Health & Safety

Sunshine Farm Health and Safety Policy 

POLICY:
Sunshine Farm is committed to maintaining healthy, safe, and clean environments that support the delivery of high-quality services while minimizing the risk of harm to persons served, personnel, and other stakeholders. Dedicated to promoting organic food production, seed saving, and providing educational and skill development opportunities to adults with diverse abilities. Sunshine Farm integrates health and safety practices into every aspect of our services. Our comprehensive health and safety policy ensures that all activities are conducted in a manner that prioritizes the well-being of our community and the sustainability of our environment.

PROCEDURES:
A Prevention
1.) Sunshine Farm demonstrates ongoing attention to the health and safety of the environment by implementing safe practices, reducing health and safety risks, and complying with applicable health and safety requirements. This includes training staff and individuals participating in the safe use of equipment and supplies.

2.) Maintain comprehensive, documented procedures to ensure the safety of persons served, staff, and other stakeholders. These procedures are regularly reviewed, updated, and communicated to all relevant parties.

3.) Sunshine Farm is committed to promoting the safety and well-being of all individuals attending. To achieve this, we have implemented safety procedures that are outlined in a Handbook, to be provided to each person attending, and redistributed annually. The handbook must cover essential safety guidelines, including emergency procedures, safe practices during activities, and the reporting of unsafe conditions. The handbook must be annually reviewed and updated to ensure that it reflects current best practices and regulatory requirements. Individuals attending Sunshine Farm are encouraged to familiarize themselves with these procedures and to reach out to staff with any questions or concerns regarding their safety.
The handbook must use both text and pictures for ease of understanding.

3.) Safety of Personnel:
Establishment of detailed safety procedures must be included in the Staff Handbook and distributed to all employees during their orientation and redistributed annually. The handbook must provide clear instructions on emergency protocols, workplace safety standards, incident reporting, and the use of personal protective equipment. An annual training session will be conducted to reinforce these procedures and ensure that all staff members are equipped to maintain a safe working environment. The handbook is intended to serve as a key resource for staff, offering guidance on maintaining personal safety and the safety of others while performing their duties.

4.) Individuals attending will receive ongoing education and guidance aimed at minimizing physical risks in their environment. This includes guidance on maintaining cleanliness and organization of personal and shared spaces, identifying and mitigating trip hazards, and safely setting up equipment used during service delivery. Additionally, individuals attending are to be encouraged to identify safe spaces and seek assistance from others when needed to prevent accidents or injuries. These measures are designed to foster a safe and supportive environment for all participants.

B Staff Training
1.) Staff at Sunshine Farm will receive thorough, documented, competency-based training during orientation and ongoing, to ensure their readiness to maintain a safe and supportive environment.

a. Health and Safety Practices: Training and educational material is to be provided at orientation and on an ongoing basis. All personnel are to be educated on best practices to maintain personal and environmental safety, including the use of protective equipment and adherence to safety protocols. This is documented in the employee handbook, to be reinforced on training day in February, and with the use of signage.

b. Identification of Unsafe Environmental Factors: Training includes the recognition of potential hazards in the environment, such as slippery floors, exposed wires, or other risks that could lead to accidents. Identified risks and potential hazards must be corrected immediately, or if repairs are needed, reported to the senior staff, and documented.

c. Staff are to be trained on how to respond to various emergencies, including fire, medical emergencies, and urgent situations that require immediate action. This includes regularly scheduled and documented fire, bomb, and medical emergency drills.
These drills are to be outlined in detail in the staff handbook, updated annually. All staff and individuals attending must participate in these drills.

d. Identification and reporting of Critical Incidents: Training will cover the identification of critical incidents, such as accidents or adverse events, that require immediate attention and intervention. All critical incidents are to be documented and reported to Community Living British Columbia.
Annually all critical incidents are to be reviewed and analyzed for any causes that can be reduced or rectified. Staff are to be instructed on the proper procedures for reporting critical incidents, ensuring that all events are documented and addressed according to Sunshine Farm’s protocols.

e. Workplace Violence Prevention: Staff are to be educated on recognizing, preventing, and responding to workplace violence, ensuring a safe and respectful environment for everyone.

C Written Emergency Procedures
Sunshine Farm must have comprehensive written emergency procedures to ensure the safety of all individuals and staff. These procedures cover the following scenarios,

1.) Fires
2.) Bomb threats
3.) Natural disasters
4.) Overdose
5.) Utility failures
6.) Medical emergencies
7.) Violent or other threatening situations
8.) Wandering or elopement.
9.) Weapon free workplace
10.) Biohazardous accidents
11.) Abuse or neglect.
12.) Sexual violence and incident management.
13.) Workplace violence and prevention.
14.) Illegal substances.
15.) Suicide and suicide attempt.

