Their was some bad practice that happened in my placement. This happened the third week I was there. A child scraped their knee badly and one of the carers who treated them even though she knew how to perform first aid she did not wash her hands before attending to the wound or wear gloves whilst attending to the wound this is a good example of a bad practice because the carer could have affected the wound and could have made it worse instead of making it better but usually the staff that works there are trained and giving information on how to operate the equipment and first aid properly and to ensure the health and safety of the service providers and the service users.
Another issue that comes under this act is uniform or in some cases the dress code. If you are working in a care setting it is important to be dressed appropriately. For example in the placement which I attend I noticed that the care workers were causal clothes such as jeans or tracksuits with a t shirt and a fleece with the symbol of nursery on it. They were these kinds of clothes because they are not afraid to get them dirty or get paint on them because this is what usually happens in a nursery.
In care setting there are lots of things which you can do to keep the work setting healthy and safe such as installing a smoking alarm and a burglar alarm as well as indicating the fire exists. Have emergency light system in extreme cases of emergencies. As well as polices and codes of practice. The reason to have the above are to alert danger, to protect individuals, to provide information and instruction and to monitor the environment of hazards.
COSHH 2002
COSHH stands for control of substances hazardous to health. This legislation covers such things like where the cleaning things are kept. For example in my care setting the cleaning stuff are stored in a locked cupboard which are out of reach of the children at all times. This is because the cleaning products contain chemical substances which are dangerous and hazardous for the children. This is how cares at my placement control the exposure of hazardous substances that may prolong ill health.
In a care setting for example a nursery such things as the fire extinguisher and other equipment are checked regular and are up to date. On some appliances you can actually see the label on the appliance which provides such information as the last time it was checked and the condition it was in. This check will last the appliance for a year because these checks that occur are annually.
In most care settings there is a COSHH file listening. These list the details of all the substances that are hazardous that are store inside or outside the grounds, the COSHH assessments are also store in the building. The cleaning staff or the caretaker may also hold information on this subject.
While I was on my placement I saw the different substances and appliances. I noticed that all the dangerous and hazardous substance where locked in a cupboard away from the children and the appliances had labels on them which ensured me that they were safe to use.
RIDDOR1995
The last legislation that I am going to write about is RIDDOR 1995. RIDDOR stands for reporting of injuries, disease and dangerous occurrences regulations. This legislation makes us conscious of the implications that these regulations have on the care setting. The carers must be aware of accidents, dangerous incidents and injures that may occur in their care setting while they are working. If an accident happens it immediately has to be dealt with as well as recorded.
For example in the placement which I attend there is such a thing as an accident book. In this book all the accidents that happen no matter how small they may be has to be recorded, such things as if the child has a bad full or if the child got a paper cut both would have to be recorded in the accident book.
This legislation helps the service user and service providers by making you aware of what these implications and the regulations have on the care setting. The RIDDOR requires every work setting to have a first aid especially if it is a care setting for children. People who work can suffer from any injuries or may fall ill. If this occurs in the workplace it is important that they be given instant attention. First aid at work can prevent minor injuries becoming major ones.