Essay
UNIT 3 - P1
- Institution
- OCR
- Book
- BTEC First Health
health and social care COMPLETE ESSAY
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Shona ThomasP1 – Explain the potential hazards and the harm that may arise from each in a health
or social care setting
A hazard is anything that has the potential to cause harm to a person, it doesn’t
always have to have already hurt a person, but it is seen as a hazard because it could
hurt an individual.
Physical environment
The physical environment can be seen as a potential hazard as we are surrounded by
buildings which can be unstable or around people and sometimes animals who can
pass on a disease to another individual. In a health and social care setting such as a
hospital there has to be a safe environment as people who are in need of help need
security not risks, the biggest hazards would be humidity, temperature and lighting.
This would mean that the building where the patients stay would have to be a certain
temperature because poor ventilation can be the cause of an airborne disease
spreading, some examples of an airborne diseases are “Anthrax (inhalational),
Chickenpox, Influenza, Measles, Smallpox, Cryptococcosis, and Tuberculosis.”1 The
microorganisms can be transmitted by air-conditioning systems, particularly when
they are poorly maintained or when they work insufficiently. Another environmental
factor which would be a hazard is poor lighting, if the lighting is not bright enough or
too bright people may begin to squint excessively and this would result in continuous
headaches.
Asbestos refers to the natural occurring fibrous materials which can cause
mesothelioma. “In 1989, the federal government banned virtually all use and
manufacture of asbestos in the country, including its use in building materials.” 2
However the use of this was sharply declined in the late 1970s when it became
evident that asbestos posed a threat to human health and safety. “The property of
durability—which made asbestos so desirable to manufacturers—is that which
makes asbestos hazardous.”3 Asbestos fibres are extremely small and cannot be seen
by the naked human eye, so they are easily inhaled. Once inhaled, the fibres cling to
the respiratory system, including the lining of the lungs and inner cavity tissue. As
asbestos fibres are typically quite rigid, they become lodged in the soft internal tissue
1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airborne_disease
2 https://www.reference.com/government-politics/did-stop-using-asbestos-buildings-9db44e9c80dee4c
3 https://www.mesothelioma.com/asbestos-exposure/what-is-asbestos.htm
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