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Health & Safety Issue - CGM monitoring v Work Site Rules

H

H-Bomb

Newbie
i am recently diagnosed Type 1 & new to CGM devices. My work involves full days surveying storage terminals, mainly petroleum, jet fuels & hazardous chemical storage.
Site rules prevent me from taking a mobile phone on site as well as any finger prick measuring device. As a result i am unable to check by bloods unless i return each time to my car. my Libre 2 pod is viewed as a sealed medical device attached to me so its not a problem for them.

Am i protected under any health & safety legislation or disability discrimination which might allow me to take my phone with me to monitor my blood sugar levels?

any assistance is greatly appreciated

Regards

H
 
I don't know the exact answer to the question you asked. All these protections in H&S and disability discrimination law have limitations in given circumstances.

But a thought did occur - why not turn it round? Inform your employer that, as you cannot take your phone with you into these places, you now pose an unassessed health and safety risk in that you cannot monitor your BG and may hypo without being aware of it. That would be a risk to you and others. Your health condition is a protected characteristic, so the employer should not penalise you, because you are following their rules.

It of course depends on your employer being reasonable, and that can't be taken for granted.
 
If you are working in areas classified as hazardous areas under a code such as BS60079 then as you will know equipment brought regularly into those areas must be ATEX certified, and these items are not. You might be allowed by carrying a portable gas detector under a work permit on an occasional basis, but that's the area authority call and your employer can't oblige them to let you do so. If the sites don't have hazardous areas, then you might be able to negotiate, but it all depends on how likely you are to stray into hazardous areas inadvertently.

The libre is different, it has low voltage and so low risk potential, same reason you can now wear digital watches (but not smart watches) on site.

Your best bet is to ask your employer if they'd consider buying you an ATEX rated mobile for work, they exist and would solve this issue. On the plus side if you are surveying it gives you the ability to take photos without needing a work permit for bringing a camera on site.

Edit: didn't realise this was an old thread.
 
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