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DISTINCTION - Unit 7 part 2 Principles of safe practice in health and social care
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Unit 7 Part 2 CourseworkThere are many laws and procedures that health and social care settings must know and abide by at all
times. These laws ensure the safety of the service users as well as the employees at a setting so it is
important that they are upheld to the highest standard.
One law which must be followed is the Health and Safety at work act. The Health and Safety at work act
is a guideline from which a workplace’s health and safety can be managed [British Safety Council 2021].
All individuals have the right to be in a safe environment when working and the health and safety at
work act helps to ensure this. In order to maintain a safe environment, there are many procedures that
every setting must know and carry out.
Safety signs play a big part in creating a safe work environment. Safety signs warn individuals or
potential risk and help to avoid harm. There are many types of safety sign:
Each colour and symbol has its own meaning. The four main types of safety sign are: prohibition,
mandatory, emergency and Warning. A red, circular sign with a white background, black pictogram and
red line across it diagonally is a prohibition sign. This means ‘do not’ and is often there to show that an
area is inaccessible, an action should not be done or there is a danger if an individual is to continue. The
most commonly seen form of this sign is a no smoking sign which is simply instructing individuals not to
smoke in this particular area. This could be for reputational reasons, because of the presence of
children, or because of a fire risk. Regardless of the reasoning, the sign is there for safety purposes and
should be followed. A yellow, triangular safety sign with black edging and pictogram in the centre
means ‘Warning’ or ‘Caution’. This sign is necessary for informing individuals of possible hazards nearby
and to be careful. These signs are commonly seen on ‘wet floor’ signs and electrical equipment to warn
people to be careful in these areas. A blue, circular sign with a white pictogram is used to state that
something is mandatory- often an action or behaviour like washing hands, wearing safety goggles, etc.
This sign is used to encourage people to keep themselves safe and follow safety guidelines that are
necessary for safe practice. Lastly, a green square or rectangle with a white pictogram and/or lettering
refers to an emergency or is often referred to as a ‘safe condition’ sign. For example, an emergency exit,
emergency first aid kit, etc. These signs are vital for health and safety as they can truly be the difference
between life and death. They provide aid and sanctuary to those in a stressful situation like an accident
or a fire. They are incredibly useful for evacuations and quick treatment of injury. [Barrett, J 2020].
Safety signs are an important part of maintaining Health and Safety because they highlight and inform
individuals about potential risk they may face. They help reduce injuries, guide employees and ‘others’
,away from danger and harm and prevent legal accident-related difficulties to the employer. Safety signs
are bright, clear and highly noticeable so that individuals will spot them and be able to avoid the hazards
the sign is highlighting. Without safety signs, there would be a lot more accidents and injuries due to
individuals not noticing risks and thus going right into them. [Brady 2021]. Safety signs play a key part of
safety in all health and social care settings, including ‘Going Forward’ training centre. They are important
for ensuring that no young adults using the service or professionals working at the setting come to harm
by highlighting the presence of a risk in a simple and understandable way. As the service users at the
setting struggle with some form of learning difficulty, it may be difficult for them to understand written
instructions. This is where the importance of safety signs is highlighted as they provide a simplistic,
easily understandable way to communicate risk to individuals with learning difficulties and helps them
keep themselves safe.
At ‘Going Forward’ training centre, safety signs would need to be present. Emergency signs are
mandatory to have in health and social care settings. It cannot be assumed that all individuals will know
where to go during emergencies so it is important that these signs are present. The Centre would need
to have ‘emergency exit’ signs as well as ‘assembly point’ and ‘first aid’ signs visible in the event of an
accident, fire or any other emergency. Because the service users attending the training centre all
possess some form of learning difficulty, they have increased vulnerability and are more likely to
become confused and stressed during an emergency and not know what to do. In the event of a fire at
the training centre, an assembly point would be necessary for those evacuated from the building to be
registered and kept safe so that the staff know who has been evacuated and who may still be trapped
inside. Without a clear sign displaying the location of the assembly point is, attendants of the centre
could become lost and not know where they are supposed to go and make impulsive decisions that
could put them in even more danger. Individuals would be scattered and they wouldn’t be able to figure
out who is safe and who is not. An emergency or fire exit sign is also important for similar reasons as
without one, people can unintentionally put themselves in harm’s way as they do not know any better.
