Health and Safety Principles in the Workplace

Health and Safety Principles in the Workplace Samantha O’Shea Q1 Explain the role of the Communication and training in the promotion and provision of the health and safety. The role of the Safety, Health and Welfare Act was originally presented in 1989 and updated in 2005. It was put in place to make further provisions for safety health and welfare of a person at work. Communication The role of communication is to discuss or exchange any health and safety problems in the workplace. Provides info for all parties to carrier out there job with good work practices and ethic. Communication is implemented by the employers, employees and also the safety officer getting together to discuss any hazard or risk in the workplace. After identifying the hazards and risks it is important to do a risk assessment. It is also important for staff to communicate about a safety statement and to discuss what information to put in it and put it in a noticeable area. There are different ways to communicate which are talking direct, monthly meetings and also visual presentations. Communication builds trust and respect between both the employers and the employees. Training The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, all employers must provide training. Training the staff with appropriate and relevant courses i.e. CPR, manual handling. It is up to both the employers and employees to have the right training and to maintain up skilling. It gives both the employer and the employee confidence when they know how to use the equipment. After getting trained the employers and the employees won’t be as stressed out because they will know how to do the work. It will also help the staff identify hazard, risks, control measures and also do a risk assessment. All training should be available for staff and if staff is entitled to be paid when the training is provided. (Class Notes 2014) Q2 Outline the principles and procedures of a good housekeeping in the workplace. Good housekeeping is having the workplace clean and that there is no items out of place. According to Best – Job-Interview.com (2014) â€Å"To maintain a clean, sanitary, comfortable and tidy environment for either private households or commercial establishments† Good housekeeping keeps the workplace clean and sanitary. It is important to have good housekeeping because of germs or bacteria that are the workplace won’t travel from patient, staff or visitors and also they won’t get sick in the environment. It is also important to do housekeeping because there could be a hazard such as spills on the floor or that wires could be out of place where as patients, staff or visitors could slip and fall and hurt themselves. The procedures of good housekeeping: Is to have all aisles are clear for the residents and other staff, so that no one will fall at the workplace. Clean all areas everyday that needs to be done such as floors and bathrooms. While the floors are wet to put up the proper signs on the floor so that people know that the floor is wet. To use proper bins for e.g. white bins with black bags for general waste. Clean up spills that are on the floor so that no one has an accident. Store cleaning products in the right area and that they are out of harm’s way. (Class notes 2014) Q3 Noise, Dust and Fumes are hazards which are commonly found in the workplace. For one of these hazards outline the risk associated with exposure to this hazard and control measure which might be used in the workplace. Identify at least 3 hazards which commonly encountered in your workplace and briefly describe how these are controlled. According to Health and Safety Authority (2014) â€Å"Noise means unwanted sound or loud discordant or disagreeable sound or sounds†. Noise can affect your hearing which could be temporary or permanent. It often leads to temporary deafness after leaving a noisy place or having the radio or television up to loud. Hearing damage could also happen by loud noises or sudden noises. Sometimes tinnitus could happen when you are exposed to loud or continues noise. Tinnitus is a ringing or buzzing in the ear, which sometimes accurse to hearing loss. (Health and Safety Authority, 2014) Hazard Risk Control Measure Equipment Hearing loss Tinnitus Turn down the radios and televisions Use proper personal protective equipment gears e.g. ear muffs whiles using noisy equipment. Stress Could become depressed from being stressed out in the job due to not having proper training and also poor staff levels . All Staff should be trained for their jobs for e.g. Manual handling and first aid. Also good work practice. Having good work skills and getting on with other staff. Cleaning Products Using insufficiently diluted. Also spills of cleaning products e.g. burns If a person wore proper protective equipment such as gloves and a mask. Also if a person uses the prober consciences e.g. certain amount of water to a cleaning product that needs water. Q4 Explain the type contents of a first-aid kit and their appropriate uses. A first aid kit has medical supplies or equipment in a bag or box for emergencies. According to First Aid Supplies â€Å"First Aid Fit Full†. Contents Quality Use First aid instruction leaflet 1 Explain how to use the products in the first aid kit. Alcohol free wipes 10 To clean the area that is cut. Waterproof plasters 42 To cover the cut. Triangular bandages 2 To cover a deep cut. Safety pins 6 Hold the bandages or slings together. Medium Wond Dressings 2 To cover a cut or burn. Sterile eye pads 2 To protect the eye is cut or injured to prevent it from being infected. First Aid Scissors 1 To cut the bandage or fabric. Latex Gloves 2 To