Posted By Steve Skinner Help!!! I have an employee who has just joined the company and have just found out that he has Type 1 Diabetes (Insulin Dependant). I realise that I have to create a risk assessment for this individual but am not quite sure what I am looking for. Any information given would be very much appreciated. Thanks Steve

Posted By Steve Skinner Thanks Paul, I have spoken to the individual and he has commented that he has not had a hypo for "a while"??? He could not quantify the time. He said that he has had no problems with taking his insulin whilst at work, and does have a Mars Bar with him just in case. Would a first aider have to be trained to administer an insulin injection?? Ta Steve

Posted By Ken Taylor First-aiders do not have to give insulin injections. Diabetics tend to take their insulin. Problems are usually when they have taken the insulin but not eaten - for which the traditional first-aid response is the lump of sugar. We had an old civil engineer like that some years ago - who had to be looked in on at lunch time and, at times, ordered to have his lunch rather than continue working in a condition similar to intoxication.

Posted By Bob Shillabeer What nonsense. The person concerned probably knows more about the condition than you do. Ask him about how he manages his condition, how he takes care of his kit (needles etc) and ensure this does not increase the risk to your other employees. I worked with a guy some years ago who was a railway shunter working about moving trains and traffic without any serious problems because he controlled his own condition. He injected twice a day and only needed privacy to do so. To my knowledge he is still alive and is about 80 years old. If you need any more advice contact a quilified medical practioner who will advise on any specific issue you may have.

Posted By Bob Shillabeer I hope no one is suggesting that anyone can administer an injection? There are serious and real risks from injections given by untrained people. Many have died as a result. Know where the kit is yes but administer it definately NO. Leave this to a profesional such as a qualified nurse, doctor or paramedic. My daughter is a very qualified nurse (now very senior in the health trust) and when she did her training she had to attend a specific training course on administering injections as not all nurse training includes this due to the serious risks involved and had to be separatly certified to do so.

Posted By andymak Judging by the responses this is obviously an emotive issue for many people. Personally I have no experience of this from a professional safety background but I have lived and worked with diabetics for many years to the extent I was trained to administer Insulin injections for my them girlfriend as she was unable to do so herself. I would speak to the individual first to ascertain how affected he is by the condition, what form the hypos take, as each case is different. You will then need to assess the tasks being undertaken. If the person drives for work check that they have officially informed the employer as Diabetes can affect insurance premiums, and is I think still something you have to notify the DVLA about. As part of the job assessment and planning procedure ensure that regular breaks are built into the work schedule to help the management of the condition in the workplace. If required ensure that sharps boxes are available, although most insulin dependant diabetics have a reusable pen type injection system. Check if he has a problem with the site first aiders knowing about his condition, ensure first aiders are fully knowledgeable about how to deal with a diabetic in hypo. Ensure that within your process for dealing with the individual there is timely reviews of any advancement of the condition as if not looked after it can affect eye sight, circulation, and can cause a whole host of other side effects. Once all this is in place ensure the individual agrees with his management plan and all should be well.

Posted By steve jones Hi Steve, I saw your request and am astonished at the replies! There are clearly some people who do not know the first thing about diabetes or how to treat it in the event of an emergency. I have been a type 1 diabetic for 25 years requiring 4 injections a day and do not pose any problems to my employer. for more info and a chat, you can e-mail me at Steve.Jones 40@btopenworld.com

Posted By Jan Moore Hi Steve. Like Steve Jones, I too am insulin dependant diabetic and was having nightmares at some of the suggestions made!! If the guy is newly diagnosed, then he may have some adjustment problems i.e. going 'low'. He will hopefully recognise symptoms of low blood sugar and act. He probably carries glucose tabs round and might well inject before meals. Ask him how he manages the disorder. I made no secret of telling people that I was diabetic and what to do if I started talking absolute rubbish or looked like I'd had a few too many (people can act as if they have been on a bender).He should be checking his blood sugars anyway and if he does, he is unlikely to have problems you or colleagues will need to deal with.

Posted By Steve Skinner What about Lone working?? Do we not have a duty of care towards an employee who is diabetic if he/she is likely to work alone in certain circumstances? Steve

Posted By Fred Pratley Steve, It is good that this employee has decided to advise you about his diabetes. The best thing you can do is to talk to him about his condition and how he controls it in practise. I have encountered (and still have) a number of diabetics among staff here and have found almost all to be only too willing to discuss the pro's and con's of their condition. In general terms, I do encourage anyone with a condition like this to talk with their immediate supervision and 1st aider, as they are generally best placed to notice subtle changes in behaviour which can indicate when a problem might be developing. Obviously you have to take a point of view on what might happen should the condition suddenly worsen, but bear in mind that you may well have 2 or 3 others who don't know they have diabetes, so unless the condition is very severe or very recently diagnosed (and therefore not fully stabilised), don't be too concerned. Also, consider having a bottle of Hypostop on site and (if you don't already) a fridge for the insulin and somewhere private for the man to inject - First Aid room? Fred

Posted By Jan Moore I wouldn't imagine a fridge would be needed unless the gentleman is keeping a lot of insulin phials in storage at work. I am assuming the employee will have a pen system with a spare phial in the carry case. All of which can be carried round and kept at ambient temperature. If I'm doing the wrong thing after 30 years and need a fridge at work, I need serious help!!!