WorkSafe NZ faults disability care providers for not providing baths to the disabled

WorkSafe New Zealand is warning disability care providers not to sacrifice the dignity of those they care for to manage health and safety.

Last year, anintellectual disabilities service provider was sentenced following the death of a Taranaki woman in 2016. The woman drowned after being left alone in a bath.

WorkSafe says some providers no longer provide baths to those living with disability due to health and safety concerns.

"Providers not providing baths due to safety concerns suggests they've missed the point following WorkSafe's successful prosecution over a tragic drowning incident," says WorkSafe Chief Executive Phil Parkes.

"Providers are obligated to manage risks arising from work with disabled people, and organisations can achieve this by having good systems, processes and capability in their work environments, rather than taking services away from their clients.

For more on this story, go to WorkSafe New Zealand website.