Work-Site Safety Concerns & Reporting

Homecare Workers (HCWs), Personal Support Workers (PSWs), and Personal Care Attendants (PCAs) provide services in private homes and community settings. Providers may sometimes encounter unsafe conditions, threatening behavior, suspected abuse, or other serious concerns.

The correct response depends on what is happening:

• Immediate danger or an active emergency: Move to a safer location if you can do so safely and call 911.

• Suspected abuse or neglect: Call the Oregon abuse-reporting hotline at 855-503-SAFE (7233).

• Unsafe or unhealthy working conditions, dangerous behavior, threats, or possible criminal activity: Submit the official OHCC health-and-safety report.

• A non-emergency concern about authorized services, the service plan, or working arrangements: Contact the responsible case manager, personal agent, services coordinator, brokerage, ODHS or Area Agency on Aging office, or PCA program.

• An injury that happened while working: Follow the steps on MHC’s Injured on the Job? page.

Do not remain in immediate danger to complete a task, gather evidence, or finish a shift. Your immediate safety comes first.

Immediate Danger or an Active Emergency

Call 911 when someone is being hurt, a serious threat is occurring, or there is an immediate risk of injury.

Examples may include:

✓ Physical violence or an active assault
✓ A weapon or credible threat involving a weapon
✓ Threats of immediate serious harm
✓ A fire, medical emergency, or dangerous environmental condition
✓ Criminal activity creating an immediate safety risk
✓ A situation in which you or another person cannot safely remain at the location

Move to a safer location if you can do so without increasing the danger. Do not attempt to physically intervene, restrain someone, or investigate the situation unless you are trained, authorized, and able to do so safely.

After the immediate emergency has been addressed, notify the appropriate program representative and complete any required safety, incident, or workers’ compensation reports.

Suspected Abuse or Neglect

If you reasonably suspect that a child, an older adult, or a vulnerable adult is being abused, neglected, or financially exploited, call:

Oregon Abuse Reporting Hotline
855-503-SAFE (7233)
Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year

If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 first.

You do not need to investigate or prove that abuse occurred before making a report. Be prepared to share what you personally saw, heard, or were told, including:

✓ The person’s name, age, and location, if known
✓ What happened or caused your concern
✓ When and where it occurred
✓ Whether anyone is currently in danger
✓ Information about other people who may know what happened

Some providers may have mandatory-reporting responsibilities under Oregon law. Follow the requirements and training that apply to your provider role and program. Reporting the concern to a supervisor, case manager, personal agent, or services coordinator may not replace a legally required report to the proper authority.

Unsafe or Unhealthy Work-Site Conditions

Use the official OHCC health-and-safety reporting form for non-emergency concerns involving:

✓ Unsafe or unhealthy conditions in the home or work setting
✓ Dangerous or escalating behavior
✓ Threats of harm
✓ Suspected criminal activity affecting workplace safety
✓ Hazards that could injure the provider or another person
✓ Repeated safety concerns that have not been resolved

Describe the situation accurately and include relevant details such as the location, date, people involved, what occurred, and whether the concern is continuing.

The OHCC reporting form is not an emergency service. Call 911 if someone is in immediate danger. Call 855-503-SAFE (7233) when you suspect abuse or neglect.

You may also need to notify the consumer’s case manager, personal agent, services coordinator, brokerage, ODHS or Area Agency on Aging office, or PCA program so the service plan and working arrangements can be reviewed.

Non-Emergency Service or Work Arrangement Concerns

Contact the program representative responsible for the consumer when a concern involves:

✓ Authorized duties or hours
✓ A service plan, task list, or service agreement
✓ A schedule or working arrangement that may be unsafe
✓ A request to perform work that is not authorized
✓ A change in the consumer’s needs or condition
✓ A recurring problem that may require changes to the service plan
✓ Uncertainty about whether you should continue providing a particular service

Depending on the provider type, contact:

• HCWs: The consumer’s case manager or local ODHS or Area Agency on Aging office

• PSWs: The consumer’s personal agent, services coordinator, brokerage, Community Developmental Disabilities Program, or CIIS program

• PCAs: The consumer’s behavioral-health representative, PCA Program, or Comagine Health, as applicable

Clearly describe the concern and ask what steps you should take. Do not perform duties that are outside your authorization, qualifications, or approved service documentation.

Documenting and Following Up on a Safety Concern

After you are safe, make a factual written record of the concern when appropriate.

Include:

✓ The date, time, and location
✓ What you personally saw, heard, or experienced
✓ Who was present
✓ Any immediate action you took
✓ Who you contacted and when
✓ Instructions or follow-up information you received
✓ Whether the concern is continuing

Keep your description objective. Separate what you personally observed from information another person told you.

Do not place confidential consumer information on social media or share it with people who are not involved in addressing the concern. Store any records according to your program’s documentation requirements.

If the concern continues or becomes more serious, contact the responsible program representative again and use the appropriate official reporting route. Call 911 if the situation becomes an immediate emergency.

If You Are Injured

A safety report does not automatically start a workers’ compensation claim.

If you are injured while performing authorized work:

✓ Get emergency medical help when needed
✓ Tell your consumer-employer as soon as possible
✓ Report the work injury promptly
✓ Tell your medical provider that the injury happened while you were working
✓ Follow the workers’ compensation claim instructions for HCWs, PSWs, and PCAs

Use MHC’s Injured on the Job? page for the workers’ compensation contacts, forms, and filing steps.

You may need to complete both a health-and-safety report and a workers’ compensation claim because they serve different purposes.

If You Are Unsure Where to Start

If there is no immediate danger and you are uncertain which reporting route applies, contact OHCC Customer Relations:

Phone: 877-624-6080
Email: ohcc.customerrelations@odhs.oregon.gov

Explain that you are an HCW, PSW, or PCA and briefly describe the type of safety concern. Do not send Social Security numbers, banking information, medical records, or other unnecessary confidential information by email.

You may also use MHC’s Provider & Program Contacts directory to locate the appropriate office or program for the consumer you support.