Risk Essesment

   There is a stranger sleeping on the bench, it could be someone dangerous like paedophile or a drug addicted and cause harm to all service users.

Risks assessed for health and social care workers:

        Health and social care workers can have very serious consequences if they will use such a dangerous facilities as my case study. The least action which would be taken against worker which would take kids to this play ground would be loosing a job. The can also get sued and they could get a massive fine or even go to jail because it is

in theirs responsibility to make sure that people who they are caring  for are safe. We have to remember that the worker while using those facilities is a service user, same as kids, they can get hurt. Also emotions can play a role if something will happen, if on workers duty child would get very hurt he might blame himself so much that he might need psychologists help and it could stay with for ever.    

Risk assessment has to be done to assess hazard which is something that can cause harm or injury and the likelihood of hazard accruing.

Risk assessment is made by identifying:

1. hazard that can cause harm or injury,
2. injury which could appear,
3. people which are at risk because of the hazard,  
4. how severe could the injury be (slightly harmful, harmful, extremely harmful),
5. how likely is the risk (highly unlikely, unlikely, likely),
6. how can be the hazard made safer in the most cost effective way,
7. timescale to minimise the hazard,
8. how often does the hazard need checking.

In my study case the carer of kids should make the risk assessment because he is responsible for them and he should make sure that the likelihood of risk accruing is as highly unlikely as much as possible.  

RISK ASSESSMENT FOR EACH OF THE HAZARDS FROM MY CASE STUDY

1

1. Animals are the hazard that can cause harm or injury
2. getting bit is an injury which could appear
3. children, carers are at risk of injury
4. harmful injury
5. risk is likely
6. make a gate, put a sign that animals are not allowed
7. hazard needs to be minimised as soon as possible
8. hazard needs checking each time while visiting the play ground

        I have chosen those methods (look at point 6) to minimise the risk because in my opinion by making a gate animals would no be able to go into this area and it will make this area safer and it would work straight away. To full fill above method I would put a sign saying that animals are not allowed on this play area so that owners will not open a fence and let theirs animals to walk around.  

Weaknesses: making a gate can cost a lot, sign can be ineffective

2

1. Animals faeces are the hazard that can cause harm or injury
2. getting toxic poison is an injury which could appear
3. children, careers are at risk of injury
4. harmful injury
5. risk is unlikely
6. forbid animals from play ground, make a gate and put a sign that animals are not allowed  
7. hazard needs to be minimised as soon as possible
8. hazard needs checking each time while visiting the play ground

        I have chosen those methods (look at point 6) to minimise the risk because by making a gate and putting a sign we would remove two hazards (hazard number 1 and 2)  from this area and make it safer.

Weaknesses: making a gate can cost a lot, sign can be ineffective

3

1. Entrance close to a busy road is the hazard that can cause harm or injury
2. Running into it is an injury which could appear
3. children, careers are at risk of injury
4. extremely harmful injury
5. risk is likely
6. make a speed limit on that part of this road, make the entrance on the other side of the playground
7. hazard needs to be minimised straight away
8. hazard needs checking each time while visiting the play ground

        I have chosen those methods (look at point 6) to minimise the risk because both of them will make this area safer but in my opinion moving the gate would be more effective because even if the speed limit would be lower kids can still run in to the road. Moving the entrance would remove the hazard in 100% but putting a speed limit would only decrease the consequences of the hazard.

              

Weaknesses: both of those methods cost a lot of money

4

1. Broken fance is the hazard that can cause harm or injury
2. Broken bones  are the injury’s which could appear
3. children, carers are at risk of injury
4. extremely harmful injury
5. risk is unlikely
6. trained person should repair it
7. hazard needs to be minimised straight away
8. hazard needs checking each time while visiting the play ground

I have chosen this method (look at point 6) to minimise the risk because repairing the fence would be most effective way of removing this hazard.

Weaknesses: Trained person might want lots of money for repair.

