If individuals have a physical problem that stop them from seeing, hearing, or walking in a regular manner it can increase the likelihood of an accident e.g. Vision, balance, age and disability.
(http://www.hse.gov.uk/slips/causes.htm)
Potential Hazards
This includes:
- wet or slippery floors
- cluttered passage ways or corridors
- electrical flexes
- full of people and electrical compliances
- worn carpets or rugs
- broken, unsafe equipment
Human hazards
Hazards can be caused by humans because of the way work is done. It is important for are workers to know how to keep clients and themselves safe
This includes
- handling and moving people without training
- violent and aggressive behaviour
Unsafe equipment
Broken or unsafe equipment causes accidents. In health and social care settings equipments are always being used clients and carers.
This includes
- broken chairs
- faulty wires
- storage
Biological Agent Hazards
Procedures for the safe handling, segregation, storage, and spillage control and disposal should be laid down and staff should be trained accordingly. Staff should be protected against hazardous substances they may use in their work activities. Staff in health and social care settings are at risk from clinical waste, including soiled laundry. Therefore, staff should be trained in safe working procedures and hygiene standards, as well as being provided with appropriate protective equipment.
Hot Surfaces
Vulnerable clients are at risk with the contact with hot surfaces, such as pipes and radiators can occur and the resident is unable to move away. This can result in severe burns.
General Environment Hazards
Floors: To prevent slips, trips and falls, floors should be of a non-slip design and the use of mats and rugs on polished floors should be avoided. Floors should be kept clean, in good repair and free from obstacles at all times. During cleaning warning signs should be used to make clients aware of potentially slippery surfaces.
Windows: Accidents may occur in the nursery when children fall through windows. A window which is large needs to be glazed with toughened safety glass and needs restricted openings to prevent residents from falling through.
Fire hazards
Fire hazards can happen anywhere and can be caused by misused or faulty appliances and incorrect wiring. Clients and workers in the health and social care setting need to think about the situations that may cause a fire breaking out in the work place. This includes:
- naked lights
- cooking methods
- electrical wiring
- clients who smoke
- gas or oxygen cylinders
Hygiene
The spread of infection will be minimised if a high standard of personal hygiene is maintained in the care setting. In some health and social care settings, care workers have to wear uniforms to themselves and clients from infections and hazardous substances. Also most care workers prepare food so the following can be hazards created by bacteria spreading by care workers:
- moving between areas (toilet and kitchen)
- not covering food properly
- not washing hand thoroughly
- not clean thoroughly
- wrong preparation and handling
P2
The government issues codes of practice and legislations to tell health and social care organisations how laws should be used. This also applies to health and safety.
Health and social care settings have their own policies and guidelines which are drawn up and agreed. Policies and guidelines cover health and safety. Policies also indicate the way in which employers and employees behave.
M1
Legislations- legislations in the work place are designed to protect and promote. Health, safety and security legislations help to guide, maintain and protect a workplace. The legislation enforces employers and employees to promote health, safety and security in a care setting and allowing both employer and employee to have a duty and responsibility of care to each other and clients. This includes exercising reasonable care in order to protect others from the risks of foreseeable injury, death at work or health problems.
Example- It is a legal obligation of employers/employees to inform visitors to the health or social care setting of any hazards that exist and to co-operate to ensure their safety. This allows individuals working and being treated within the setting to be able to have knowledge of their care surroundings; this means staff is following legislations set by the government.
Example- under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1992, employers have an obligation to assess risk in the work place. A risk assessment involves identifying hazards and deciding whether enough has been done to reduce the likelihood of harm to employees and clients.
Example- COSHH is the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1994. It requires an orderly process for prevention, control, monitoring and recording of the exposure of employees to harmful substances. For example, all mercury-containing devices must be phased out, which includes thermometers and mercury sphygmomanometers because mercury containing equipment is potentially poisonous if the thermometer is broken or bitten. In order to comply with the regulations care establishments are replacing traditional temperature and blood pressure equipment with electronic digital recorders and other alternatives.
Policies- policies are the main points which are broken down from the legislations to highlight the important information which is need in the health and social care organisation concerning health and safety in the workplace and policies also set out how the employer manages health and safety in within the care organisation. The employer has a duty to ensure the existence and performance of effective Health and Safety Policy arrangements. Policies give the employee duty for their own safety and for the safety of others. Health and Safety procedures are helpful in maintaining standards and protection.
As a student, client, contractor or a member of staff there is a duty of care all around the setting to ensure that conduct and work practices do not endanger others. The policy should be specific to the health and social care requirements and should be clear about arrangements and organisation for health and safety at work. It should influence all activities, including a selection of people, equipment, materials and the way work is done.
Example- managers and supervisors need to be responsible for ensuring that there is co-operation with their employers to maintain legal requirements including the reporting of effective equipment and other health and safety control measures.
Example- it is important to check the moving and handling policy to keep to the guidelines, instead of carrying out a manoeuvre which may be unsafe. To do this could be constructed as negligence. If there are concerns, staff needs to always refer to senior staff.
Example- It is the responsibility of Executive Directors, Managers and
Professional Heads to ensure that policies and particular instructions are brought to the attention of all staff and observed by them and be aware of their responsibilities to patients and involve them in the local fire safety process.
M2
Reasons for Risk assessment
Health and social settings are legally required to assess the risk so that a plan is used to control the risk and it is designed for employers who are required by law to identify and assess risks in the workplace. An important part of the risk assessment relates to prioritising health and safety improvements. A risk assessment is a careful examination of what cause harm to people so settings can take enough precautions or should do more to prevent harm, therefore, risk assessment minimises harm of anyone being hurt.
The purpose of the risk assessment is to:
- Undertake a systematic review of the potential harm
- Evaluate the likelihood of harm occurring
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has identified the five basic steps involved in making a risk assessment in the workplace. These are:
- Decide who might be harmed and how
- Evaluate the risks arising from the hazards and decide whether existing precautions are adequate or whether more should be done
- Record the findings
- Review the assessment from time to time and revise it if necessary
- Responsibility of employers
Risk assessments are important in order to protect the health and safety of employers and the service user.
Recommendations
Hazards can be physical conditions around the nursery and it is important for workers to recognise factors that can cause accidents or injuries so that something is done to prevent accidents from happening.
Risk assessments are important in order to protect the health and safety of employers and the children. Workers should always check that a risk assessment has been carried out before a task is undertaken and then follow the steps identified in the assessment in order to reduce the risk.
Wet and slippery floor- wet and slippery floor can be stopped by cleaning it up straight away or putting in a yellow sign to warn other about the spillage on the floor.
Children going to toilet alone- When a young child wants to go to the toilet, it is a risk because they might have difficulties due to slip and trip may occur because the child as he/she maybe physically. To stop this risk, the care workers need to be aware that children go to the toilet quite frequently and need check frequently if they need to go to the toilet and nursery workers need to keep a schedule and ask the children regularly.
Electric shock risk-There are plugs in every nursery room and this could results in children putting their fingers or objects in the plug. Therefore the managers and the nursery workers need to check every room and unplug some of the plugs which are not relevant or not used and put on a plug protector also a regular check of wires with damages could prevent electric shocks.
Loose carpeting on stairs- There could be loose fitting carpets and the children might fall over fix the carpet properly and get regular check by the floor repairer or buy a new carpet.
Lighting- Poor lighting, in areas such as the bathroom could cause accidents to the clients or even care workers e.g.: slipping over.
To avoid this risk, the care workers always have to check the lighting most importantly in the bathroom, kitchen, client’s room, top of the stairs and bottom of the stairs. This ensures fewer risks for everyone in the residential home
