Elves on the Shelves — And the Winner Is…
The holiday season at Menno was filled with creativity, laughter, and a whole lot of elf mischief during our Elves on the Shelves challenge! From clever hiding spots to humorous day-to-day scenarios, the elves on display truly captured the spirit of the season.
Congratulations to our one lucky winner of the safety hamper — Rajpinder Garcha!
Thank you to all the participants who helped make this challenge a success and contributed to making Menno a warmer, safer, and more joyful place during the holidays. Your creativity, attention to detail, and holiday cheer stood out and helped make this challenge such a success. As always, we look forward to more fun, safe, and engaging wellness and safety activities in the months ahead.
Health & Safety Considerations (Elf Display Risks)
While Elves on the Shelves is meant to be lighthearted and fun, applying a safety lens ensures everyone, staff members, and residents, remain safe during seasonal activities. The following risks were identified as important considerations:
- Slips, Trips, and Falls
- Elves placed near water, spills, or “elf in a puddle” scenes may create slip hazards.
- Clutter on the floor or in walkways can increase trip risks, please be mindful of where you are walking and if there are any form of trip hazards on your route.
- Proper shoes are important when you are working in areas with higher risk of spills; this may include water, chemicals, ice in the parking lot or walkways. Please ensure your shoes for work have treads and are compliant for the special needs of your work areas.
- Over-Stretching or Reaching and Lifting
- Staff may over-stretch or reach awkwardly to place boxes and supplies in higher locations, increasing the risk of strains or falls.
- Ask for help if you cannot reach something you need. A few more minutes is worth the wait when your safety is in question.
- Remember to lift only items that you can carry comfortably. Don’t stack them too high. You always want to see clearly and as far as possible.
- Please be reminded of these two rules when trying to obtain items from heights beyond your reach:
- Weight Distribution: Always place the heaviest, largest items on the bottom shelves to ensure stability.
- Accessibility: Avoid overloading top shelves with heavy items; keep them at waist-level for easy lifting.
- Equipment Hazards
- Use of step stools, carts, or ladders to place items on shelves can pose fall risks if not used properly.
- Improvised equipment or unstable surfaces increase injury risk. Do not use chairs as step stools.
- Ensure the area surrounding the equipment is hazard free. You don’t want boxes and other items impacting a safe dismount from the equipment you are using.
- Obstructed Work Areas
- Obstructions near medical equipment, carts, doorways, or emergency exits may interfere with safe operations.
- Keep work areas clutter free and clean.
- Ensure you put supplies and equipment back where you found them to ensure nothing is out of place and creates an unintentional hazard.
- Resident Safety & Dignity
- Items placed within resident reach could become choking hazards or be mistaken for personal belongings.
- Displays should never compromise resident privacy or care activities.
- Always ensure visual reminders are placed near items that are meant to be looked at and not touched. Visual reminders such as signs and posters are great ways to keep safety top of mind.
- Electrical & Fire Risks
- Cords, outlets, or equipment may interfere with safe use of equipment or create hazards.
- Remember to check cords before you plug anything into an outlet. Any damaged cords should be reported as a safety hazard and the item should not be use.
🔔 Safety Reminder:
Always set up equipment safely, avoid workarounds that require climbing or over-reaching, and ensure care areas, walkways, and emergency routes remain clear at all times.
Our elves are gone for a year, and hopefully they will be back next year with more safety tips.
Just a reminder of our mischievous elves below:
