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Objectives . Define hazard and risk Identify a range of hazards Describe potential hazards and risk . WHITE HAVEN RESIDENTIAL HOME . Physical Environment . physical environment .
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Objectives Define hazard and risk Identify a range of hazards Describe potential hazards and risk
physical environment The environment in which we work is known as our physical environment and this refers to an area be it indoors or outdoors Indoor hazards can cause many accidents if you are not very vigilant and do not easily identify them. Any hazard can be rectified by a worker being extremely observant and in many cases sort the situation out without thinking about it.
You must keep all areas free from obstructions often in whitehaven staff leave wheelchairs and zimmer frames in the corridor and sometimes residents leave their walking sticks on the floor by their chairs – all these can cause people to trip / fall – leading to injuries ; older people have frail skin and this can be torn by bumping into things • They could also be blocking fire exits and if a fire occurs this would lead to panic and people could be trapped in the building putting others at risk who then have to go and save them. • All areas should be clean, well maintained and fit for purpose - sometimes when visitors come and everyone is in lounge it can get crowded which could lead to accidents or people getting irritable and fighting with others – it can also increase the risk of infections spreading • Sometimes staff do not feel that it is their job to carryout tasks – this can lead to people having injuries or damage to property especially if they don’t report things such as if they don’t report the broken light on the stairs to the maintenance man people could trip down the stairs or if they don’t tell the cleaner that the toilet is blocked it could cause a flood. • In the garden there are many hazards as well, plants can be toxic and some residents at Whitehaven have dementia – they could eat these or people could slip on the wet grass or slabs and have minor / major injuries. The shed and green house should be locked but if staff don’t lock them residents could go in and cut themselves on tools or drink substances such as weed killer. • There are other areas that should be locked such as the treatment room, nurses might not lock this and people could the drugs and over-dose or if any used dressings / syringes are about they can get infections from these if they cut themselves. Sometimes when giving out drugs nurses leave them at the side of the patients but they should always observe them taking it as they may be storing it up or others might take it
Equipment There is a lot of equipment in any health and social care setting – in Whitehaven there is electrical equipment such as hoists, kettles etc. and equipment used for care such as bath hoists, specialised beds – to wheelchairs and Zimmer frames Everyday appliances like the TV can also be potential hazards . The equipment itself if faulty can cause a hazard or the way it is used by others – sometimes staff leave things in corridors and they can be a trip hazard – the older residents could knock their hands on sharp edges and when you are older skin can easily tear . Equipment should be well maintained and if electrical it should have a yearly check – if people don’t use it properly or have it checked / report breakdowns other people could come to use it and have an injury from it or it could delay the care of the clients – if the hoists at Whitehaven are not used properly staff can hurt their backs and also residents could sustain injuries or fall and have severe fractures. Computers are used at Whitehaven by staff and residents – these come under the health and safety act as people who use then on a regular basis should have a risk assessment – the office manager has a special desk and chair to prevent back injuries and she uses equipment to make sure the screen is at the right height and that her wrists are supported – the residents don’t have this as the computer is in the lounge but they should have – staff restrict the use so they don’t get eye or joint strain Sometimes the type of equipment used is things such as dressings / syringes – if these are not used properly they can pass on infections – staff should always put in yellow bags and sharps in yellow bins – if a syringe is used and left out or used incorrectly someone could get a needle stick injury where the needle punctures their skin – they can be at risk of infections such as HIV and hepatitis .
