UKCBC-HOLBORN COLLEGE

Health and Safety

in the
Health and Social Care

Mentor: Solomon Afework

Student: Florinela Penteleiciuc
Student number:17000495
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 Content

Introduction

1.1Review systems, policies and procedures for communicating

information on health and social care workplace in accordance
with legislative requirements.
1.2 Assess the responsibilities in a specific health and social
care work place for the management of health and safety in
relation to organizational structure.

1.3 Analyze health and safety priorities appropriate for a

specific health and social care work place

2.1 Analyze how information from risk assessments informs

care planning for individuals and organizational decision
making about policies and procedures.

2.2 Analyze the impact of one aspect of health and safety policy
on health and social care practice and its customers.

2.3. Discuss how dilemmas encountered in relation to

implementing systems and policies for health, safety and
security may be addressed.
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2.4 Analyze the effects of non-compliance with health and
safety legislation in a health and social care work place.

3.1 Explain how health and safety policies and practices are
monitored and reviewed.

3.2 Analyze the effectiveness of health and safety policies and

practices in the workplace in promoting a positive health and
safety culture.

3.3 Evaluate own contribution to placing the health and safety

needs of individuals at the Centre of practice

Conclusion

References

Introduction

……

1.1Review systems, policies and procedures for

communicating information on health and social
care workplace in accordance with legislative
requirements.

An employer has the duty to ensure health and safety

from any point of view of an employee to work. Even if the
employer hires external staff to work, that does not relieve the
employer of their responsibilities and duties. To ensure the
safety of all employees, employers are obliged to take the
necessary measures to:

a) ensure the health and safety of the employees,

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b) prevent the professional risks,

c) instruct the employees regarding the professional risk,

d) providing the necessary measures of health and safety,

considering the changing conditions.

It is also the responsibility of the employer to make a

risk assessment to try to reduce it, to choose the right work
equipment, working methods and capable employees. It is the
employee's right to be informed about occupational hazards.
Many health and safety issues can occur at work due to poor
communication.

For effective communication in the field of health and

safety at work, the following methods are used:

verbal communication

Verbal communication is used in everyday life, but also in

interpersonal relationships within an organization. Verbal
communication should be treated as an integral part of each
person's responsibility towards each other. In voice
communications, voice tones, and language used, can
influence verbal communication and may lead to
misinterpretations and inappropriate actions.

written communication

Written communication is also important and can be

done either by writing a note through posters or emails. A good
example is the ad panel, through which we transmit relevant
information both to the staff of the organization and to service
users. Example: At my job one morning a resident threw a cup
of water on the floor. The incident took place in front of the
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manager's office. To avoid injury resulting from a possible slip,
the manager has delimited the place with a warning panel.

All day long there was the water stain and panel, when it was
much easier than anyone to moping the floor. I proposed it,
but he refused.

Graphic communication

In health and social care services there are many existing

policies and procedures for communicating health and safety
information.

 Health & Safety at Works Act 1974

 Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981

 RIDDOR 1995 (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and

Dangerous Occurrences Regulations)

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  COSHH 2002 (Control of Substances Hazardous to
Health)

 Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992

 Food Safety Act 1990

 Health and Social Care Act 2008

The Data Protection Act 1998 is the law that protects the
right of users to privacy, personal information is protected such
as ethnicity, political and religious beliefs, health, sexuality and
criminal record of service users.

1.2 Assess the responsibilities in a specific health

and social care work place for the management of
health and safety in relation to organizational
structure.
The organizational Responsibility is the obligation to carry
out the tasks designated by someone or created by their own
circumstances, which a person must fulfill and who has a
penalty in the event of a failure. All staff of the organization has
the responsibility to meet the standards for health and safety.
The organizational structure of the organization determines how
roles and responsibilities are assigned, controlled and
coordinated.

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 Health and Safety Commission. This committee shall be
responsible for the preparation, arrangements and health and
safety policies and procedures. They also ensure that policies
and procedures are followed and met. They propose to the
State Secretariat new regulations on health and safety.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE). All representatives

of the Health and Safety Committee should encourage
discussion and understanding of policies and procedures
relating to health and safety.

Managers will communicate openly with everyone who

can promote any change in health and safety policy. The
responsibility of manager in the Health and Safety is to ensure
that health and safety laws and regulations are respected.

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 Employees involved in the organization's activities have
a responsibility to take care of their own health and safety at
work and, of course, the safety of service users. All training
courses, policies and procedures must be respected by staff.
Employees must work without endangering their lives or other
people. And contribute to the organization's health and safety
goals. The staff should inform all line managers of all health
and safety related non-safety related issues regarding
equipment.

All significant health and safety information will be

circulated appropriately, making use of notice boards, poster,
and newsletters or by direct mail. Where activities could affect
the health and safety of members of the public, suitable steps
will be taken to ensure they are up-to-date of the risks and how
they will be measured; wherever possible, it is the wish of the
organization to establish effective consultation with the
workforce to safeguard planned systems of work are effective in
reducing employee exposure to risk.

In conclusion, we all work together as professionals who

are fully committed to complying with health and safety
principles that enable the organization to promote a high
standard of health and safety policy within the organization.
Everyone in the organization is responsible for reporting and
recording all incidents / accidents occurring at work. in
accordance with the RIDDOR 2013 Regulation.

