Occupational Safety and Health

CT301 Understand Health and Safety in Social Care Settings ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 3. 3 Reasons may include: To comply with health and safety legislation, To preserve life, To minimise the consequences of injury and illness, To treat injuries and illnesses effectively. 4. 1 Routes of infection may include: Blood circulation, Digestive, Respiratory, Body fluids. 4. 2 Own health or hygiene might pose a risk by e. g. : Causing a serious infection, Causing illness, Causing fatalities. 4. 3 Method may include: Using soap, Using running water, Using hot water, Thoroughly, Frequently,
Rubbing palms and interlacing fingers, After every contact with an individual, body fluids or tasks. 4. 4 Personal protective equipment – refers to any protective equipment or clothing that an employer must provide where risks have been identified. This may include: Gloves, Aprons, Masks, Hair nets. When to use may include: During personal care, Handling waste, A change of activity, To protect the carer, To protect the individual. 5. 1 Current legislation may include: Manual handling Operations Regulations, Health & Safety at Work Act. 5. 2 Principles may include: Avoiding hazardous manual handling,
Conducting a full risk assessment of load, task, environment and individual, Reporting immediately any difficulties, Adhering to agreed working practices, Using equipment correctly. 5. 3 Reasons may include: To comply with legislation, To minimise injury to individual, self or others, To safeguard own and others health and safety, To apply agreed working practices, To use equipment correctly. Disposing of food may include: Wiping all spillages quickly, Ensuring all left over food is disposed of quickly, Ensuring bins are emptied frequently. 11. 3 Common hazards could be:

Not cooking/heating food until piping hot, Re-heating food more than once, Using food that has passed its use-by date, Not following correct thawing instructions for food, Contamination through different foods spilling onto each other. 1. 1 Current legislation and subsequent amendments may include: Health & Safety at Work Act, The Management of Health & Safety Work Regulations, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH), Manual Handling Operations Regulations, The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), Personal Protective equipment regulations. . 2 Policies and procedures may include agreed ways of working as well as formal policies and procedures Main points may include: The significant risks in relation to the workplace and work tasks, Control measures for hazards, The arrangements for reporting accidents or health problems, The arrangements for first aid, fire and emergencies, Who the key person is for health and safety matters, How health and safety is communicated in the workplace, The arrangements to protect others. Individual refers to someone requiring care or support. 1. Responsibilities of the social care worker may include: To take reasonable care for own and others’ health and safety, To report to employer potential and actual hazards and risks, To take part in health and safety training, To understand and comply with health and safety instructions and procedures. Responsibilities of the employer or manager may include: To provide a safe place of work, To assess risks and take action to reduce them, To provide information, instruction, training and supervision, To provide safety signs, To provide adequate welfare and first aid facilities.
Responsibilities of individuals may include: To understand and comply with health and safety instructions and procedures, To take reasonable care for own and others’ health and safety. 1. 4 Tasks that the learner should not carry out without special training may include those relating to: Use of equipment, First aid, Medication, Assisting and moving, Emergency procedures, Food handling and preparation. 1. 5 Accessing additional support and information may include : Appointed person(s) responsible for health and safety, Line manager, Health and safety Executive (HSE),
Environmental Health department. 2. 1 Meaning of hazard may include: The potential to cause harm e. g. working practice. Meaning of risk may include: The likelihood of harm occurring e. g. through exposure to a hazard. 2. 2 Using a risk assessment may include: Identifying hazards, Evaluating risks, Taking precautions, Reviewing risks, Reporting and recording outcomes. 2. 3 Reporting potential risks may include: Recording findings on a risk assessment form, Communicating findings immediately to manager/appointed health and safety, representative. When to report potential risks may include:
Immediately, When existing control measures are inadequate, When additional control measures are required, When there have been changes to original risk assessment e. g. changes to working practices. 2. 4 Risk assessment can help by e. g. : Making the individual aware of the risks, Making the individual aware of the responsibilities employees and the employer have, Being used as the basis for safe working arrangements. 3. 1 Accidents may include: Falls, Burns and scalds, Slips and trips, Swallowing a hazardous substance. 3. 2 Sudden Illness may include: Cardiac arrest, Difficulty with breathing,
Stroke, Hypoglycaemia, Seizures, Loss of consciousness, Food poisoning. Procedures may include: Recording and reporting of accident or illness with full details, Registered person submitting notification to CQC and HSE, Informing individuals’ next of kin. 6. 1 Reasons may include: To understand individual’s needs and preferences, To meet individual’s needs and preferences, To apply agreed working practices, To move the individual safely and correctly, To minimise injury to individual, self or others. 6. 2 Care Plan – may be known by other names (e. g. support plan, individual plan).
