Reports in 2020 show there are over 34 million Americans living with diabetes in the United States. November has been designated as American Diabetes Month. During this month many associations bring more awareness to the diabetes epidemic through education. Communities come together to provide resources and tools to those living with diabetes and to those who help people living with the incurable disease.

Especially now, while we are still fighting a pandemic, those living with diabetes are at greater risk of health complications if they are infected with Covid-19. It's important for those who are managing diabetes to take extra precautions and preventative measures to protect themselves from getting severely ill.

Self-Managing Diabetes

There are several daily self-checks that the CDC recommends for those who are managing diabetes, which can be overwhelming. Daily monitoring can include blood sugar checks, insulin injections, checking your feet for swelling, sores, or other changes, taking prescribed medications, and more. A person trying to manage some of these self-checks while at work can be difficult if they feel like there aren't any reasonable accommodations in the workplace. These accommodations could be minor changes in the workplace an employer can make but can make all the difference for a diabetic doing their best to manage the disease and succeed at their job.

A Diabetic-Friendly Workplace

As an employer, there are steps you can take to assist an employee managing their diabetes feel comfortable in the workplace and enable employees to be more productive while they're working. Simple modifications such as installing a secure disposable sharps container wall mount can help employees safely discard their diabetic needles. Needs and accommodations may vary from employee to employee. Here are some more suggestions from the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission as an employer that you can do to help make a diabetic-friendly workplace,

• Designate a private area to test their blood sugar levels or manage insulin injections
• A place to rest until blood sugar levels become normal
• Breaks as needed to eat or drink, take medication, or test blood sugar levels

More ideas can be found at www.eeoc.gov.

Implementing A Sharps Safety Program for Diabetic Employees

Here at Biomedical Waste Services, Inc. (BWS) we have over 45 years of experience safely collecting, transporting, and disposing of regulated medical waste and managing workplace compliance solutions for a variety of industries in the mid-Atlantic area, including Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C., Delaware, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Over the years BWS has continued to support community needs for safe sharps disposal. We've partnered with many employers, government agencies, and other facilities to create and implement a sharps safety program within the workplace to help towards providing a diabetic-friendly and inclusive workplace. Call or contact us today to see how we can partner to provide your workplace disposable sharps container supply with secure wall mounts for safe and reliable disposal.

References:

National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2020

https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/features/diabetes-stat-report.html

Covid-19: People with Certain Medical Conditions

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html

Diabetes in the Workplace and the ADA

https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/diabetes-workplace-and-ada

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