St. Patrick’s College London
HND Health and Social Care Management
HEALTH AND SAFETY IN HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE WORKPLACE
John Egharevba
This essay is about how health and safety is applied in health and social care in order to protect everyone in health and social care environment, and it will also examine the importance of health and safety policy and risk assessment in workplace. Health and Safety at work etc Act 1974 is concern with maintaining and improving the physical and mental well-being of employees at work and protecting anyone else who may be adversely affected. Care homes are therefore subject to the provision of health and safety policy, employers and employees have
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The minimum requirement for any workplace is that when people are at work, there should be at least one trained first-aid appointed person who will take charge in an emergency before the arrival of the paramedic. A first-aid box should be provided and should contain only items that a first aider has been trained to use, and must be checked regularly and first-aid sign should be display (HSE, 2001). The control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1994 (COSHH) require employers to prevent or control exposure to hazardous substances at work. Employers are required to carry out an assessment of health risk faced by their employees, and to prevent, or control the exposure of their workplace to hazardous substances. Employees should be trained about the risks and the precautions to be taken (Shranks, 2010). Fire Precautions Act 1971 (as amended by the fire safety and safety of places of sport Act 1987) requires strict control of fire in the workplace by making sure fire-warning signs are visible, maintaining fire-fighting equipment, training of staff on what to do if there is fire and fire exit doors are free from obstructions etc. (HSE, 1993). Health and safety increase awareness of regulatory requirements and reduce the chance of committing any offence, it improve
All of the above mentioned legislations are crucial part of health and safety. Every piece of legislation describes not only clear guidance of responsibilities but also how should we maintain health and safety to eliminate risks for the people using social care settings. It is very important for us to follow health and safety policies and procedures to eradicate risks from workplace and maintain safe working environment.
Ai A list of the key legislation relating to health and safety in a social care setting.
In conclusion, there are many hazards within health and social care, some of which are more easily avoided than others. These hazards can all have serious effects on the life of service users, from infection to possible death, these are especially dangerous especially when they develop into either intentional or unintentional harm or abuse. This shows how important it is that hazards and risks are frequently assessed and managed to ensure the safety of all that work at, live in or visit health and social care
In this assignment you will demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of health and safety in social care settings. You will use case studies to show your awareness of the legislative framework, identify hazards and assess levels of risk. You will demonstrate your awareness of the use of care or support plans and risk assessment in social care. You will investigate topical issues, examine incidents and make assessments of the appropriateness of the actions taken and you will prepare materials to enhance the safety awareness of others.
The roles and responsibilities of regulatory bodies which monitor and enforce the legislative framework for health and safety
According to the Health and Safety Act 1974 employers have to reduce risk ‘so far as it is reasonably practicable’ which means that employers have to make sure they look after health and safety procedures in the workplace and try to prevent the risk of incidents occurring in the organisation. Employers must safeguard the health and safety of individuals that work for them as well as customers/clients that could be visiting the premises.
The Act is known as an ‘enabling Act’, which means that other legislation can be made under it. The framework of legislation is based on Acts of Parliament being passed and Codes of Practice and Guidance being made under these to explain, in greater detail, the requirements of the Act itself. The Health and Safety in Employment Act does not specify how particular hazards should be made safe, rather it allows for workplaces to find alternative ways ensure that their hazards do not cause harm. The practices contained in approved codes of practice are recommended are acceptable ways to prevent harming in particular situations.
Researcher reviewed that adoption of health and safety measures is important to implement in any workplace as it promotes well-being and disease free environment. As per Health and Safety Act 1974, workers can be assigned for individual responsibility and it can be applied to both employers and employees. This act also ensures that any safety tool or measures cannot be hampered as it is for general interest of staffs, clients and visitors (Zanko and Dawson, 2012).
Employers have a legal duty under the health and safety act to ensure as far as reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of the people for who they are responsible for and the people who may be affected by the work they do. Employers must control the health and safety risks in the workplace. They should carry out risk assessments to make sure everything is safe for employees and that employees have the right working facilities needed. They should make sure all employees have to correct training for their job role and send them on training courses if necessary and if things are changed. Employers should make sure that there is a first aid arrangement and a trained first aider in the organisation and they should also have
It is an employer’s responsibility to make sure that the environment that their employees are working in is safe, the equipment they are using is safe and that anyone who visits the workplace is also safe. The last person who the employer is responsible for is the public, they have to make sure that the public is not affected by the workplace whether that be noise or fumes coming from the workplace. Employers must not put their employees’ health or safety at risk whilst at work. They must provide employees with training on how to do their job, how to do it safely and how to use any tools and equipment required to complete that job. They should also put up health and safety rules up around the workplace for their employees to know and follow.
The main reason for the work Health and safety act 2011 (WHS) is to provide a nationally constant scheme, by which to secure the health and wellbeing of workers. The WHS was created to protect workers and other persons from harm when in a working environment. It also serves to curtail working risk and enhance safety protocols. The WHS provides a framework for the continuous improvement of standards in worker health and safety. The main objectives of the WHS are to secure the health, safety and welfare of persons at work and to protect persons at a place of work against risks to health and
1. All of the machines should be provided with all nessesary guards and with protective devices.
According to Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) also known as (HASW), it’s the primary legislation covering health related in England. Under this Act it’s important that employers undertake risk assessment, communicate health and Safety to their employees and anyone who may be affected by its activities. It also requires employee’s’ to maintain the working environment, handling dangerous substances and to be provided with suitable training to ensure health and safety in workplace and to be provided with any personal protective and safety equipment free of charge (HSE, 2011).
My health and social care setting is an under 5’s nursery, within my setting there may be many incidents or emergencies. There could be incidents within my setting such as bumping their heads, falling over, tripping over toys. An emergency within my setting could be things such as fires or severe injuries such as being knocked unconscious. In this assignment I will cover two incidents or emergencies, the ones I will be covering are actual and suspected abuse and exposure to infection.
Daily health and social carer are in touch with legislation, policies and procedures. The aim of the social carer or family supporter is to provide a qualitative service to the individual. This essay will consider the ways in which health and safety requirements have an impact on the customer and the work of practitioners in the health and social care sector. There will be a range of examples regarding the work place to underpin how health and safety legislations are implemented in the health and social care workplace.