Home Care Safety: Top Safety Tips for Home Healthcare Workers
Providing healthcare never has to be a choice between safety and the mission to care for others. Protect your workforce with the industry’s leading safety technology.
The home healthcare industry is experiencing dramatic growth. The global market size for home healthcare was $416.4 billion in 2024, and is expected to rise to $747.7 billion by 2030.
This growth is consistent with the fact that people around the world prefer to remain in their homes whenever possible. In fact, 88% of Americans wish to receive home healthcare instead of having to move to a nursing facility or senior community.
While the familiar surroundings bring comfort to patients, the uncontrolled environments present critical home care safety risks for lone workers, including visiting nurses, social workers, and on-site care coordinators.
Unlike hospitals and clinics that have built-in safety measures and security staff, home healthcare settings are unpredictable and largely unregulated.
Workers operate in isolation where they could face hostile family members, dangerous pets, and other safety risks. According to the National Library of Medicine, “61% of home health care workers…report experiencing physical assaults from patients.” Risks to worker safety have a negative impact on turnover and retention, but can also lead to substantial financial consequences through injury treatments and lost productivity.
In this article, we explore comprehensive home care safety solutions, looking at specific risks home care workers face, strategies for improving protection, and how advanced technology transforms worker safety into a real-time process that inspires confidence in the front-line workforce of this rapidly growing industry.
Top Risks Facing Home Health Workers
As OSHA documents, home health aides face an expanse of different threats, including exposure to bloodborne pathogens, patient lifting injuries, and violence that ranges the spectrum from verbal abuse to homicide.
Physical Hazards
The most common home health worker injuries are back and body strains that occur when handling patients without the proper equipment or assistance that would be standard in a hospital setting.
Patient care becomes more dangerous when individuals are combative, confused, or resistant to treatment.
These workers regularly handle needles and medical waste and draw blood, exposing them to bloodborne pathogens in an environment that may lack standardized disposal.
The environment itself may present dangers, where uneven flooring, wet surfaces, and household clutter lead to slips and falls.
Environmental Hazards
Every home presents different conditions that can place health workers at risk. Poor lighting compromises safe navigation and execution of medical procedures. Hostile pets often become aggressive when protecting owners or when they are afraid of a stranger entering their territory. Air quality can also be a health concern in homes where a smoker is present.
Violence and Security Risks
Home healthcare workers operate without institutional workplace violence prevention measures, exposing them to higher risks to their physical safety. They may experience dangerous encounters with individuals who are not their patients, those partaking in illegal activities, or using illegal substances.
They could be working in homes that are geographically isolated, delaying response time to emergencies. In high-crime areas, workers often hide their phones to prevent theft, which further places them at risk of limited emergency communications.
Emotional and Behavioral Strain
When considering safety for home healthcare workers, it’s easy to overlook the psychological toll patient care takes on individuals who work long hours in professional isolation. These workers navigate complex patient family dynamics on their own. They balance physical demands, safety, and emotional isolation without the protocols and readily available assistance found in hospital settings.
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Protecting Lone Workers in Home Health and Social Services
How Organizations Can Improve Safety
Employers and employees share responsibility for maintaining mechanical safety. Workplaces become safer when everyone involved closely follows industry standard protocol and maintains reliable daily safety habits.
Leadership Accountability and Commitment
Leaders can show their commitment to worker safety, starting with resource allocation. By dedicating funds to lone worker safety technology and developing policies that prioritize worker safety, organizations create a culture where every individual feels valued and protected.
From top executives to workplace safety managers, organizations should ensure that knowledge of safety is part of performance reviews, so workers are trained to deal with incidents proactively before they escalate into dangerous situations.
Comprehensive Safety Protocols and Training
Thorough protocols and training help workers navigate unpredictable environments and respond effectively to threats when they emerge.
These safeguards should include:
- Hazard assessments prior to visiting patients on site
- Standardized safety checklists
- De-escalation training
- Situational awareness training
- Buddy system procedures
- Scheduled check-ins
- GPS-enabled safety monitoring and response processes
- Discreet Panic/Duress Button
Advanced Communication and Monitoring Systems
In addition to manual procedures, organizations need to make use of technology that improves monitoring and real-time communications. When workers are connected to a support team and effective emergency response technology, they aren’t just safer on the job: They are able to serve patients with a greater sense of confidence and empowerment.
Technology's Role in Protecting Workers
Advanced technology is required to provide the support and protection home healthcare workers require. Traditional safety protocols aren’t enough. Workers need real-time, immediate emergency response capabilities.
Comprehensive Safety Technology
Becklar’s Digital PPE™ platform delivers the protection needed. Reliable 24/7 cloud infrastructure ensures workers are always supported throughout every shift.
The platform provides peace of mind to your workforce, which builds loyalty and long-term retention.
WorkerSafety Pro Mobile Application
The WorkerSafety Pro app delivers critical safety features for lone workers in healthcare through an intuitive mobile interface, providing:
- Scheduled check-ins with supervisors
- A panic button with single-touch emergency response activation
- Fall detection with immediate emergency response
- Team-wide rapid alert communications
Discreet Safety Devices
Becklar’s wearable safety devices let workers signal for help without escalating dangerous situations, in the form of a Bluetooth-connected panic button together with our mobile app or our stand-alone cellular device.
Integrated Safety Dashboard
Supervisors have real-time visibility across their entire workforce, so they can monitor every worker’s safety, proactively intervene when necessary, and prevent escalations.
24/7 Professional Monitoring
ecklar also offers optional professional monitoring centers, where trained specialists coordinate emergency assistance 24/7.
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Protecting Lone Workers in Home Health and Social Services
Choose Becklar for Your Home Health Workers
Building an effective and proactive culture of safety and support requires the right technology. Becklar’s Workforce Safety platform is the comprehensive solution for home healthcare workers, integrating mobile applications, discreet wearable devices, satellite communications, and 24/7 professional monitoring into a unified safety ecosystem.
Prevent incidents from escalating with proactive monitoring, so help is always within reach, no matter the circumstance.
Protect Your Workers Today
Providing healthcare never has to be a choice between safety and the mission to care for others. Protect your workforce with the industry’s leading safety technology.
Book your demo to discover how Becklar can transform safety in your organization today.