• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Accommodating a Diabetic at Work

B

Bellwood

Member
Messages
5
Hi,

A diabetic member of staff is joining us and has requested a lockable insulin fridge. I am eager to provide this but cannot seem to find anything suitable online. Does anyone have any advice about where to find something like this?
 
why does he/she need a fridge? Insulin pen that has been in use doesn't need to stay in the fridge unless youre somewhere in a very hot climate
 
ewelina said:
why does he/she need a fridge? Insulin pen that has been in use doesn't need to stay in the fridge unless youre somewhere in a very hot climate
Click to expand...

It could be handy to have some insulin permanently as spare.

I've always brought any spares needed with me on a day but I guess on rare occasions where there's a worry that current insulin has spoiled or a dropped pen and broken cartridge, having a spare could be useful.
 
ewelina said:
why does he/she need a fridge? Insulin pen that has been in use doesn't need to stay in the fridge unless youre somewhere in a very hot climate
Click to expand...

We're based in England, so not very hot at all! I'm not sure why, I really don't know very much about insulin and the use of it and I'm not sure what type/kind/severity of diabetes our new team member has. I'm sure they have their reasons, perhaps as Alaska says they need spare supplies?
 
Bellwood said:
Hi,

A diabetic member of staff is joining us and has requested a lockable insulin fridge. I am eager to provide this but cannot seem to find anything suitable online. Does anyone have any advice about where to find something like this?
Click to expand...


I must say this seems rather excessive. If the employee is overly concerned about this, they should buy a cool bag. I use one when travelling. At work, if I require spares, I just keep it in a regular fridge, in a box. The pen in use can be kept in the room temperature.

Maybe it would be worth doing some research about insulin and enquiring about why that fridge was requested?
 
Bellwood said:
Hi,

A diabetic member of staff is joining us and has requested a lockable insulin fridge. I am eager to provide this but cannot seem to find anything suitable online. Does anyone have any advice about where to find something like this?
Click to expand...

Does this job include accommodation?
 
You have to enable the new member to manage their diabetes in a way that does not cause them problems. You may get comments from other team members about testing etc. so it would be a good idea to have a team meeting. If someone has profound objections you might have to have somewhere that the new member can go to inject. The toilet is not recommended for sanitary reasons.
 
I've never needed a fridge for insulin at work.

When travelling and staying away for quite a while then I will try and arrange one but never used one at work.

Probably worth double checking with them to be honest.

/A
 
Snd23 said:
At work, if I require spares, I just keep it in a regular fridge, in a box. The pen in use can be kept in the room temperature.
Click to expand...

Can I ask how many people have access to your regular fridge. Maybe the new person is concerned about that.
 
Squire Fulwood said:
Can I ask how many people have access to your regular fridge. Maybe the new person is concerned about that.
Click to expand...

My department has quite a few employees within it.

I guess that depends where you work. Personally, working in a law firm, I trust my work colleagues who take my illness seriously, not to misuse my medication.

Plus, like mentioned above by myself and other users, insulin in use can be kept at regular temperatures.
 
I think I should state my interest in this since I am not taking insulin and I am a T2. When at work I was a staff manager and I had diabetics on the staff. If I knew then what I know now I would have bought them a lockable fridge from my own money and installed it in a room where they could go and inject. Does anybody else not want that?
 
Squire Fulwood said:
I think I should state my interest in this since I am not taking insulin and I am a T2. When at work I was a staff manager and I had diabetics on the staff. If I knew then what I know now I would have bought them a lockable fridge from my own money and installed it in a room where they could go and inject. Does anybody else not want that?
Click to expand...

Guess if there are several employees who could benefit from this, it could be a good idea. First aid room is a must! I also benefit from a sharps bin. Fridge, in my opinion is not necessary. Maybe going an extra mile to provide some lucozade would be useful. I carry them back and forth every day!
 
catherinecherub said:
Does this job include accommodation?
Click to expand...

No, accommodation is not included but it is full time so I suppose spare insulin would be a good idea.

The fridges in their building are used by a lot of people, that may be why they'd like their own separate fridge - I imagine it would only take one person to accidentally drop a box of insulin when moving things around to ruin it. As it is we have the funds in place to get a lockable fridge, it was just that I didn't want to buy the wrong thing and get something unusable :-)

Thank you all very much for your input on this, it's good to hear 'from the horses mouth' what is/isn't helpful for diabetics. Thankfully we have a very supportive workplace - many people have severe allergies and other medical considerations and management always do their best to accommodate people.
 
Why not. Lucozade costs little and the diabetics can manage stock rotation. I think it likely that a sharps bin could be managed with the help of a local surgery. Go for it.
 
A fridge is not required I can assure you. Sounds as if your prospective employee doesn't understand how to store their insulin. IMHO I would respectfully suggest they purchased a frio wallet if they that concerned about their insulin temp.
 
Bellwood said:
No, accommodation is not included but it is full time so I suppose spare insulin would be a good idea.

The fridges in their building are used by a lot of people, that may be why they'd like their own separate fridge - I imagine it would only take one person to accidentally drop a box of insulin when moving things around to ruin it. As it is we have the funds in place to get a lockable fridge, it was just that I didn't want to buy the wrong thing and get something unusable :)

Thank you all very much for your input on this, it's good to hear 'from the horses mouth' what is/isn't helpful for diabetics. Thankfully we have a very supportive workplace - many people have severe allergies and other medical considerations and management always do their best to accommodate people.
Click to expand...
You are a lovely employer :) Hope more like you around
 
Back
Top