A common infection in health care settings is MRSA and this can lead to loss of limb or life – its carried by people with often no symptoms so staff and visitors can carry it and it is spread by touch so its important that staff , visitors and service users at Whitehaven must wash their hands to reduce the spread of this and many other infections There are posters for people to do the correct procedure and staff have training and there are policies & procedures to follow. Cleaning in the home is also important to help stop infections spreading – id cleaning is not done correctly there is a risk that the cases of infections will increase There is also a hazard of food poisoning if food preparation, storage and cleanliness of staff and environments are not adhered to as in policies and procedures Every time staff use toilets, carryout tasks such as personal care or changing dressings, they must wash hands and use /change gloves and aprons. Some staff wear jewellery and have long nails these can harbour germs and scratch skin so under the policy at Whitehaven they must cut nails, wear uniforms, not have jewellery on and have long hair tied back – this is in the health & safety policy and this means that the hazards of infections should be reduced
Hazardous waste At Whitehaven clients are supported to carryout person hygiene and this means that staff often deal with body waste this includes soiled continence pads, used dressings and soiled clothes or laundry Again if not disposed of correctly they cause a hazard to people from spreading infections and also a hazard to the environment as they will go into landfill and contaminate the soil . Soiled bedding has to go into a bag and then be washed separate to other clothes at a high temperature to clean it and remove bacteria
Many substance are used at Whitehaven from cleaning materials, medication , craft items etc All of these can be a hazard if not used properly or stored correctly – the staff must follow the COSHH regulations and the policies and procedures. Storage – if not stored correctly they could become contaminated and then not work properly or clients with dementia may think they are a drink and consume them. They may also need to be stored at certain temperatures and if not could combust and cause a fire Use – staff must follow instructions so they don't put people at risk from being burnt or breathing in fumes – also if they use wrong they may damage property. Precautions – all COSHH data should be stored in a file and this will tell staff what to do if accidents occur (first aid) if they don’t follow this they could make injuries worse . Also staff should follow advise about using equipment such as gloves and opening windows etc. this will reduce hazards - all substances and activities are risk assessed and if they identify hazards then personal protective equipment (PPE) (gloves; aprons; goggles) have to be provided under the regulations in the health and safety act PPE regulations Staff must have training to make sure that they are safe and also white have cant just change products without getting the COSHH data to follow – this should be kept in a file for all staff to read
This includes • Working hours • Staff levels • Staff relations • Training and support Whitehaven provides very good training but if staff don’t attend or put the training into practise then they are putting themselves and others at risk. Staff are given manual handling training to comply with the Manual Handling regulations – this happens every year but if they are rushed or don't follow instructions they might not use hoist correctly or lift people and then there is a hazard of back injury or injury to clients such as skin tearing or falls. Staff often work long hours when the home is short staffed – this can lead to stress and being tired which means they can make mistakes or forget to do jobs. They may also get irritable and then they can shout at people causing clients to feel vulnerable and unsafe .
Everyone should feel safe and secure at whitehaven, there are a range of security systems in place to help with this such as fire and burglar alarms / emergency call systems These need to be maintained and used correctly if not when they are needed they may fail putting people at risk. Staff also need to know the policies and procedures – so that if there is a fire they know what to do and can be calm to reduce hazards such as people falling or being trapped when evacuating for a fire Sometimes staff have been known to tie up emergency call buzzers so that residents who are confused and just keep pulling them don’t disturb others however this puts them in great danger – and staff if there is an emergency and no-one can call for help. To reduce hazards that can occur in evacuations staff should have regular practise – this also means that if any issues arise a new procedure can be developed to make sure everything is safe – policies and procedures must be reviewed on a regular basis and changes made to improve practise and health, safety & security Filing cabinets and computers must be secure with locks / passwords as there is a risk that personal information could be stolen and used for fraud , blackmail or theft Medication must be locked away and some controlled medicines are counted in and out at the end of each shift to make sure none have gone missing As we have clients with dementia who are at risk if they leave the home unsupervised we have a door code system – staff and visitors must make sure that the doors are secure and all visitors have to sign in and out so any incidents can be monitored and also if there was a fire we can say who is in the building All staff and volunteers have CRBs carried out and references to ensure that no one who would put vulnerable people at risk is employed There are regulations under the health and safety act to ensure safety such as Fire regulations – these give the setting guidance on safe practise to prevent / deal with fires , whitehaven has a policy and many procedures for staff to follow to avoid fires – not block exits, how to use fire fighting equipment etc
These notes are examples that you can use as a guide and must not be copied or referenced Try to use examples from placement or things that you have read in journals or see on TV For each example link in a piece of legislation and policy / procedure – I have done this in places as a guide.
