Another employee responsibility that promotes health and safety in the work place is being responsible for data protection this is done though training and ensure that any information saved is safe and can’t be accessed by people it’s not supposed to be accessed by, this includes information of a computer and written by hand, any information that is not longer need and is kept on paper needs to be shredder, not torn and put into a bin as people can still access and get the information and this could put some in a difficult and risky situation, there are also server consequences for those who share information or don’t dispose of it correctly.
Senior staff responsibilities
Senior staffs play an import role in promoting health and safety, this is because senior staff usually means managers, and high up staff are usually appointed as the child protection officers and responsible of health and safety. Under the care home regulations act in a care home setting the senior member of staff would usually need to be the care home manager and check policies and procedures are in place as, by law any care home needs to have a manager.
Senior staffs are also responsible for putting new employees on training days when they are first employed this is to ensure that adequate training is given where needed so that new members of staff know what to if when certain situations occur and what paper work needs to be written. Senior staffs are also responsible for making sure new employees have CRB checks and that these are up to date before working with venerable people, this is so that anyone who is risk to people and has a criminal conviction is kept from working with people that may not be able to protect themselves.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is used by all professionals working with children, young people and vulnerable people, this is important in the fact that it’s there to minimise any risks that may affect the welfare of a person, the legislation outlines that all agencies need to work together for the protection of people and that there should be efficient training and courses attended to
protect the welfare of people and look at signs of abuse and anything that maybe risking the welfare to a person.
This is promoting health and safety as it’s looking at ‘warning signs’ and what to if a professional or anther person has worries or suspicions that some is in danger or suffering.
Child protection policies say the ‘child’s welfare is paramount’ and that every person working around that child has a ‘duty of care’ and is responsible for report any signs for abuse.
Risk assessments
Risk assessments are vitally important and care carried out by all members of staff, this is too make people aware of all the possible risks and dangers and then the member of staff needs to say how they are going to try and reduce this. Risk assessments promote health, safety and security in the work place though ensuring that people are aware of the risks and the paper shows that staff are aware of the risks, also this needs to carried out for all outings that professionals take service users on this can be for school trips, elderly days out, nursery days outs ect.
Examples of promoting of health and safety in the workplace
From my work placement I have seen a number of ways in which staff promote health and safety, one way is though shredding paper work that has any information about people on it and that’s no longer need, this protects people and keeps any details or personal information from people it’s not meant to be shared with.
A second way is though monthly training, this is with the volunteers and includes child protection, what to if situations that are difficult to handle, this promotes health and safety as it’s helping in showing us what to do in situations and what safeguarding is.
A third way is though filling out sheets at the end of session, the sheets have what we did, how this includes the Every child matters guidelines, what the aims were and how we achieved them, this is so that the youth workers see at the end of each session what was beneficial, if there’s anything they missed out in terms of the ECM and it’s filled out by all staff so any concerns about a young person are raised.
Bibliography and references
Health and social care level 3 text books
Class notes and hand outs
Booklet from training day at beavers