Health and Safety in Health and Social Care Workplace

Table of Contents (jump to)
Introduction
Task 1

Task 2

Task 3

Task 4: Self Evaluation
Conclusion
References
Introduction
Nowadays ensuring health and safety at the workplace is a major concern. It has become an integral part of any service. Supposedly health and safety is an important issue in the health and social care service. Both the management and workers of a health care service are accountable for ensuring health and safety in health and social care service setting.

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The author of this assignment has been asked to analyze the implementation of health and safety legislation in health and social care services and then to make a brief discussion about the health and safety requirements impact on customers and the work of practitioners in the health and social services, in order to contribute to health and safety in health and social care. Finally he is to analyze the monitoring and review system of health and social care workplace.
TASK 1
Policies and procedures for communicating information on health and safety in the health and social care workplace
There are numerous existing policies and procedures for communicating information on health and safety in the health and social care workplace. Among them the data protection act is the most pertinent. The Data Protection Act 1998 is in place to protect service user’s right to privacy, particularly of personal information such as service user’s ethnicity, political and religious beliefs, health, sexuality and criminal record. Service user’s responsibility is to ensure that information about the people someone works with remains confidential and secure. Personal information may only be disclosed to someone else if the individual concerned gives consent, if there is a life and death situation, or if people need it in order to work with the individual. Therefore, if someone is asked to disclose information about someone work with, someone must be satisfied that the person asking for the information has a right to know. Different organisations have different procedures for checking a person’s right to know. However, as a general rule, ask for proof of ID and documentation that demonstrates their right to know. If they have no such proof or the enquiry is over the telephone, ask questions which a service worker believes only they could answer, for example the date of birth and family names of the person concerned. If you remain unconvinced, explain politely that a service worker cannot disclose any information because, under the terms of the 1998 Data Protection Act, he is unsure of their identity. Suggest that they write or return with suitable ID. If he is satisfied with their ID but unsure about making a disclosure, take their telephone number and speak with his manager.
Responsibilities for management of health and safety in relation to organisational structures
Different health care services require workers to carry out different responsibilities. According to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, each worker should think twice before carry out any task. It is his tasks those will directly affect the service users, colleagues in work place. Employee should co-operate with his colleagues since it is vital in ensuring health and safety in workplace (Sprenger 2003). It is also employee’s duty to ensure it that there is not misuse of anything given in health and safety in workplace for instances first aid equipment. Moreover service worker has a duty to tag along health and safety policies and processes, take part in and remain advanced with health and safety preparation, and not perform any duty in which he has not been trained. At the same time, other people in a specific care home like domiciliary home have a responsibility to go after course of actions. Visitors, carers and supporters have a responsibility to think about health and safety, particularly with reverence to assisting uphold security, and other general conducts.
Analyse health and safety priorities that are appropriate for a specific health and social care workplace setting
K was a home case-assistant on her first visit to a new client, Mr. W. She had been warned that his house was in a poor condition and that he had a large dog. She knew that he had a history of psychiatric illness and had, in the past been admitted to the hospital compulsory under the Mental Act 1983. When K arrived on her first morning, outside of the house was in a poor state-garden was overgrown, it was full of rubbish and old furniture. The front door was half open and she saw that half the floor boards in the hallway appeared to be missing-there were simply joist and a drop into the cellar below, Mr. W’s dog was at the top of the hallway growling and barking, Mr W was at the top of the stairs shouting “You won’t get me out of here- I will kill you first.”
In that above scenario, it is K’s key responsibilities to keep Mr. W as safe as possible. It is also his legal responsibility. In order to health and safety in her work place- this domiciliary home, K are required to find out the hazards and possible risks factors in Mr. W’s home. Since Mr. W own a dog, K should weigh up all the possibilities of infection through this pet and what risks involve here for Mr. W. Then K should analyze all the hazardous substances of Mr. W’s home and their threats in a domiciliary home.
Task 2
Principles of care planning
Risks assessment is very important in care planning. If a risk assessment shows that the work cannot be done safely, other arrangements have to be put in place. Risk assessment takes account of risks to employees, the person/s being supported, and anyone else involved. The risk assessment procedure is as followed:

Identify the hazards (remember, a hazard is anything that may cause harm).
Decide who might be harmed and how.
Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions.
Record your findings and implement them.
Review assessment and update if necessary.
Under health and safety law you as an employee are required to:

Follow the training you have received when using any work items your employer has given you;
Take reasonable care of your own and other people’s health and safety;
Co-operate with your employer on health and safety;
Tell someone (your employer, supervisor, or health and safety representative) if you think inadequate precautions are putting anyone’s health and safety at serious risk (HSE 2014).

