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22 Example of risk assessment
This is an example of a basic risk assessment of a bed rail installation for an adult. It
should not be adopted or used without adequate consideration of a specific bed
occupant's needs and local policies and may need to be preceded by an assessment
of whether rails are necessary at all. A separate checklist would be necessary for a
child or very small adult user.
The checklist should be used in conjunction with the guidance in this document,
together with the judgement of the nurse, therapist, user and carer involved.
Is the bed rail to be used with an adult-sized user (i.e. a patient taller than
1.46m/4'11'')?
Has the bed rail been inspected and maintained regularly, if previously
used?
Does the manufacturer/supplier provide any information on special
considerations or contra-indications?
Do you have enough information from the supplier to be able to select and
fit the bed rail appropriately?
Is the bed rail suitable for the intended bed, according to the supplier's
instructions?
Do the fittings or mattress allow the bed rail to be fitted to the bed securely,
so that there is no excessive movement?
Does the benefit of any special or extra mattress outweigh any increased
entrapment risk by the bed rails created by extra compression at the
mattress edge?
Does the bed rail height take into account any increased mattress thickness
or additional overlay?
Have you made sure that there are no gaps present that could present an
entrapment risk to any part of patient's body?
between the bars of the bed rails? 120 mm max
through any gap between the bed rail and side of the mattress?
through the gap between the lower bed rail bar and the mattress
platform, allowing for compression of the mattress at its edge?
Is the headboard to bed rail end gap appropriate?
'Yes' boxes indicate the desired outcome. If any 'No' box has been ticked, there may
be a serious risk of entrapment with the proposed combination. Review immediately.
Risk assessments should be carried out before use and then reviewed and
recorded after each significant change in the bed occupant's condition,
replacement of any part of the equipment combination and regularly during its
period of use, according to local policy.
Issue 3: 20/04/20
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