5

1. rotten slide is the hazard that can cause harm or injury
2. getting cuts are the injury’s which could appear
3. children, carers are at risk of injury
4. harmful injury
5. risk is likely
6. paint the slide  with special anticorrosion paint
7. hazard needs to be minimised as soon as possible
8. hazard needs checking every time when using the slide

I have chosen this method (look at point 6) to minimise the risk because it doesn’t cost as much as for example replacing the slide with a new one.

Weaknesses: paint costs, paint will not remove this problem forever

6

1. Metal part of fence in the middle of play area is the hazard that can cause harm or injury
2. getting hurt while playing with it  is an injury which co uld appear
3. children , carers are at risk of injury
4. harmful injury
5. risk is likely
6. trained cleaning staff should take it away from the play area
7. hazard needs to be minimised straight away
8. hazard needs checking each time while visiting the play ground

I have chosen this method (look at point 6) to minimise the risk because someone needs to make sure that the play area is clean which will also make it safer for kids and environment.

Weaknesses: Cost of employing cleaning staff

7

1. Broken swing is the hazard that can cause harm or injury
2. Falling from it  is an injury which could appear
3. Children are at risk of injury
4. Harmful injury
5. risk is likely
6. trained staff should come and repair it
7. hazard needs to be minimised straight away
8. hazard needs checking every time when using swings

I have chosen this method (look at point 6) to minimise the risk because again it would cost less than replacing the swing.

Weaknesses: Trained person might want lots of money for repair.

8

1. Glass in the sand pit is the hazard that can cause harm or injury
2. getting cut is an injury which could appear
3. children, carers are at risk of injury
4. extremely harmful injury
5. risk is likely
6. person under whose care this playground is should replace all the sand to make sure there aren’t any glass at all
7. hazard needs to be minimised straight away
8. hazard needs checking every time when going into sand pit

I have chosen this method (look at point 6) to minimise the risk because there is no other way to make sure that ALL the glass is removed from the sand so in my opinion only replacing the sand will give 100% sure that no one will get hurt.

Weaknesses: Cost of sand, cost of getting someone to replace it

9

1. Cigarettes and cigarettes ends are the hazard that can cause harm or injury
2. Getting sick after eating them  is an injury which could appear
3. Children are at risk of injury
4. harmful injury
5. risk is likely
6.  cleaning staff should remove them from play area
7. hazard needs to be minimised straight away
8. hazard needs checking every time when visiting the playground

I have chosen this method (look at point 6) to minimise the risk because putting a sign that smoking is not allowed at the playground and then chasing smokers would not be effective as much as the cleaning staff would remove all the rubbish.

Weaknesses: Cost of employing cleaning staff

10

1. Rubbish falling out from bin are the hazard that can cause harm or injury
2. attracts rats and other insects which can get bacteria’s onto kids could appear
3. children, carers are at risk of injury
4. harmful injury
5. risk is likely
6. cleaning staff should make sure that the bins are emptied as much as they need
7. hazard needs to be minimised straight away
8. hazard needs checking every time when visiting the playground

I have chosen this method (look at point 6) to minimise the risk because again same as in hazard number 9, it would be hard to chaise all those people who throws litter on the ground and cleaning staff is needed.

Weaknesses: Cost of employing cleaning staff

11

1. Stranger sleeping on the bench is the hazard that can cause harm or injury
2. this person could be a pedophile or a drug addicted and he might heart others
3. children, careers are at risk of injury
4. harmful injury
5. risk is likely
6. patrolling police should check this playground more often
7. hazard needs to be minimised straight away
8. hazard needs checking each time when visiting the playground

I have chosen this method (look at point 6) to minimise the risk because police are qualified to deal with strange people, they might be dangerous.

Weaknesses: Police would have more places to control

        By implementing my methods of minimizing the hazards children, care workers in whole service users will benefit by having less amount of injuries, spending less time in hospitals, GPs surgeries. Which will also benefit by having less time off work / school. Environment will benefit too. This area will present itself better which will make the residents happier.