Health, Safety & Security

My aim in this assignment is to apply mandatory health, safety & security knowledge to an area of practice that is appropriate, I have chosen a residential care home for the elderly to discuss health, safety & security legislation and basic care procedures that are carried out in health and social care settings.

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 affects every workplace. This act has an effect on employers, employees, self-employed or anyone who is a part of any work activities. This act was a significant development in the industrial safety legislation as there were millions of workers who were not covered by the law during their time of employment and there was no statutory provision for the protection of the public. In 1970 the Government decided to set up a committee to evaluate the situation and to assess what changes needed to made. The committee was lead by Lord Robens who produced a report that the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 is based on. The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 basically states that the employer must ensure that the health, safety and welfare of its worker is protected. They should also provide & maintain work systems that are safe to use, present information on anything that is work related and ensure that training on health and safety is provided to all employees. It is also the employer's responsibility to make sure the workplace is safe, hygienic and healthy to work in, and to provide all employees with a health and safety policy, for example, instructions to follow in case of a fire. However, employees have a responsibility to protect their own health and safety and also the people that they are working with. They have a duty not to mistreat or damage any equipment used in health and safety, for example, a fire extinguisher. Employees should carry out risk assessments, plan & review policies and a person should be appointed to deal with the health and safety procedures.

A 'hazard' is something with the potential to cause harm, for example in a residential care home it could be chemicals, electricity or lifting residents. A risk is the chance that something, great or small, will cause an accident that will result from a hazard.

Risk Assessments are care fully recorded examinations of what could cause harm to people in their place of work. The risk assessment process has eight steps that need to be completed. The first step is to identify any hazards that could result in serious harm and could affect people. In a residential care home some of the hazards could be due to the design and construction of the care home so hazards such as the layout of the room, furniture, etc. the heating and water systems or the electrical system could cause harm to a person, e.g. burns. Other hazards could include tripping/slipping, the condition of furniture and the condition of lifts & hoists. The second step is to decide who is at risk. In a residential