Senior administrators and managers may not encounter challenging behaviours as frequently as frontline staff, but their decisions are fundamental in maintaining workplace safety. While employers have the overall responsibility for ensuring a safe environment, the senior administrators and managers usually are the staff who identify and implement the strategies that directly increase staff safety.
BitePRO® has become one of these popular solutions for organisations across the world due to the effectiveness of protective clothing at safeguarding staff from workplace injuries caused by challenging behaviour. Our products are designed with the insights and feedback from the very people who wear them, instilling confidence in the management staff and employers that they are providing their teams with dependable, comfortable and functional protection.
Step 1. Risk Identification
Begin by understanding the specific behaviours that lead to safety risks for the frontline staff in your setting. Actively engaging with your frontline staff, who interact daily with individuals exhibiting challenging behaviour, is important. They can provide firsthand insights into the common aggressive, challenging behaviours that they face in the workplace. Here is an overview of some of the difficult and aggressive behaviour that poses significant safety risks in education, healthcare and caregiving settings:
- Biting: This behaviour can lead to severe bruising, broken skin, infection and the potential transmission of bloodborne diseases like hepatitis, posing significant health risks.
- Scratching: Scratching can cause painful cuts and infection if the skin is broken, putting staff at risk of further complications.
- Pinching: Pinching can result in painful bruising and even tissue damage for staff, particularly if performed with significant force.
- Head banging: Staff intervening to prevent individuals from harming themselves can accidentally be hit, leading to potential head, face, or body injuries.
- Punching and Kicking: Punching and kicking pose a high risk of causing bruises, cuts, or even fractures to staff, particularly if forceful and landing on sensitive areas
A collaborative approach between administrative staff, leadership and frontline staff is what allows direct experiences to directly inform the protective measures that organisations implements. We have observed that many frontline staff might not report an incident if they perceive it as minor. Still, these seemingly minor incidents are often a symptom of greater underlying organisational risks. Enhancing communication and providing clear guidelines on reporting all incidents can ensure that minor issues are addressed before escalating.
Step 2. Selecting Protective Clothing
The BitePRO® catalogue is a comprehensive resource that provides detailed product information, including technical specifications. It's available for download as a PDF, making it easy to share with your team and discuss options collectively. The catalogue also features images, detailed descriptions, and a size guide for each item. Similarly, our website is valuable for learning more about the BitePRO® range. Many of our products have an accompanying video in the product descriptions on the website, so you can get a better feel for how the products look.
Here is a brief overview of the BitePRO® range:
- Arm Guards: The arms are often the target of aggressive incidents, which is why Arm Guards are such an integral part of our range. Our Arm Guards come with varying levels of coverage, with some offering forearm protection, and others offering full arm protection.
- Added Protection Arm Guards: Our Added Protection Arm Guards feature a layer of compression-deflecting foam, offering the highest level of arm protection in our range. They are designed to protect against blunt force trauma and reduce the risk of bruising after bites.
- Gloves: The hands have one of the highest risks of infection after a bite injury due to their many joints and tendons. They are also frequently at risk of bite injuries due to how close they come to their mouths during tasks like feeding and giving medication. BitePRO® Gloves provide the hands with comprehensive protection without compromising the functionality of the hands and fingers.
- Upper Body Protection: The range of upper body protection offers significantly more coverage than arm guards, which can give staff further peace of mind and protect the chest, back, and shoulders from potential harm. Feedback from our users highlights the popularity of products like the BitePRO® Turtleneck Jacket, which has a functional design that blends into professional environments.
- Chest Protector: The Chest Protector is designed to protect a vulnerable body area and features a layer of compression-deflecting foam that reduces the impact of a blunt force on the chest. It also helps prevent and mitigate grabbing, pinching, and biting behaviour targeted at the chest area.
- Lower Body Protection: The legs are a particularly vulnerable part of the body in specialist care and educational settings, primarily because when a staff member is standing, their legs are at the eye level of young children and individuals seated or lying down. BitePRO® lower body clothing helps to prevent injuries that could impair movement and affect the ability to perform duties safely and effectively.
Our experienced and friendly sales team is exceptionally knowledgeable in the challenges faced by healthcare and educational organisations regarding staff safety. Understanding these challenges allows us to offer protection solutions that meet the specific needs of your staff. If you're considering protective apparel for your team, don't hesitate to contact us. You can reach our sales team via email at info@bite-pro.com or +44 (0) 1423 863 790. We are more than happy to discuss your specific safety concerns and requirements. We encourage large organisations to meet with us via video call so that we can showcase our product range to your entire team - please email us to set this up.
If your organisation is considering trialing any BitePRO® products, we strongly encourage you to contact us first. Our sales team can provide tailored recommendations based on your unique circumstances and needs.
If you know which products you need to protect your staff, we encourage you to order directly through our website. Our online ordering process is streamlined and user-friendly, ensuring you can easily secure the necessary protection for your team.