People can become trapped in the building and end up with serious injury and even dead. This is why it
is important that there are signs to direct the individuals to safety and keep everyone out of harm’s way.
As well as these, a first aid kit would need to be available at the centre in the event of an accident so
there would need to be a sign showing where the kit is located so that it can be utilised during an
emergency. Not everyone at the centre will know where the first aid kit is located and, in some
situations, an individual who does not know it’s location may be asked to go and get it for an individual
who needs to perform first aid and they may not have time to explicitly tell them the exact location of
the kit. In this scenario, the sign would point out exactly where the first aid kit is and enable it to be
retrieved quickly and used as soon as possible which can make a huge difference in an emergency
situation. ‘Going forward’ may also need ‘caution’ or ‘warning’ signs around certain areas. For example,
if it has a boiler room or electrical generator then there would need to be ‘caution’ signs on display to
show that the area is not safe and individuals should be careful. As well as this, since there is medicine
stored at the centre, there will need to be relevant signs visible around them. For example, ‘Mandatory’
signs stating that all medication must be stored in a locked cabinet or a ‘warning’ sign stating that
caution must be taken due to the presence of substances.
Safety signs are cheap and easy to install as well as use. This is useful as it is both cost-effective and
practical which is particularly beneficial for the setting both in keeping the cost of maintaining safety
down as well as preventing harm or injury [Seton 2020]. However, safety signs are flawed in the sense
,that they do not protect all groups. Safety signs are only useful to those who can understand what they
mean, this means that anyone who struggles with competency or has a mental disadvantage may not be
able to understand and use. This can include children, individuals with disabilities, elderly people and
many other vulnerable groups. ‘Going forward’ training centre is a facility that hosts individuals with
learning difficulties. This means that a large proportion of their service users will struggle with their
competency in their understanding. Learning difficulties affect a person’s intellectual capabilities and
can make things like logical thinking, reading, retention or understanding and so much more a lot more
difficult for the individual. This means that they have limited cognitive ability and this is a problem
because it may mean that individuals won’t understand the safety signs and thus will not be able to
follow them which puts them at risk. If they can’t understand the safety signs, they won’t be able to
acknowledge the risks that the sign is pointing out and may then continue to do something that goes
against what the sign is saying and this could lead the individual to be harmed.
An employer would have the responsibility of ensuring that safety signs are displayed clearly around the
setting in the appropriate places. They will need to do somewhat regular checks that the safety signs are
still in proper condition and are still relevant to where they have been placed. For example, If a first aid
kit is moved to a different location, for example, it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that the
sign that displays that there is a first aid kit here is moved to the first aid kit’s new location. It would be
an employer’s responsibility to ensure that all staff members are thoroughly trained and know what
different safety signs are and what they mean. As well as these responsibilities, the employer must
address any concerns that staff or service users brings to them and make sure they are dealt with
accordingly. At the training centre, whoever fulfils the role of ‘employer’ will have the responsibility of
ensuring that the right signs are in the correct locations and are still relevant and up to date. For
example, anywhere which the medication for the attendants of the centre is stored would need a sign
displaying the presence of chemicals and signs stating the appropriate guidance for how to store the
medication, etcetera. The employer at the training centre would need to ensure that these signs are
clearly visible and always where the medication is. The employer will also need to make sure that he
staff who work at the training centre know what each sign means, what its for and why it is there. This is
key in making sure that the centre’s users stay as safe as possible. An employee has the responsibility to
comply with the safety signs to ensure that all actions are carried out safely. They must participate in all
relevant training and know what each type of safety sign is and what they mean, as well as informing
their employer if something is moved or if a safety sign is missing, broken or not visible. This ensures
that staff are thoroughly educated and aware of the various different safety signs and symbols and
makes sure that anything the employer misses is brought to their attention so that safety signs stay in
proper condition and can keep fulfilling their safety purposes. The staff at the training centre would be
responsible for retaining all the information from their training so that they are able to assist the
attendees at the centre who may struggle to understand what a sign means and how to follow it. They
will also need to keep an eye out for any issues with the safety signs dotted around the centre, for
example, when they go to retrieve the medication, they can double check that the signs are all how and
where they are supposed to be and if they or any other individual notices an issue, they can take it
straight to the employer. It is the staff member’s responsibility to abide by the safety signs as well as
ensure that the young adults attending the centre are abiding by them as well. Any ‘others’ like service
users will also have the responsibility of complying with safety signs so that they remain safe and out of
danger when attending a setting and using it’s facilities. They would also have the responsibility to
report any damage to safety signs that they spot, and report any concerns they have regarding safety
, signs to a member of staff, like if they feel that a safety sign is too hidden and should be more visible.