D. Identification of Essential Services. Sunshine Farm has identified essential services that must be maintained during any emergency to ensure the safety and well-being of individuals participating and staff.

E. Evacuation Routes
Evacuation routes must be accessible, and clearly marked. The identified evacuation routes and marked muster point are where everyone will meet, and a head count will be taken.

1.) The evacuation route signage must be clearly displayed, includes text and a ‘running man’. This makes it clear for individuals, staff and stakeholders or visitors. These routes must be practiced on a regular and scheduled basis.

F. Regular Drills
Drill must be scheduled in our operational calendar, but not known to the overall staff and individuals attending ahead of time.

1.) The drills must be physical drills where all staff, and individuals at the farm must participate. They must be complete drills which replicate an actual emergency.
2.) Drills must be documented, and analyzed for areas to improve.
3.) Once identified, a plan must be developed to implement improvements.
4.) Staff training day in February to provide ongoing training on evacuations.
5.) A review to ensure actions taken accomplished the intended results.

G Access to Emergency and Safety supplies.
1.). All staff must have current first aid training.
2.) First aid equipment and supplies must be in each work area, clearly marked with signage. The woodshop includes an eyewash station.
3.) Relevant emergency and medical information must be kept on all staff and individuals.
4.) Staff must be trained on emergency protocols for specific individuals with behavioural or seizure protocols.

H Written procedures for Critical Incidents.
1.)Specify the following.
Use of seclusion. N/A At Sunshine Farm we do not use seclusion.
Use of restraint. N/A At Sunshine Farm we do not use restraints.
Procedures for Incidents Involving Injury:
Procedures for Communicable Disease:
Procedures for Infection Control:
Procedures for Aggression or Violence:
Procedures for Use and Unauthorized Possession of Weapons:
Procedures for Wandering or Elopement:
Procedures for Vehicular Accidents:
Biohazardous Accidents
Procedures for Illegal Substances:
Abuse
Neglect
Suicide and Attempted Suicide
Sexual Assault
Overdose

2.) Written analyses of Critical Incidents. at least Annually,

a. Identify and document the root cause of each critical incident. Consider factors such as environmental conditions, human error, or systemic issues. Analyze whether these causes are recurring or isolated events.

b. Evaluate the data collected over the analysis period to identify patterns or trends. This might include the frequency of similar incidents, seasonal variations, or incidents involving specific populations or services. Trends should be supported by quantitative data whenever possible.

c. Based on the causes and trends, pinpoint specific areas within Sunshine Farm that require improvement. This could involve training gaps, procedural weaknesses, or resource shortages. Prioritize these areas based on their impact on safety and service quality.

d. Develop a concrete action plan to address the identified areas needing improvement. This plan should include specific steps, responsible personnel, and timelines for implementation. Actions could range from revising procedures and enhancing training to investing in new safety equipment or technology.

e. A post-implementation review will be conducted to determine whether the actions taken have achieved the desired outcomes. This review will compare the actual results against the intended goals.

f. Preventative measures will be integrated into Sunshine Farm’s standard operating procedures to minimize the risk of recurrence. This includes regular updates to risk assessments, and reinforcement of best practices through continuous training and feedback loops.

g. Where applicable, incidents and corrective actions will be reported to Community Living British Columbia in compliance with regulatory requirements. Sunshine Farm will maintain clear communication channels with external stakeholders and ensure timely submission of all required documentation.

Self Inspection of Facilities.

POLICY:
a. It is the policy of Sunshine Farm to pay ongoing attention to the health and safety of the environment. We have regular self-inspections of the overall safety of our facilities, conducted on a quarterly basis, and that recommendations resulting from self-inspections are corrected to ensure the safety of the persons served, staff members, and visitors. This quarterly self inspection is done by the Health and Safety Officer is scheduled and documented.

PROCEDURES:
A Inspections. The Safety Officer is responsible for completing quarterly self-inspection reports and submitting those reports to the Administrator.

1.) The Safety Officer will report on the results of the self-inspections, follow-up activities, and recommendations to the Administration to ensure that Sunshine Farm is utilizing the information to increase the level of safety.

2.) The safety officer will maintain a record of the self-inspection reports, including recommendations and corrections made. This record will be maintained in the safety binder.

3.) External inspection conducted annually as scheduled in the operational calendar.