Health and safety in a social care setting free essay sample

The key legislations relating to health and safety in a social care setting are Health and Safety at work Act 1974 Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulation 1999 Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulation 1981 include amendment on 2009 The Electricity at Work regulations 1989 Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 Communicable diseases and infection control Working Time Regulations 1998 Care Standard Act 2000 Control of exposure to Hazardous to Health 1999 Food Safety Act 1990 and Food Hygiene Regulations 2005 Environmental Protection Act 1990 How health and safety policies and procedures protect social care users and the staff All of the above mentioned legislations are crucial part of health and safety. Every piece of legislation gives not only a clear guidance of responsibilities but also how we should 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 minimise risks to ourselves the service users and also to maintain a safe working environment. We will write a custom essay sample on Health and safety in a social care setting or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Job roles and there responsibilities Social Care Worker Take care of their own health and safety as well as others Co-operate with their employer by following policies and procedures Must use personal protective equipment as necessary Must adhere to achieve training and follow instruction. Not to misuse or tamper with anything provided for health and safety or welfare Employer/Manager Provide safe and risk free working environment Provide equipments Deal with hazardous substances safely Provide information, instruction, training and supervision as necessary Ensuring equipments are safe to use and safe system of work are set and followed. Others (such as visitor, supporters, volunteers and contractors) Respect and obey the rules and legislation imposed by authority Follow the instruction and guidance as provided (Such as not to use lift in the event of fire, not to block the fire exit etc. ) Co-operate with employer and workers if anything has been noticed that may cause harm to others or concern to others health and safety. Health and safety would become the responsibility of the person receiving care if they deliberately caused any hazards/risks that may harm themselves and/or others for example if the individual broke an electrical appliance and don’t report it, or the individual chose to smoke in a unauthorised area. The following tasks should only be carried out by staff that have received the appropriate training and the consequences of an untrained individual doing so. Use of equipment All staff that are using the equipment ie hoists slings slide sheets should have been trained to do so as inappropriate use can cause injury to both the service user and the staff. First aid Only staff that are trained in first aid should ever attempt any aspect of first aid as a untrained individual may cause more harm by attempting first aid. Assisting moving and handling No untrained staff should ever attempt or assist in moving or handling until training has been given as doing so can cause injury such as dislocation or even broken bones to yourself, other staff and also the person receiving care. Emergency procedure Emergency procedures can only be done by trained staff as in doing so you may not do the task correctly and may cause more harm by your actions. Food handling and preparation Food should only be handled by staff that are trained to do so as poor preparation or service can result in the consumer becoming ill ie food poisoning. Please note that if you choose to carry out any of the above tasks and you are not trained in that particular area that it may lead you to disciplinary and/or dismissal. Procedures to be followed in the event of a fire If you see a fire you should press the nearest alarm and meet at the main entrance of the building (everyone that has heard the alarm should also meet at the main entrance) And wait for instructions from the person in charge. The person in charge will allocate 2 members of staff to go check the required zone of the building if a fire is found the emergency services should be called whilst waiting for the emergency services to arrive all staff should move the service users to a safe zone of the building and wait for the instructions of the emergency services. If the building needs to be evacuated all staff should work with the fire brigade to safely evacuate the service users meeting at the Toby’s inn on marton road . Procedures to be taken in the event of a gas leek or flood If u smell gas it should be reported to the RGN immediately who will then turn off the gas supply and call services to respond immediately. In the event of a flood all taps should be turned off and all surrounding service users should be moved to a dry area until the flooded area is safe to enter if the main pipes burst water should be turned off and services phoned . Procedure to be taken in the event of a intrusion In the event of an intrusion u must call the police immediately do not approach the intruder and try to keep all service users calm until the police arrive Procedures to be taken in the event of a security breach In the event of a security breach all staff are to meet at the allocated meeting point then all all rooms within the home must be checked to ensure that all service users are safe and in the building It is important to ensure that there is an emergency plan in place to deal with unforeseen circumstances so that everybody is aware of what needs to happen to maintain the safety of the staff and service users. It is important to make sure that all staff know how to deal with any kind if emergency and training should be updated regularly to ensure that emergencies are dealt with in the correct manner