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Essay Unit 7 Principles of Safe Practice Assignment 2 Part 2
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Unit 7 Assignment 2 part 2: P7, P8, M4, D4 Health and safety in a selected work setting
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Sharni LeechUnit 7 assignment 2
P7: Explain how different procedures maintain health and safety in a selected health or
social care setting
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) policy focuses on the harmful
compounds used in health and social care and attempts to limit or eliminate any harm that they
may bring to both patients and medical staff. By doing this, they should store dangerous
materials after use and discard or otherwise get rid of them after usage. Some of the items
include radioactive materials, lead, and other potentially dangerous elements, therefore it's
important to follow the work’s standards about cleaning and storage while keeping hazardous
materials. Unattended or improperly stored radioactive materials can seriously injure service
users as well as causing cancer.
The Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order from 2005, known as the RRFSO, offers a framework
for regulating fire safety in situations related to health and social care. It puts the responsibility
on staff members to do risk assessments in order to recognise, control, and lower the risk of
fire. To ensure the safety of employees, employers and others in the workplace, fire routes and
exits must be always free from obstructions as well as ensuring signage and emergency lighting
is clear and functional. Staff should make sure there are working fire extinguishers throughout
the setting and make sure that fire safety equipment is regularly checked and maintained to
ensure that the equipment works in case of a fire. Fire drills must be carried out at least once a
year as well as having a personal emergency evacuation plan, so staff members are aware of
the fire procedures and know how to react in case of a fire. In the Cherry Trees Children’s
Centre, none of the volunteers have been informed of the emergency evacuation procedures
which can put their life at risk as they are unaware of what to do in case of a fire. Informing
staff and volunteers of the RRFSO can ensure the health and safety of the children as well as
reducing the risk of a fire.
P8: Explain the health and safety responsibilities of employers, employees and others
Employers in the healthcare industry play a significant role in attempting to reduce risks to their
health and safety, which are classified as needs and hazards. They do this by enforcing policies
and procedures, overseeing the enforcement of the measures, and making necessary
adjustments. The employer has put in place a variety of duties to reduce the risks posed to their
workers/employees, including carrying out the health and safety measures and adhering to the
risk assessment's recommendations. Employers should provide information and training to
employees and ensure that equipment is properly maintained.
, Employees also have a responsibility to take reasonable care of their own health and safety, as
well as that of their colleagues and any other people affected by their work. In order to
accomplish this, they must put the instruction and advice they received during training to use.
They should also report any hazards or incidents that they encounter that may pose a risk to
them and others around them. Employees should wear the correct pieces of clothing in the
workplace.
Others in the care setting should take care of themselves and others and prevent putting
themselves at risk of accidents and injuries. They must report hazards and risks to a member of
staff or the manager and follow health and safety instructions, for example hand washing
procedures. Visitors to a workplace, such as a home, should be made aware of necessary health
and safety information and emergency protocols. For instance, visitors should sign in so that
they can be identified in the case of an emergency, such as a fire.
M4: Analyse how individual responsibilities and health, safety and emergency
procedures contribute to safe practice
Following acts and laws will enable individuals to know the guidelines on what to do in a health
and social care setting. However, many people occasionally don’t follow the rules that are set
up which can be because of a lack of training about the policies and procedures. This can risk
them getting injured as employers may not discuss to their employees on how to deal with
certain procedures, for example emergency evacuation procedures for a fire. Additionally, lack
of resources can also be a factor in staff members not following the laws that have been
established. Not enough resources can make it difficult for staff to do their obligations and
makes it almost impossible to protect a service user from harm without the equipment they
need.
Procedures are important for promoting safe practice in health and social care settings as it
upholds the value of dignity within the service and protects those who work in the workplace
including employers, employees and the public. For example, a fire safety protocol might
include the safe evacuation of everyone that is present, what to do in the event of a fire, what
to do when the fire alarm sounds, how to notify the fire department, and the designation of
meeting locations as well as knowing where the fire hydrants are. Staff and service users may
be required to participate in fire drills set by the manager as part of the procedure to
demonstrate their ability in evacuation procedures and following the safety guidelines. This is
done to spot mistakes and improve on them to prevent individuals getting hurt in case of a real
fire. However, even if staff correctly follow fire safety procedures, there might still be problems.
In the Cherry Tree Children’s Centre, the manager has allowed several people to act as
volunteers until new staff are hired. Since they are volunteers, they might be unaware of the
Centre’s fire safety procedures and might not know what to do in case of a fire. The setting has
not had a fire drill for at least 2 years which means that not everyone knows where the fire
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