Identifying and reducing the safety and security risks in a care setting.

Identifying and reducing the safety and security risks

TASK 5A

Identifying hazards

Good security is the best way to reduce the chances of people in a care setting becoming victims of crime and stopping intruders. A lot of crimes are done just because they have an easy point of entry for example a burglar may see an open window and that would be an easy opportunity and would therefore rob the house. This is why care workers have to be very careful and aware of the problems that can arise when security is lax because staff are not vigilant and consider that it is not their problem. If care workers make the effort they can reduce the instances of property theft and violent attacks. For example if in a care home a worker sees a window open, they should close it and lock it so that there is no possibility in anyone breaking in. If the care worker sees someone lurking about outside, looking suspicious, then the care worker would conclude that as a hazard and would ask them to leave the premise.

In the care setting, there plenty of ways where hazards can be identified. For example by the swimming pool there could be safety mats so that neither the service users nor the care workers will slip. The steps could have a hand rail so that the service user may hold onto it and walk. In the gym they may do an induction, this is vital so that the service users would feel safe and that they would be taught how to use it properly.

Task 5B

Reducing the risks

A care setting should always be secure especially when there is only a few staff on duty. The following actions are important; shutting the ground floor windows during the night, don’t leave a key under a mat, leave a light on in the evenings, use sensor-controlled outside lightning that is activated by movement, window and external door alarms should be turned on at night, take the obvious precautions and challenge all strangers and unauthorised visitors, ask the local police for advice about security.

The first thing to do reduce the risks to safety and security is to carry out a risk assessment. As we have seen, risk assessment is the process of identifying hazards in the workplace and assessing the risk of them causing harm. Through looking closely and accurately at areas of risk and developing measures to reduce hazards, risks in the workplace can be reduced.

There are 5 steps which can be taken. These are;

Step 1: look for security risks; these are often easy to spot. Something that looks like a breach in security is a potential risk.

Step 2: decide who might be a risk, or at risk and how

For example they could be;

Young workers, trainees, new and expectant mothers, or anyone who may be vulnerable to being attacked or robbed
Cleaners, visitors contactors, maintenance workers or anyone who may need to be monitored to make sure that they do not pose a security risk
Members of the public, or people you share your workplace with, or anyone who could be compromising security and/or involved in criminal activity

Step 3: evaluate the risks and decide whether the existing precautions are adequate or whether more should be done, once a security has been discovered the existing security measures that they are being used have to be looked as to see if they are working. If it proves that they are not adequate then they must be improved.

Step 4: record your findings; nothing can be changed unless the assessment that has been made is recorded in writing. A description of the security problem and the risks

that it poses are always required as a starting point. This description can include sketches and diagrams to help explain the problem

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Step 4: record your findings; nothing can be changed unless the assessment that has been made is recorded in writing. A description of the security problem and the risks

that it poses are always required as a starting point. This description can include sketches and diagrams to help explain the problem

Step 5: review the assessment and revise it if necessary, reviewing the problem and the risks that it poses should be carried out on a regular basis. This depends on how great the risk is. Don’t be overcomplicated. In most care environments the risks are few and simple. Checking them is necessary. For example, most care workers would know if their setting had any week points in their building security or if there was an awkward entrance where someone could just slip in unnoticed. If there was, they should check to see what reasonable precautions had been made resolve these problems. It is straightforward to understand what is involved, and so most people can carry out an assessment.

TASK 5C

Fire measures that are required in care setting

Fire risk assessment is something virtually all employers are required to carry out under the fire precautions (workplace) Regulations 1997 as amended 1999, which runs alongside the fire precautions act 1971. The assessment is used to discover there is a risk of a fire occurring in the premises, and the effects it would have on all staff and visitors or contactors. For those businesses that employ five or more people, the assessment must be recorded in written form. It is also a requirement that the assessment of areas that have been highlighted as a significant risk within a business is on going. Having a policy showing preventative and protective measures for continuous improvement is just part of what is involved in a fire risk assessment. Other areas that should be covered in the assessment is: fire exit signage, fire alarm, fire evacuation procedures, fire separation protection, staff training, fire detection, first aid and fire fighting equipment, emergency lightning, means of escape.

Failure to do a fire risk assessment could render a person liable to pay certain penalties. For employers and or/certain staff under some fire safety legalisation, penalties include a £2000 maximum fine and/or there months imprisonment for each offence, rising to a maximum of two years imprisonment.

A fire risk assessment involves identifying potential sources of ignition in the workplace, the combustible materials that are present as part of a business operations, the furnishings and the building in which the business is carried out. The aim is to reduce these to a minimum. Opportunities may be taken to eliminate, substitute, avoid or transfer the various hazards that have been identified. Once this has been done the residual sources of ignition and combustible materials that form the core of the day-to-day patterns of work must be separated as far as is practicable.

People who use the premises must also be considered. These include staff, customers, visitors or members of the public. This means of escape, equipment for detecting and giving warning in case of fire and fire fighting apparatus must be appropriate for the premises and the number of people present. Consideration also has to be given to the age, agility and health of the people who may be on the premises. For example different factors have to be considered for crèches than for residential care homes.

Alarms

Every care environment should have its own dedicated fire alarm system. This should be in the form of a bell, a claxon or some other audible device. The way in which it rings can be used to indicate what event is happening. An intermittent alarm could indicate that the fire is not in the immediate building but elsewhere on site. One short alarm could indicate a test.

Fire alarms are normally activated by a red break glass box that should be visible in an accessible position. Once activated they can only be switched off from a central control box. Often these alarms are directly linked to the local fire station. If necessary another method of raising the alarm is to use the internal telephone system. In larger care establishments there should be a special short telephone number that will be answered immediately if rang.