The young adults receiving service from the training centre as well as any other attendees – for example,
such as parents or carers of the young adults – would need to make sure that they follow the safety
signs around them as well as bring any concerns they have about the safety signs to the attention of a
staff member. If they notice that a fire exit sign is blocked or difficult to see/read, this is when they
should bring it to the attention of a member of staff or manager at the centre so the problem can get
fixed and safety can be upheld. Upholding these responsibilities is key in maintaining health and safety
at all times when in a setting and ensures that staff and service users are as safe as possible.
However, employers cannot make their employees or service users fulfil their responsibilities. They can
only encourage them to by fulfilling all of theirs. The employer can provide all the knowledge and
training on safety signs, how to use them, etc and can ensure that they are installed in various places
around the setting however, the employer cannot control whether the employee retains the
information from their training or if their employee follows the rules set by the signs. All individuals have
freedom of choice, thus it is entirely possible that an individual could simply choose not to follow a
safety sign and cause harm or become harmed due to this. Although the employer at the training centre
can instruct their staff to follow the signs, they cannot control their staff members’ actions and, because
of this, harm can still be caused and health and safety can be jeopardised. What the staff actually do and
don’t do, the employer has no control over. Employees can sometimes have circumstances out of their
control affect the maintenance of health and safety. An employee may simply have a shorter memory
and struggle to remember what every sign means. This, sometimes, is something they cannot control
and so is not their fault if they forget what a safety sign means. An employee also can’t guarantee that
‘others’ will bring unspotted issues with safety signs to them as some individuals may simply not spot
them or just not notice there is something wrong because they do not fully understand the concept of
safety signs. As majority, if not all, of the attendants of ‘Going Forward’ will have a learning difficulty,
this may mean that the knowledge and understanding of safety signs won’t be available to the service
users and thus they may not know that there is a problem with the sign. Whether or not an individual
understands safety signs to identify and report any issues is completely out of an employees control and
this means that sometimes health and safety will be jeopardised and it may not be the result of the staff
member not fulfilling their responsibilities. Lastly, anyone who fits into the category of ‘others’ may not
notice or understand that something is wrong. It is not their job so it may simply not be something they
are looking out for. Because of this, the issue with a safety sign can go unnoticed and unchanged due to
it not being brought to anyone’s attention. Service users attending the training centre will most likely
have little understanding about safety signs and thus may not be able to spot anything wrong with them.
Alongside this, the fact they attend a training centre suggests that they may participate in courses,
workshops and other training forms which will take up a large proportion of their focus. Because they
are focused so intensely, this may mean that they are too preoccupied and, because of this, won’t notice
any issues with safety signs.
One strength of safety signs is that they are universal. They are used worldwide and thus are familiar
and recognisable to a vast majority of people from various different backgrounds. Being universal is a
massive strength as even if individuals do not speak the same language and maybe don’t know how to
communicate to staff members who don’t speak the same language as them, a safety sign would still
keep them safe as the colour, symbol and type of safety sign would be highly recognisable so individuals
can still keep themselves safe despite not being able to read or communicate in the language used at
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