While you focus on your client's safety and health, your safety is very important to us. If you get hurt, you may not be able to do your job. There are many hazards that can occur before you even enter your client's home such as slips, trips, and falls. The type and condition of the walking surface is something you need to pay close attention to for your own safety. Things you can do to protect yourself include:

Be observant. Look for sidewalk and entryway defects as you make your visit to your client's residence. Cracks, holes, slippery, uneven surfaces, and other surprises such as toys in the walkway may be there to greet you.

Remove hazards, if appropriate. If it's a hazard going in, it will be a hazard coming out. If you clear a path into the residence, you will be helping to prevent an injury to yourself and others.

Wear shoes with good traction. Leather soled shoes on wet or slick surfaces are an accident waiting to happen. Snow, ice, and rain call for rubber soled or other traction shoes to keep you upright and improve your balance. As you get familiar with your work area, be sure to look for slip, trip, and fall hazards as you did outside. Look for:

• Walkway obstructions.
• Torn and wrinkled carpets, door mats.
• Rugs with curled-up edges.

With your client's permission, remove or fix the hazard, recommend it for repair, or if you can't do anything right away, at least make a mental note to watch out for it until it can be removed.

If you have any safety concerns or issues that you would like to discuss, please feel free to call Chrissy D'Alterio, Safety Committee Administrator, at (610) 566-2700 or contact via e-mail at chrissy@homehealthspecialists.com.