protect your hands whiles working on the patent. Fabric Tape 1 Is used to hold cotton wool or for iv drips. Antiseptic cream 1 It’s for burns, cuts or grazes that they don’t get infected. Burneze Burn Relief spray 1 To cool a burn. Fabric strip 1 Is used for a deep cut to hold the skin together. Lint 1 Used for cuts and wounds. Non Adherent dressings 3 Are to cover wounds or cuts. Paper stitches (8) 1 Hold deep cuts together. Conforming Bandage 1 Is used for a wound dressing. Sterile Gauze swabs 2 Treat wounds if dirty or infected. Non Woven Dressings 3 Used for wounds e.g. after getting an operation. Cotton Crepe Bandage 1 For a stain or a break. Resuscitate Mask 1 For CPR. Tweezers 1 To take out something that is stuck in a cut. Q5 Explain the risks associated with the following hazards work environment, work practice, medication, alcohol, drugs, and outline for each, steps which on employer might take control these risks. (Please provide at least two controls per hazard) A hazard is anything that can potentially cause harm to someone e.g. spills (Health and Safety Authority 2014) Work Practise A safe way to carry out work in the workplace. Risk Control Measure Back injuries Employees/employers don’t use the equipment such as hoist that leads to back injuries. Also if staff isn’t trained properly such as manual handling could end up with back injuries. Stress Most staff could be stressed by the equipment as they mightn’t be trained in the equipment properly. Staff could be stressed because of the long ours the work in the workplace. Work Environment The place or location of where you work. Risk Control Measure Falls, Trips or Spills Do daily housekeeping routine to make sure all the rooms are safe for all the patients and also the staff. Have proper handle bars around the building for the patients. Faulty Equipment/equipment not being use properly. For the equipment to be fixed and also checked regularly. For all staff to be trained properly on the equipment. Medication Medication is used to treat an illness or disease. Risk Control Measure Out of date To check the dates regularly on all stock of medication. Also dispose of out of date medication properly. Right Dosage Give the patient the right dosage of medication so that the medication works properly. Double check the dosage on the package as packaging on tables could change. Alcohol Alcohol has a strong smell, that people use to drink or it is some medications. Risk Control Measure Wrong/poor decision making. Educational programs on alcohol. Help the employer/employee see where the made wrong decisions and help them make their decisions right. Come in late If they come in late a number amount of days to give them a warning. Explain the consequence of coming in late. Drugs A Drug/substance that has an effect on the body. Risk Control Measure Substance use at work. Giving the person sometime of work to get help. Helping them get the help. Carelessness, mistakes and errors in their judgement. Also explain to the person about the consequence about using drugs. Also explain to the person their mistakes from in their jobs and get them some help. Q6 Outline risks factors in relation to health, to include stress/lifestyle/diet/illness. Health is where someone is fit and well. Someone that isn’t sick or hasn’t got an illness long term. (Who, 2003) Stress on person can be physical on a person while working in a healthcare sector. It can be physical if someone hasn’t got the proper training in the workplace. Stress could also be mentally on a person, it could have an effect on someone’s by the person having a breakdown, panic attacks, depressed, absentees and also lack of sleep. They could be stress due to long hours in the nursing home and also a lot of work could be on one person. If someone is stressed it could have an effect on their diet. It could have an effect on someone’s health if they aren’t eating properly. If a person is not eating at proper meal times or not eating at all a person can become under nourished. Also if they are over eating in the evenings they could become over weight because they are eating the wrong foods such as sweets and takeaways and also not doing any regular exercise. Both stress and poor diet can result in poor sleeping habits which can which could lead a person to have sleep insomniac. When someone immune system is down they could easily pick up certain illness that is going on in the workplace e.g. if flus and coughs are going around they could be easily picked up. Illness can affect people because some staff members could get really sick and they could have to take a few days off which could also lead to stress because they can’t afford to take time off. Health can be affected on someone’s lifestyle. It can be affected by someone being depressed. Someone in the healthcare setting can become depressed by not talking to anybody in the workplace other than the patients or even problems at home. Reference Books Class Notes . College of Progressive Education (2008), Healthcare Support: A Textbook For Healthcare Assistance, Gill and MacMillion, Dublin. Websites Best-Job-Interview.com (2014) â€Å"Housekeeping Job Description† [online], Available: http://www.best-job-interview.com/housekeeping-job-description.html [accessed 26th September 2014]. First Aid Supplies â€Å"First Aid Fit Full† [online], Available:http://www.firstaidsupplies.org/firstaidsupplies/Main/FAK_Full_410103.htm [Accessed 26th September 2014]. Helpguide.org, â€Å"Effective Communication† [online], Available: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/effective_communication_skills.htm [accessed 30th September 2014]. 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