Spillage
Secondly immediately on entering the canteen I noticed a rather large drink spillage which was right in the path of service users wanting to walk to get food, this is a serious hazard. Service users were at risk of slipping and falling over the spillage, most at risk were the blind service users as there would be unable to see the spillage also at more at risk are the older service users are they injure more when they fall however all the service users were at risk of injuring themselves. The risk could be minimised by firstly putting up a sign to show wet floor or cordoning the spillage off and then as soon as possible cleaning the spillage up completely however leaving the wet floor sign up as the floor may still be damp.
Table to close
Further into the canteen I noticed it was a struggle to get through the table as they were extremely close together, I had to move chairs and ask people to tuck themselves in whilst I got past. This is a hazard for service users with sight problems as they will not be able to navigate through the small spaces and in turn they could trip and injure themselves quite severely, they are highly at risk also at high risk are wheelchair users as there is no way a wheelchair would fit through any of the gaps and so to even try would injure the service user in the wheelchair and the people sat in the chairs. To resolve this unnecessary problem the table and chairs would just need to be spread out more widely so that there would be more space for service users to fit through.
People/tables blocking fire exit
I also noticed that there were people and tables blocking the fire exit in the canteen, if a fire alarm went off and the building had to be evacuated then service users would firstly find it difficult to get through the tables and chairs blocking the exit and also there would be a crowd of people as a lot of people congregate around them tables. There would be no room for service users in wheelchairs to get through and so the risk would be high for them, also the risk would be high for blind service users as they would find navigation difficult through the blockages. This hazard could be reduced by simply moving the table and chairs away from the fire exit and maybe even putting up a sign saying 'do not block the fire exit' doing these things would enable easy access to the fire exit in the case of an emergency.
Access to restricted areas
Walking over to the food counter I noticed that there was nothing restricting access to behind the counter, this means that service users could just walk behind there and harm themselves on things such as knives, boiling water and grills. Most at risk would be service users who have learning/mental difficulties, they would not know what they are doing wrong by walking behind the counter, and also a blind service user could walk behind there thinking it was the entrance to the canteen and injure themselves. To resolve this issue putting a barrier in the way of the entrance would stop the confusion and also ensuring the barrier is kept close at all times would prevent and injury.
Radiators
As I was walking around the canteen I noticed the heat coming of the radiators was a lot hotter than safe, I then touched them and noticed that they could cause injury to service users. If a service user fell into one and the radiator stays in contact with the skin for longer than a few second then they will have a burn on their skin. Most at risk are wheelchair users as they may know there arm or leg into one when trying to get around the tables and chairs also at risk are blind service users as they may touch one when trying to get through everyone more high risk service users are those with learning difficulties and mental health problems as they may touch the radiators thinking they are harmless and in turn get burnt by them. To overcome this problem a radiator covers would stop access to the radiators, they would still let the heat out but stop skin contact with the radiator also if they are secured properly they shouldn’t come off and cause injury.