It is the document where day-to-day requirements and preferences for care and support are detailed. Importance of care plan and fully engaging with individual may include: To understand individual’s needs and preferences, To meet individual’s needs and preferences, To move the individual safely and correctly, To involve individual as an active participant in process, To minimise injury to individual, self or others, As a way of ensuring that move is comfortable for the individual. 7. 1 Hazardous Substances may include: Cleaning materials, Disinfectants, Body fluids, Medication. . 2 Safe practices for storing may include: In correct and labelled containers only, Under correct conditions as per instructions, In a secure area. Safe practices for using may include: Reading instructions on label before using, Not mixing substances together incorrectly, Only using substances if trained to do so, Using PPE as instructed, Reporting any difficulties immediately, Safe practices for disposing may include: Under correct conditions as per instructions, By following disposal workplace procedure. 8. 1 Procedures to prevent fire may include:
No smoking, Not having fire doors propped open, Checking appliances are turned off, Checking plugs are switched off, Following a procedure checklist. Procedures to prevent gas leaks may include: Checking appliances are turned off e. g. cooker, fire. Procedures to prevent floods may include: Being aware of how to turn off main water supply, Ensuring taps are turned off after use e. g. bath, sink. Procedures to prevent intruding may include: Being vigilant of security of building i. e. doors, windows, Locking doors and windows, Not giving out key codes to others,
Following a procedure checklist. Procedures to prevent security breaches may include: Being vigilant of security of building i. e. doors, windows, Reporting any concerns, Following a procedure checklist. 8. 2 Procedures to follow in event of fire may include: Raise the alarm, Dial 999 or inform health and safety officer/manager immediately, Go to fire assembly point, Move self and others away from danger area if safe to do. Procedures to follow in event of a gas leak may include: Dial 999 or inform health and safety officer/manager immediately, Do not turn any switches on/off,
Go to assembly point, Move self and others away from building immediately, Record incident. Procedures to follow in event of a flood may include: Turn off main water supply, Dial 999 or inform health and safety officer/manager immediately, Do not turn any switches on/off, Go to assembly point, Move self and others away from building immediately, Record incident. Procedures to follow in event of intruding may include: Dial 999 or inform health and safety officer/manager immediately, Move self and others to a safe area if possible, Record incident.
Procedures to follow in event of a security breach may include: Dial 999 or inform health and safety officer/manager immediately, Move self and others away from building immediately, Record incident. 9. 1 Stress can have positive as well as negative effects, but in this unit the word is used to refer to negative stress. Common signs and indicators of stress may include: Feeling more tearful or sensitive, Loss of motivation, Changes in sleep patterns, Changes in eating habits. 9. 2 Circumstances may include: Increased demands from others, Changes in working practices or new working practices,
Changes in team members, Relationships, Unexpected changes i. e. financial, personal, work. 9. 3 Ways may include: Taking time out for yourself, Talking through how you feel with your line manager, Attending any stress management courses available, Engaging in relaxing activities whilst away from work. 10. 1 Handling medication may include: Ordering, Receiving, Storage administration, Recording, Disposal. 10. 2 Person responsible for medication may include: Trained worker, Designated person, Individual when self-medicating. 10. 3 Reasons may include: To comply with legislation, To ensure it is administered safely,
To ensure it is administered correctly, As workers are accountable for their actions. 11. 1 Current food safety standards may include: Food Standards Act, Food safety workplace policy, Food safety guidelines. 11. 2 Storing food may include: Ensuring all food stored is covered over, Storing food on correct shelf/container in fridge/cupboard, Labelling with date all food stored, Storing cooked food when cooled down. Maximising hygiene may include: Keeping yourself clean, Wearing protective clothing, Keeping workplace clean, Using separate utensils and equipment for different types of food, Regular and through hand washing.