Topic 2

Health & safety in health & social care settings

Hazard

Potential source of harm or adverse health effect

Risk

The likelihood a particular hazard will cause harm

Dementia

Condition caused when the brain is damaged by diseases

Examples of dementia

Alzheimer’s and a stroke

Types of hazards

Environmental, biological, chemical, working conditions, poor working practices, and lack of security systems.

Biological hazard

Can come from either living organisms or their by-products - this includes humans

Biological hazards- examples

Blood, urine, faeces, saliva and vomit

Chemical hazards- examples

Medicines (allergies or could react with other medicines) and cleaning materials (could be ingested)

Environment hazard

It can become dangerous if it is too hot or too cold

Environment hazards- examples

If it is too cold, some conditions can get worse and you could slip on ice when cold - risk.

If it is too hot, risk of heat exhaustion and dehydration.

Noise hazard

Issues in settings like care homes or hospitals, as it comes from equipment that has alarms (like heart monitors)

Noise hazards- examples

Excessive noise can cause stress, slowing down recovery.

Loud noises can cause hearing damage, specifically when persistent.

Working conditions hazards- examples

Putting too much strain on different parts of the body, risking either the service user or the worker.

Physical hazards- examples

Slips & trips, and radiation.

Slips & trips

When individuals slip on a wet floor or trip over an obstacle

Slips & trips - examples

Trailing wires, uneven floors, steps, poor-fitting footwear, and objects left on the floor.

Radiation - examples

X-ray departments and or CT scans

Why is radiation harmful?

As it causes damage to cells and DNA, leading to a higher risk of cancer

Poor working practices

Each setting has procedures and protocols in place to make sure that the service runs smoothly and safely

Poor working practices hazards- examples

May not train staff properly and moving a patient incorrectly.

Long working hours & inadequate breaks - poor working practices - hazards

Causes extreme tiredness and affects concentration, leading to mistakes which causes harm.

Lack of supervision - examples

Leads to mistakes going unnoticed, increases stress on the staff, potentially harms service users, and may leave service users in vulnerable situations.

Lack of supervision

When people’s work is not checked by supervisors

Lack of security systems

Security is needed to protect vulnerable people from being attacked by intruders.

Door/window locks - lack of security systems

Stops intruders from entering the setting

May not be able to open all the way to reduce the risk of falling or jumping from the window

Alarms - lack of security systems

Can be set off when an outside door is open to alert when someone is coming in or out of the setting.

Key codes - example

May be more important in a maternity ward in a hospital - prevents babies from being taken

Key codes - lack of security systems

Used to prevent access by unauthorised people.