(210 ILCS 45/3-206.05)

Sec. 3-206.05. Safe resident handling policy.

(a) In this Section:

"Health care worker" means an individual providing direct resident care services who may be required to lift, transfer, reposition, or move a resident.

"Nurse" means an advanced practice registered nurse, a registered nurse, or a licensed practical nurse licensed under the Nurse Practice Act.

"Safe lifting equipment and accessories" means mechanical equipment designed to lift, move, reposition, and transfer residents, including, but not limited to, fixed and portable ceiling lifts, sit-to-stand lifts, slide sheets and boards, slings, and repositioning and turning sheets.

"Safe lifting team" means at least 2 individuals who are trained and proficient in the use of both safe lifting techniques and safe lifting equipment and accessories.

"Adjustable equipment" means products and devices that may be adapted for use by individuals with physical and other disabilities in order to optimize accessibility. Adjustable equipment includes, but is not limited to, the following:

(1) Wheelchairs with adjustable footrest height and seat width and depth.

(2) Height-adjustable, drop-arm commode chairs and height-adjustable shower gurneys or shower benches to enable individuals with mobility disabilities to use a toilet and to shower safely and with increased comfort.

(3) Accessible weight scales that accommodate wheelchair users.

(4) Height-adjustable beds that can be lowered to accommodate individuals with mobility disabilities in getting in and out of bed and that utilize drop-down side railings for stability and positioning support.

(5) Universally designed or adaptable call buttons and motorized bed position and height controls that can be operated by persons with limited or no reach range, fine motor ability, or vision.

(6) Height-adjustable platform tables for physical therapy with drop-down side railings for stability and positioning support.

(7) Therapeutic rehabilitation and exercise machines with foot straps to secure the user's feet to the pedals and with cuffs or splints to augment the user's grip strength on handles.

(b) A facility must adopt and ensure implementation of a policy to identify, assess, and develop strategies to control risk of injury to residents and nurses and other health care workers associated with the lifting, transferring, repositioning, or movement of a resident. The policy shall establish a process that, at a minimum, includes all of the following:

(1) Analysis of the risk of injury to residents and nurses and other health care workers taking into account the resident handling needs of the resident populations served by the facility and the physical environment in which the resident handling and movement occurs.

(2) Education and training of nurses and other direct resident care providers in the identification, assessment, and control of risks of injury to residents and nurses and other health care workers during resident handling and on safe lifting policies and techniques and current lifting equipment.

(3) Evaluation of alternative ways to reduce risks associated with resident handling, including evaluation of equipment and the environment.

(4) Restriction, to the extent feasible with existing equipment and aids, of manual resident handling or movement of all or most of a resident's weight except for emergency, life-threatening, or otherwise exceptional circumstances.

(5) Procedures for a nurse to refuse to perform or be involved in resident handling or movement that the nurse in good faith believes will expose a resident or nurse or other health care worker to an unacceptable risk of injury.

(6) Development of strategies to control risk of injury to residents and nurses and other health care workers associated with the lifting, transferring, repositioning, or movement of a resident.

(7) In developing architectural plans for construction or remodeling of a facility or unit of a facility in which resident handling and movement occurs, consideration of the feasibility of incorporating resident handling equipment or the physical space and construction design needed to incorporate that equipment.

(8) Fostering and maintaining resident safety, dignity, self-determination, and choice, including the following policies, strategies, and procedures:

(A) The existence and availability of a trained safe lifting team.

(B) A policy of advising residents of a range of transfer and lift options, including adjustable diagnostic and treatment equipment, mechanical lifts, and provision of a trained safe lifting team.

(C) The right of a competent resident, or the guardian of a resident adjudicated incompetent, to choose among the range of transfer and lift options consistent with the procedures set forth under subdivision (b)(5) and the policies set forth under this paragraph (8), subject to the provisions of subparagraph (E) of this paragraph (8).

(D) Procedures for documenting, upon admission and as status changes, a mobility assessment and plan for lifting, transferring, repositioning, or movement of a resident, including the choice of the resident or the resident's guardian among the range of transfer and lift options.

(E) Incorporation of such safe lifting procedures, techniques, and equipment as are consistent with applicable federal law.

(c) Safe lifting teams must receive specialized, in-depth training that includes, but need not be limited to, the following:

(1) Types and operation of equipment.

(2) Safe manual lifting and moving techniques.

(3) Ergonomic principles in the assessment of risk both to nurses and other workers and to residents.

(4) The selection, safe use, location, and condition of appropriate pieces of equipment individualized to each resident's medical and physical conditions and preferences.

(5) Procedures for advising residents of the full range of transfer and lift options and for documenting individualized lifting plans that include resident choice.

Specialized, in-depth training may rely on federal standards and guidelines such as the United States Department of Labor Guidelines for Nursing Homes, supplemented by federal requirements for barrier removal, independent access, and means of accommodation optimizing independent movement and transfer.

(Source: P.A. 100-513, eff. 1-1-18.)