Case study

1.3 Analyze health and safety priorities appropriate

for a specific health and social care work place.

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 The 1999 Occupational Health and Safety Regulations
require all employers to provide employees with information
about the possible risks to their health and safety as well as the
methods used to prevent and protect them from these risks.
This includes informing employees of any process or task that
may involve a specific risk. Codes of good practice must be
accessible and constantly reviewed in line with the changes in
force.

The safety and security of service users is the

responsibility of all staff, and in case of accident or error,
superiors will be notified immediately, according to RIDDOR.
Failure to comply with these rules will endanger life.

Example: One of my colleagues at work has given the

wrong medication to a service user. If he respected the law, he
would immediately call his superiors, or his doctor or
pharmacist, or his direct ambulance. The woman who received
the wrong medication, overwhelmed overnight, fell into the
bathroom, found her in the morning with her broken head in a
pool of blood. He was unconscious. She's in the hospital now,
but her life is in danger. If my colleague reported the mistake,
he would have saved a life.

Another important law to be respected is: Fire

Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1989. Employers must
have spaces equipped with alarm systems, instincts and
indications for exiting in case of fire.

For example, in the place where I work, service users live

independently in their homes, and many of them smoke, and
few are the ones we can persuade to smoke in the garden.
Most people smoke in their homes. Being old and sick of

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dementia, the danger of fire is very high; therefore, the vigilance
of all staff is necessary to prevent a possible fire.

Because most of the reported injuries are produced by

not complying with the regulations imposed by the Manual
Handling Operations regulations 1992, first training offered by
organization is about Manual Handling. This regulation imposes
responsibilities on employers, such as the supply of lifting
appliances, where necessary. and employees. Employees' duty
is to check the status of the appliance before it is used and to
use it correctly.

Also, the employer has the obligation to equip

employees with protective equipment such as gloves and
employees have the duty to use it to prevent the spread of
infections.

2.1 Analyze how information from risk assessments

informs care planning for individuals and
organizational decision making about policies and
procedures.

Risk assessment is very important and is a careful

assessment of all situations to prevent situations that would
endanger the health and safety of all people. Risk assessment
is a legal requirement.

According Health and Safety at Work Etc. Act 1974, all

employees of an organization are responsible for ensuring well-
being, safety and health at work.

According Management of Health & Safety at Work

Regulations 1999 the employs have responsibility to is to
conduct risk assessments to ensure a safe and healthy job.
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 All employees are required to:

 Co-operate in implementing the requirements of all

relevant health and safety

 Ensure that equipment issued to them [or for which are

responsible}is correctly used and properly stored

 Be responsible for good housekeeping in the area in

which they are working

 Work towards achieving health and safety objectives

agreed with their manager

 Assisting with completion of risk assessments relevant to

their job and implementing necessary controls

Risk factors are deviations from normal of the four

components of the work system (performer, work equipment,
work load and work environment, and potential causes of
occupational accidents and illnesses). Risk factors can be:

 mechanical risk factors (cutting, sticking with sharp or

sharp objects, moving machine organs, etc.);

 thermal risk factors (direct contact with hot temperature

surfaces, flame, flame, etc.);

 electrical risk factors (direct, indirect contact, etc.);

 biological risk factors (non-disinfection, non-sterilization,

etc.).

 physical deviations (noise, vibration, chemical poisoning,

low or hot temperature, etc.);

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  chemical deviations (gases, toxic or flammable vapors,
particulate matter in the air, etc.);

 biological deviations (bacteria, viruses, animal / insect

bites, etc.);

Occupational risk assessment of any organization is

based on 5 steps Each of the 5 steps has several stages so
that any accident risk is assessed in accordance with applicable
laws. This aspect is of importance, having the role of avoiding
accidents regardless of their nature or their severity.

1. Identify all risk factors. To fully identify the risk factors,

we recommend the following steps:

• A risk assessment team is being built up;

• The situation is analyzed to identify potential risk factors.

2. Risk assessment. Once the first step has been

completed, the following steps must be considered so that the
risks are properly assessed:

• The risk must be determined according to its severity.

3. Hierarchize all risks and establish accurately the

prevention and protection measures. This step is of importance
because each risk must be measured according to its severity.
By precisely establishing all risk prevention measures,
accidents can be avoided altogether.

4. Implementing risk prevention measures. Using the

best prevention and protection measures, we can eliminate
these risks entirely. Otherwise, preventing risks by using wrong
methods can cause very serious accidents. In this case, it is
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recommended that each hazard analysis and measure of risk
prevention be carried out by authorized persons, in compliance
with the laws and regulations.

5. Monitoring the implementation of the measures and

reassessing the risks. After applying any risk prevention
measure, it must be monitored and reassessed in a continuous
process, so that each risk is reduced to as large a percentage
as possible. Risk reassessment should also be recalculated,
considering risk prevention measures.

Each risk assessment is made for the realization of

prevention and protection plans, respectively the
implementation of health and safety instructions.

Care planning.is the most importance. Within a health

organization, both employees and employers are responsible
for the health and safety of service users.

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