Impact of Health and Safety Policy
Health and Safety at Work etc Act (HASWA) 1974 ensures the health and safety of everyone who may be affected by work activities. Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (MHSWR) 1999 require employers and managers to carry out risk assessments to eliminate or minimise risks to health and safety. Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 minimise the risks to health and safety associated with working conditions. Manual Handling Operations Regulations (MHOR) 1992 minimise the risks to health and safety associated with moving and handling activities. Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations (PPE) 1992 minimise the risks to health and safety associated with cross infection. Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1995 require that certain work-related injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences are reported to the HSE or local authority. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) 2002 minimise the risks to health and safety from the use of hazardous substances.
Dilemma encountered in relation to implementing systems and policies for health, safety and security may be addressed
In health and social care service, workers often face dilemma while implementing systems and policies. Let’s consider a scenario where a service worker is asked by a service users’ nearest one about the progress of his diagnosis. Here service worker may face both the problem of sharing the information and not sharing it. In order to comply with the Data Protection Act he cannot share the information without service user’s consent. On the other hand this might be helpful for the diagnosis process of the service user.
Another example would be a scenario where a service user in a domiciliary home and he is trying to get out of his home in order to read newspaper. Here a service worker would be in a dilemma whether to let him go to read a newspaper despite the fact that he is not aware about the traffic safety.
Analyse the effects of non-compliance with health and safety legislation in the health and social care workplace
Non compliances with the existing laws and regulations have serious impacts on health and social care’s safety. Some examples would be violation of patient’s privacy or confidentiality, failure to maintain the required food safety, failure to assess the risks and so on. The impacts of the failure to meet these legislations affect both the employers and employees of a health and social care seating. It could be financial fine, cancellation of license or even imprisonment. According to the section 37 of the Health and Safety Act of 1974, if anyone of health care settings found to neglect his duty voluntarily then he or she can be prosecuted. Even the directors of this work place will go through this section 37 procedure (HSE 2013). Generally a normal non-compliance is dealt with issuing warning. For more serious cases, improvement notices has been shown by the regulatory bodies. This notice indicates the violation of law and a certain period of time will be given to the organizations to improve the overall health and safety situation.
Task 3
How health and safety policies and practice are monitored and reviewed
In health and social care services, health and safety policies are strongly monitored both by national body and local body. The HSE (Health and Safety Executive) monitors all the health and safety related issues. Even the particular organization monitors whether health and safety policies are put into action or not. There has been committee for reviewing the practices to ensure health and safety standard are clearly followed.
The effectiveness of health and safety policies and practices in the workplace
A correctly organized health and safety policy undoubtedly mentions health and safety goals and the service’s promise to delivering better health and safety performance. Policy and procedures also admits the owner’s legitimate duties. Organizing a health and safety policy is a vital realistic move towards delivering and preserving a work place atmosphere that is protected and devoid of harms to health (Watterson 2003). An effective policy should feature the organisational actions for sorting out and regulating health and safety matters. It should also put down the foundation for worker participation, the situation of objectives, accomplishment diagrams, and policy revision.
Below are the effects of health and safety policies on different perspectives:
Effectiveness of policies and procedures:

Service workers Enrolment of right staff
Offer training concerning policies and procedures
Supervise health and safety parameters
Offer security in service
Preserve fitting staff proportions
Job narratives permit staff to be acquainted with their boundaries
Premises Protected work place
Safe surroundings for patients
Confer relatives and friends assurance in suitable care specified
Suitable locations
Sufficient adjustments and admission to meet up all desires
Practices Procedures and policies frequently revised and modified
Ordinary emigration and urgent procedures performed
Protection equipment and defensive outfits provided
Brief, lucid record-keeping

Own contributions to placing the health and safety needs of individuals at the centre practice
When measuring the health and safety of service users, it is important to weigh up all of their desires. Needs could be intellectual, physical, social or spiritual, emotional. From time to time those desires bond together and one can influence another. For instance, Mr. H’ desires of reading newspaper is his emotional and intellectual need. This need has direct connection to his physical improvement (Sprenger and Fisher 2002). At the same time his not having any road awareness is a serious issue. For addressing this sort of dilemma, service users are required to follow legislations. Procedures, policies and legislation are built to endorse a safer environment in work place and minimize the impending for risks happening. According to the Health and Safety Executive, the Health Care Act directs service works to meet users’ needs according to some assessment. This need can be fulfilled as long as they are deemed as feasible and practicable at health and social care work place. First of all a worker have to assess the risk in letting Mr. H out of home for reading newspaper. Then he should take precautionary measures like arranging a guide for him, raising awareness about road safety in him. Thus this dilemma can be solved (Boys & Langridge 2007).
A service worker here has a great responsibility to endorse health and safety by assisting Mr. H to realize and obey practices that minimize the risk of any danger on road. Mr. H should only be allowed to go to read newspaper after the assurance that he will adhere to road safety awareness. The best practice would be worker’s involvement here.
Task 4: Self Evaluation
In the passage 1.2, I discuss about numerous existing policies, regulations that can dictate the information sharing in any health and social care setting. Then in the task 1.2 in order to assess the responsibilities of management in specific health and social care settings, I talk about the employer responsibilities in relation to health and social care service. In the 1.3 passage in order to analyze the health and safety priorities in health and social care settings I bring upon some examples.
In the 2.2 Para, I discuss about various impact of health and safety policy. Afterwards I discussed about dilemma in health and social care service and that is why I bring an example. Then I analyze the effect of non-compliance with health and safety legislation.
Finally I discussed about how health and safety policies and practices are monitored and then make an evaluation of these policies and afterwards discuss about the importance of personal contribution.
Conclusion:
Since health and safety are an indispensible part of health and social care work place, it is important to follow all the rules and regulations involved here. From getting rid of financial implication to preserving organization’s reputation all depends on obeying these rules and regulations. Every service works should have a better understanding of it.
References:

Watterson, A. (2003) Public Health in Practice. Paperback
Health and Safety Executive (2001) Health and Safety in Residential Care Homes.
Morath, J. M., and Turnbull. J. E. (2004) to do no harm: Ensuring patients’ safety in Health and Social care organizations. Jossy Bass Wile
Sprenger, R. (2003) Health and Safety Management. Highfield
Boys, D., and Langridge, E. (2007) BTEC National Health and Social Care Book 1. Nelson Thrones
Richards, J. (2003) Complete A-Z Health and Social Care Handbook. Hodder Arnold
Sprenger, R. (2003) The Foundation HACCP Handbook. Highfield
Sprenger, R., and Fisher, I., (2002) The Essentials of Health and Safety (Carers). Highfield
HSE (2013) Health and Safety in care homes. Health and Safety executive.[online] available on: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg220.htm