Boss employing disabled person.

[Flowersonethewall]

I can't even believe i am writing this but her goes.

It has come to my bosses attention that he may get grants for employing a disabled worker. Fair enough.
The person she has picked though is completely wrong for the job.
We do a lot of heavy lifting and manual work. We also cut glass, wood etc..
The gentleman she has employed cannot do this jobs due to his disability. Their is literally nothing the poor man can do.
He can't be left alone either because its a dangerous place and he likes to touch things!
How the hell do i approach my boss without sounding like i'm discriminating which i'm not. I'm just concerned for his safety and my own.

[Flowersonethewall]

No Badtime. I haven't done any of those.
I don't know delighted, i haven't even met her! The boss deals with everything. I have met his dad though because i walk him to his dads car after his shift.

I just want him to be safe, that's it. I would be gutted if he hurt himself on my watch.

[Flowersonethewall]

I'm on my break at the moment, so i'll probably go off line soon so don't thinking i'm ignoring any replies

[Pigsmummy]

I would have a word with your boss, ask him what role he has employed the man to do, how he is expecting him to do the work and voice your concerns, follow up in writing. From a health and safety point of view this job doesn't sound like a good fit and as his supervisor it does sit with you to raise the concern.

Offer to show the support worker the working environment and duties expected to be carried out?

[Flowersonethewall]

He's doing a retail NVQ, English and Maths.

I don't even know how much he gets paid or anything. He just appeared one day and my boss told me i was his supervisor. That was it.
No training nothing.

[poopooheadwillyfatface]

are you actually in a supervisory role in your job, or just a worker who has been picked to supervise him?
The reason I ask is, if you are a supervisor then arrange a meeting with his support worker and him to discuss his role and what tasks are suitable.
And as everyone who has done as many health and safety courses as me knows, it is everyone's responsibility and if the op gas identified a hazard she is duty bound to flag it up.

[ouryve]

You need to request a meeting between you, your boss, the new worker and their support person that addresses the training that the worker needs and the help that you need to support them with this training. It's no more fair on the worker than it is on you for them to be thrown in at the deep end and left to get on with it, here. It may simply be that you need some straightforward adjustments to the shop floor, such as simple visual safety reminders regarding health and safety, who operates certain equipment and when. Or it may be that your boss is taking the piss and the support person thinks the new worker is mostly office based. You need to thrash this out and make sure that no one is left unsupported, though.

[Flowersonethewall]

Thanks Pigsmummy.
He's basically supposed to lump big lots of wood about etc.. onto the shop floor. He can't as he really struggles.
He can't work the till either which won't help his NVQ.

[badtime]

So basically, your boss has just given you supervisory responsibility, and moreover this responsibility is for a person who has physical and other disabilities which make it difficult and unsafe for him to do his job, has given you no support or training AND expects you to still do your job as if nothing had changed?

I don't know what you need to do here, but your boss is being very unreasonable.

[Flowersonethewall]

Poopoo i only supervise his, nobody else. I have no clue what i'm doing.

[bellasuewow]

Make sure you report it as a health and safety concern op, your boss may not be being vigilant, how would you feel if you had not reported it and he hurt himself or came to some serious harm you Ross may say she was unaware and blame it on you health and safety is everyone's concern and responsibility and you all have a duty of care to each other forget about disability or office politics if health and safety is concerned and preferably put your concerns in a email so you are covered if anything happens. She should carry out a full risk assessment and have an oh assessment as well before his start date so that the necessary adjustments if reasonable can be made.

[ouryve]

You need to find out if physical adjustments could be made, as well, then. Is he able to put a lump of wood onto a trolley, then move it on the trolley, for example?

[Flowersonethewall]

Our we do have an office so that has made me think!

[Flowersonethewall]

I'm going to speak to my boss when i get back. I'm not happy at all but i don't want the bloke to think the complaint is about him.

[Lilicat1013]

Could you ask your boss if you could have a meeting with the new employee and the new employee's support person to help you make the appropriate adjustments?

You could then outline what your day to day work is like and ask if there is any adjustments they think would be helpful. Then you could politely mention things you have noticed and ask what you think would be help in those situations in the future.

At this point the new employee's support person might realise their current placement is inappropriate and take action. If they don't hopefully they should help you with a plan to ensure safety in the workplace.

[PeterParkerSays]

I've only recruited disabled people who have applied for a post as part of an open recruitment field, been interviewed as they met the essential criteria and interviewed better than anyone else. I get the impression that this wasn't the case for your new staff member. What job has he been appointed to do? Do he have a job description? If he doesn't, ask your boss for one. You can't supervise anyone's work or assess anyone's performance, disabled or otherwise, unless you have a job description to compare their work to.

Your boss does know that Access to Work grants are to pay for assistive equipment for the person, doesn't she? Large monitor screen, wheelchair ramps etc to help make the workplace or job more accessible.

I'm not aware of any grants that an employer gets just for being nice and employing a disabled person.

[ParsingFancy]

Ohhh, is this the Work Programme? Mandatory Work Activity for disabled people who've already been found not fit to work?

I think the boss might indeed get paid just for taking part, not for making adaptations.

Things might have changed, but certainly when first planned these had huge grey areas round Health & Safety. The person assigning them to the firm has no medical knowledge or ability to properly assess risk; the worker isn't an employee so no one knows what legislation covers them or who is actually responsible for them.

[ouryve]

That's really is rather frightening, isn't it, Parsing? Let's take a bunch of the most vulnerable people in society and put them in a position where they will be even more vulnerable. Grand :(

[motherinferior]

Ah, that makes sense, PF. But stresses, again, the need for the poor bloke to get support and for the poor OP not to be plunged into something like this!

[motherinferior]

Also suggests his support worker may not be all that hot too.

Hmmm.

[ParsingFancy]

I don't know current details, so might be wrong.

But this is absolutely the scenario that's been on the cards for disabled people under the Work Programme (or whatever it's called this week) since the start.

[Dromedary]

If you're in charge of supervising him and there is a genuine health and safety risk because of his disability, then I would report it to your boss in writing. Worst case scenario someone could get seriously injured (and you would probably then be blamed). You should just make a brief factual report. It is then up to your boss to see whether adjustments can be made to enable your colleague to work safely.

[DelightedIAm]

OP, can you talk to his Father and explain what is going on?

[UriGeller]

If he needs help then I'd have assumed his support staff would accompany him to work to assist and keep him safe.

(although this isn't likely to actually happen given that the care company would have to fund the extra hours of course)

[Inertia]

I think you absolutely need to report (to your boss, in writing) your concerns about the health and safety of this gentleman , and any possible health and safety concerns for co-workers or customers. I would emphasise that he has not had adequate training to guarantee that he can do XYZ parts of the job safely, and that you have not had the training to supervise him- and as he requires constant supervision for his safety, for half your working day you are not able to complete your own work.

I would ask that if you are expected to supervise him then you would like to see the details of the risk assessment that your boss has had carried out , and any details of adaptations made or Occupational Health advice which you need to know about to do your job. You also need to be trained to act as a supervisor.

Are you in a union? If so I would contact them for advice.

I'd also consider making an enquiry with the HSE or whichever body is relevant to your workplace- they have this list on their website.

You seem to have acquired a responsibility to keep this man safe in a dangerous workplace- getting that right needs to be the first priority, and you need to have that in writing. I'd also have a quiet word with his dad. It would concern me that someone whose additional needs are so great that he needs to be escorted to his dad's car is working in a dangerous environment .

[DelightedIAm]

OP I also learned from anther thread there is a safeguarding adults team, you could contact them with your concerns about this Man, to make sure he is safeguarded.