Equipment

Fires don’t just happen, a fire needs three things to make it occur. Remove one of the elements of a fire and the fire risk disappears. Good fire safety practice can remove some of these factors, but once a fire has started it is the role of fire extinguisher to tackle a fire by attacking one of its element’s. All care environments should provide a fire extinguisher of various types throughout their buildings. These are several types of extinguisher available and they work in different ways. They all interrupt the fire process by either removing heat from the fire or by removing oxygen from the fire or both. They each have different advantages and problems.

A person should never attempt to tackle a fire unless they are confident that they can do so safety, for example when:

They have already raised the alarm
They have a clear unobstructed route away from the fire in case it grows larger
They are confident of their ability to operate the extinguisher

There are different types of extinguishers. These are; water (red), foam (cream), CO2 (black), dry powder (blue). Extinguishers confirm to one of two colour coding systems. If they are new they are red with coloured shouldered or band on the cylinder. If they are older, the whole cylinder is coloured with the indicator colour. There are three common types, or classes, of fire:

Class A- involves ordinary combustibles such as wood, paper, cloth, rubber and many plastics
Class B- involves flammable liquids, such as gasoline, oil, grease, tar, oil based paints, lacquer and flammable gases
Class C- involves energised electrical equipment, such as wiring, fuse boxes, circuit breakers, machinery and appliances.

Different fire extinguishers can be used for different types of fires. In all cases; take the extinguisher to where it is to be used, pull out the pin, aim the hose or nosel, and pull the trigger. In the case of some old water extinguisher the procedure is different. For these, remove the top cover, aim the hose, and then strike the knob on the top of the cylinder.

Safety procedures

In all care environments there should be set procedures that have been designed to maintain safety. To safeguard everyone, they should be followed and updated when necessary. The following are areas where care workers may find safety procedures applied.

Flammable materials that are used in care setting should always be kept to a minimum. These can be items as innocent as surgical spirit or alcohol based hard surface cleaner. All flammable items should be stored under lock and key when not in use. There should be a specific cabinet or cupboard which preferably is fireproofed.

Stairs and corridors should always be kept clear of rubbish. Bags of rubbish should not be left lying around for people to trip over. They can also be a cause of spread of infection, especially in warm weather. Piles of rubbish in hidden places should be avoided. All rubbish should be deposited in the correct place. If it does not go directly out to the bins there should be a central collecting point for it. Equipment should not be left in corridors as it may pose a fire risk for those trying to exit the building.

All gas and electrical equipment should be checked regularly. This is compulsory under health and safety law. Heavy fines and even prison sentences can be given to those who don’t maintain their equipment properly.

Evreyone should be aware on how to raise a fire alarm. The alarm system should be checked and tested weekly. Fire alarms and extinguisher should be serviced every 3 months and fire door exists should be kept free from obstructions and clearly marked. Procedures should be in place so that the regular fire drills take place and are all fire instructions must be clearly displayed. All staff should be trained how to used the action that they should take in the event of fire. The instructions should include bringing all lifts to ground level and stopping them. Someone should shut down all services not essential to the escape of occupants or likely to be required by the fire brigade. Lightning should be left on unless it the cause of the fire.

Fire drills

Fire drills are designed to ensure that all employees know how to leave the premises in the event of the fire. Repeated practice is desirable and fire drills should be held at regular intervals and preferably twice a year. Employees should be trained:

To recognise the fire alarm when it sounds
To act in accordance with the evacuation plan
To leave the premises quickly by the nearest possible route
To go to the designated assembly point.
To assemble for roll call

Departmental managers should make sure that their departments are completely evacuated. Management should evaluate performances during fire drills and in particular should investigate the causes of any delays in evacuation. With this information they should take steps to make sure delays are eliminated.

Security of buildings

To help maintain the security of the building, doors that are not in regular use should be alarmed. This identifies if anyone is coming in or out, unannounced. Closed circuit television may also be employed to monitor the coming and going of all staff and visitors. It’s important that everyone who works in a building is aware about security and follows the security procedures, as this benefits the safety of all.

Keys

To help maintain security the number of keys issued should be limited. There should be a list of people who hold keys and the access that they have. Such people called key holders. By doing this the safety of the building is increased. Keys should always be looked after and not left laying about for anyone to pick up. Some care environments don’t have keys. Access can be obtained by having door code entry systems which require a secret combination to be typed in. the other option is an electronic card entry system. In this system a magnetic card is used that is similar to a credit card. This is swiped through the locked and the door is released. These can be often be combined with a personal identity card.

Suspicious packages

Unaccompanied packages pose a risk, due to the heightened state of alert that has been caused by terrorism. It’s therefore important everyone is aware of any suspicious items that are left. This could be in the form of luggage, packages, boxes or other unexpected containers. A suspicious package that cannot be identified should not be moved or opened until it has been identified. The vast majority of these objects prove to be perfectly harmless. However if a suspicious item is discovered then all care workers and service users may have to evacuate the building. The fire drills are a quicker way to do this.

Maintaining security

Safety features promote the safety and security of users and staff. To maintain security, identity cards can be issued to help identify who visitors and staff are. An identity card consists of a picture of the care worker on her/his own. It would also contain their name and details about where they work or who they are. Temporary cards can be issued to people who are visiting or are entering the building for repairs etc. most of these, do not have to have a picture of the individual however may consists of information of where they are from. This allows the building to remain safe from any people may cause a risk at the place. For example a strange man could enter a nursery full of young children, if this process is not being used. This process allows the registration of all people moving about in the care setting and helps to identify who they are. Many employers identify their staff by giving them a uniform and a name badge. This, together with an identity card, makes identificatition immediate.

It is also vital that the care workers wear a uniform. This identifies in which area they work in and what they do. This could make them recognisable for visitors and by the service users.

Saffiyyah Karolia