processes and procedures are set up, it’s just a matter of incorporating updates and checks into your daily routine. And digitising your records can make a huge difference to the amount of time you spend working on your health and safety documentation, making things quicker, more efficient and easier to access.

Keep on top of fire safety

Fires are one of most frequent hazards in any workplace, so it’s important to have a fire safety plan in place for your veterinary practice. This document needs to include emergency planning and evacuation procedures, as well as the procedures you have in place to minimise the risks of fire. Regular fire risk assessments are recommended.

Considerations include:

● Ensuring emergency exits are clearly marked, in working order and accessible.

● Mapping escape route that take people out of the clinic to a safe space.

● Identifying a safe ‘muster point’ and means of ensuring everyone is out of the building.

● Designating a fire officer to manage evacuation and roll call.

● Installing smoke detectors, fire alarms, fire extinguishers and sprinkler systems and ensuring they are in full working order.

● Ensuring electrical sockets are not overloaded and all electrical equipment is regularly tested.

● Ensuring staff are trained on use of fire extinguishers and on all emergency evacuation procedures.

● Making sure heaters are kept clear.

● De-cluttering and keep the surgery tidy to eliminate risk of fire spreading.

● Storing flammable materials/chemicals correctly.

Consult employees on all the important parts of health and safety

Ensuring that all veterinary surgery employees are educated on health and safety in the workplace means that awareness of health and safety will dramatically increase. It’s really important that no matter who the person is within the company, whether the business owner, vet, nurse or admin staff, they understand the health and safety protocols relating to the work they carry out, as well as any risks. Creating a culture of compliance; within your veterinary clinic means that everyone will play their part in delivering high health and safety standards.

Carry out detailed first aid training

All employees must complete first aid training so that they can take advantage of the first aid kit if a problem arises at work. Whether it’s an animal biting a member of staff, or exposure to some sort of chemical or medication, appropriate training and arrangements must be put into place.

In training, clinics should consider a range of factors, such as:

● The type of work they do

● What the main hazards are and the likely risk of them causing harm

● The size of the workforce

● Work patterns of staff

● The history of accidents in the business

● How close your sites are to emergency medical services

There should also be an easily accessible first aid kit that includes contents such as:

● Individually wrapped sterile plasters of assorted sizes

● Sterile eye pads

● Individually wrapped triangular bandages, preferably sterile

● Safety pins

● Disposable gloves

It may be helpful to delegate the role of first-aider to a specific member of staff. This means that the staff member is responsible for responding to any problems or emergencies that may occur within the workplace. The first-aider must be trained by a competent training provider, and they need to be willing to step up to the responsibility of the label.

Prepare a health and safety policy

Every business needs to have a specific health and safety policy for managing risk assessments in the workplace. A health and safety policy sets out the key factors of the general approach towards health and safety. It explains how you, as an employer, will manage health and safety in your business, clearly stating who does what, when and how.

If there are five or more employees at the practice, the policy must be written down, so that staff and customers can access the policy whenever they need to. The health and safety policy should cover three specific areas.

● Statement of intent - this is the general policy on health and safety at work, including

the commitment to managing health and safety and the clinic's aims.

● Responsibilities for health and safety - noting down those who have responsibilities

for the safety and well-being of employees.

● Arrangements for health and safety - how the practice will achieve the health and

safety policy aims. This could include doing a risk assessment, training employees and using safety signs or equipment.

Provide information and training for everyone who may need it

It’s really important to make sure that everyone in the workplace has the right level of information about:

● hazards (things that could cause them harm)

● risks (the chances of that harm occurring)

● measures in place to deal with those hazards and risks

● how to follow any emergency procedures

It’s also important to keep up to date with what your employees think about the training, such as whether it’s helpful or relevant. You should also keep training records and complete them regularly, as this will help you decide if refresher training is needed. The information and training should be really easy and accessible so that everyone can understand it.

Everyone working in the practice should know what they are expected to do, and why. It’s also important to keep a record of those who may not have been trained in such detail as other employees, such as:

● New recruits to the workforce.

● People who have changed jobs or who are taking on extra responsibilities.

● Young employees who are particularly vulnerable to accidents.

Display posters and make it clear what the rules are

Make sure that you display the various health and safety rules posters where workers can read them. You should also provide workers with the equivalent health and safety leaflet or include it in a handbook, so that they are aware of the rules and procedures that they need to follow in the workplace.

Provide and maintain a safe working environment for employees

Employees must be provided with welfare facilities and a working environment that is healthy and safe for everyone, including those with disabilities.

There must be:

● welfare facilities – the right number of toilets and washbasins, drinking water, somewhere to change and store clothing, and somewhere to rest and eat meals.

● a healthy working environment – a clean workplace with a reasonable working temperature, good ventilation, suitable lighting and the right amount of space and seating.

● a safe workplace – well-maintained equipment, with no obstructions in floors and traffic routes, and windows that can be easily opened and cleaned.

How can Crysp help?

Managing health and safety in a veterinary practice is no mean feat, but Crysp are here tohelp. Crysp online compliance management software will:

● Provide one complete picture of your compliance

● Centralise all key documents and policies

● Create paperless workflows and digital forms

● Physical fire risk and workplace assessment

In addition, our team of expert health and safety advisers are on hand to provide bespoke consultancy for veterinary clinics.

For an informal chat about managing health and safety in your veterinary practice, and reducing the stress of compliance management, contact us now.