Procedures
Even though every worker is responsible for their work practises, but they have to be aware of the procedures that are in place. All new staff that are employed go under an induction course. This course will teach the staff members of the most important procedures in place.
Clothing
Care workers don’t necessarily have a rule saying the workers have to wear a uniform; however there’s a procedure about safe working clothes, making sure the worker is comfortable and won’t be causing pain to the residents. Limited jewellery, hair tied up and good practical shoes are all part of this.
Visitors
Due to the safety of the residents, all visitors that enter the home have to be known to the workers. By knowing who’s coming to see a resident would ensure their protection, anyone could say ‘I’m his uncle’ or any family member. The best way to ensure the next person visiting would to make sure the last family member tells you who’s visiting the following day.
Storage and use of equipment
Putting equipment away properly is crucial, as many hazards can be cause with leaving equipment lying around. Parts of a machine sticking out are also a hazard. Making sure the equipment is looked after properly and the user is aware of all the risks and knows how to use it and pack it away safely.
Manual handling
The handling of the patient or a material must be done safely as a back injury can affect anyone. To prevent injury to the patient and the worker it is paramount that the staff members know what to do when lifting and what posture to be and what is the best position for the patient to be in.
Infection control
Infections can be nasty for anybody who catches them. However for someone with a weak immune system it can make the infection a bit more serious. The only way to get rid of infections and that’s too...
WASH YOUR HANDS THOROUGHLY.
All the germs that are on your hands will get transferred all over the home, even the germs in other body parts can transfer into your hands via coughing and sneezing. To get rid of the germs you have to ensure you wash your hands thoroughly meaning soap warm water and make sure they are dried on a clean towel or paper. Visitors should use the soap provided at the front of the door when coming to visit a friend/relative.
Poor staff training
If staff members have not been trained properly, it can result in the health of a patient being at risk, if the fire alarm goes off and the staff members haven’t been trained in what to do in a fire this could result in a death, the equipment could be there to save lives but if the workers don’t know how to use it, it becomes useless.
Equipment
If equipment is not looked after properly it can become dangerous as it may have become faulty and with the workers not knowing it therefore is a hazard. If equipment is left lying around, someone can trip over one of the sides sticking out.
Substances
If a hazardous substance is left unattended a patient can harm themselves by either drinking it or by pouring it over themselves. All substances should be placed back and labelled correctly so that confusion is avoided.
Food hygiene controls
To avoid illnesses like food poisoning it’s important the meat is cooked properly. Making sure the surfaces that are going to be used are also clean before and after use. Unclean surfaces will infect the food if it’s been cooked. Food hygiene is easy to keep and easy to forget.
Risks
Everyday there are risks, in order for us to tackle these risks we make decisions and this decision will normally be the one that doesn’t involve an accident.
For obvious reasons, you are not able to get rid of all hazards but there’s a responsibility to the client to make sure all is done to ensure they don’t come to harm.
Possibility of injury and harm to people
Out in the community there are more possibilities of being injured as there is no way of noticing some hazards until they appear right in front of you. In the care home there’s a smaller risk of being injured because most hazards will be recognised before it becomes an issue. In the home of the patient the risks are obviously smaller than in the community but there might be a higher risk of being injured than being in a home.
Below is a table of hazards and what their risks are and what injuries can be sustained, working practises and how it can affect the health of the client is also in the table below
Possibility of danger
Hazards can be labelled as being high or particularly dangerous. Every single work place should be displaying what to do in an emergency, there should be fire extinguishers at easy reach and fire door properly fitted. It is vital that all staff members should be kept up to date and to receive required training.
Hazardous waste
The hazard of waste does not stop after disposing of it as if the disposal of hazardous waste is not correct it could damage the health of all in the environment. If not disposed of at all it can lead to infection and a spread of infection also. So when dealing with waste, especially hazardous you have to make sure the way it has been disposed of is also correct.
Above is a table of how to deal with hazardous waste.
Incidents
There are going to be times where in a care setting there is going to be an incident which poses a risk to either the staff or the clients. These can include accidents, contamination, chemical spillage, intruders, missing people etc.
Contamination risk
Risk from contamination can be from viruses, bacteria, and these are by organisms, and from other substances like chemicals.
Bacteria and viruses need nutrients and moisture in order to grow, the conditions for this can found in bathrooms, basements and it can even be found on carpets and furniture. If in air-handling contraptions, if there’s mould or mildew are breeding there, when switched on they can contaminate the building.
Here are some health risks with contamination:
- Some can trigger allergic reactions, like pollen.
- Diseases that are infectious e.g. chicken pox get passed from person to person from organism travelling through the world.
- Some mildew and moulds can discharge toxins.
- People like the elderly, children and those with breathing problems are prone to disease-causing organisms inside.
A serious illness caused by contamination is Legionnaire’s disease; the name came about when people caught pneumonia when attending a convention of American Legion in Philadelphia. Scientists identified the bacterium as Legionella. The contamination is spread through the air in droplets which contain the bacteria, people then inhale it.
Chemical spillages
Spillages in general are a hazard whether it is chemical or not, however, chemical spillages are obviously that little bit more hazardous. Chemicals are mostly labelled with the hazards they contain. Before using the substances, check the warning label and make sure you know how to use it.
Many substances regarded to as hazardous come under regulations built for hazardous spillages called Control of Hazardous to Health (COSHH).
If there are spillages in the home the first thing to check would be to check the bottle to see if there is a hazardous symbol. Instructions on how to deal with the spillage would be found in the COSHH file.
Intruders
Care home organisations have many regulations regarding staff and non-staff being permitted into the building. There are three ways they do this
- Issuing staff members with a badge
- Non-staff (visitors/workers required to fix a leak etc) have to sign in
- Doors that need to be locked this can be done with keypads or automatically locking doors.
Only those who have the right to visit can so. The people that are at most risk from intruders are the elderly, children and people with special needs.
Aggressive and dangerous encounters
When working in a health and social care setting, people may find themselves at the end of either verbal or physical abuse. There can be risks with the patient’s mental or emotional state of the person being aggressive.
Lost personal items
In the care setting, there is a risk of things becoming lost. It is difficult to let people have their privacy as you have to check their stuff is safe. Different care homes have different policies and procedures in how to ensure the property of clients is safe.
- The people put their names on all of their belongings
- Record the important parts of property
Missing individuals and individuals locked out
People who go missing from their care setting are at great risk. People who get locked out of a building accidentally, there will be a person who can be contacted to unlock the premises.
Fire within premises
The fire procedure should ensure both clients and workers are away from danger as soon as possible. In the procedure there should be that, someone should raise the alarm, call 999 or go to the switchboard and get the fire department, get everybody out of danger as soon as you can, attack fire with fire extinguisher if safe to do so, assemble at the fire assembly point, ensure everyone in accounted for.
Bomb scares
Bomb scares whether it’s from letter, email or even by phone should be takes seriously! Inform the police and make sure you follow their advice. If a bomb scare is reported just as the same as if a fire alarm and making sure everyone is accounted for. Assembling people need to ensure there are no windows or glass nearby.
Accidents
Accidents can occur every day, and this can be because for falls, a hazard in the community, manual working is not up to scratch, illnesses, weaknesses, disabilities or if the person is frail, there could also be impairments with sensory or cognitive.
