Develop health and safety and risk management policies procedures and practice in health and social care or children and young people’s settings PDF

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Unit 504 Develop health and safety and risk management policies procedures and practice in health and social care or children and young people’s settings. 1.Understand the current legislative framework and organisational health, safety and risk management policies,procedures and practices that are relevant to health,and social care or children and young people’s settings. 1.1.Explain the legislative framework for health, safety and risk management in the work setting. Answer – The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is the main piece of the health and safety legislation in Great Britain. It provides the legal framework to promote and encourage high standards in the workplace. The Act, when first introduced, provided an integrated system dealing with workplace health and safety and the protection of the public from work activities. By placing duties upon employees, employers, the selfemployed, manufacturers, designers and importers of work equipment and materials, the protection of the law, rights and responsibilities are available and given to all at work. An employer has a general duty to, as far as is reasonably practicable, safeguard the health, safety and welfare of employees by ensuring that plant and equipment are safe; safe handling, storage, maintenance and transport of articles and substances; provision for employees of information, instruction, training and supervision; a safe working environment and adequate welfare facilities; safe access and a safe system of work. Where there are five or more employees, an employer has an absolute duty to provide a written health and safety policy and to ensure that all employees have seen it. The legislative framework for health and safety; understanding the framework; the difference between Acts and Regulations and the roles and responsibilities of the Health and Safety Executive;role of service managers and team leaders, employees and service users under the law eg Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Manangement of Health and Safety Regulations 1999(amended 2003), RIDDOR 1995, COSSH 1994(amended 2002), Manual Handling Operations 1992, Food Safety Act 1990 and Food Regulations 2006, Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order) 2005.

1.2.Analyse how policies,procedures and practices in own setting meet health,safety and risk management requirements. Answer – My company has its own, clearly written policies and procedures, which are stored within the workplace and updated as and when required. The policies contain information for employees in relation to health and safety practice within the work setting and also risk assessment and management procedures. The policies and procedures meet requirements by being evaluated on an ongoing basis, with updated information being implemented and explained to all employees, with clear procedures in place to follow and adhere to. We have a designated individual within the workplace, who is responsible for ensuring that any updates to health and safety requirements or risk management is implemented without delay and this is then communicated across the entire staff team during staff meetings, daily handovers and formal supervision. We also have a maintenance team who are responsible for attending to any health and safety issues and we have a clear system in place for reporting any areas of concern. We have 2 folders of Policies which are updated regularly and the staff is aware if there are any chnges. 2.Be able to implement and monitor compliance with health, safety and risk management requirements in health and social care or children and young people’s settings. 2.1 Demonstrate compliance with health, safety and risk management procedures. The law states that you have a legal duty to put in place suitable arrangements to manage for health and safety. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulation 1999 require employers to put in place arrangements to control health and safety risks. As a minimum you should have the processes and procedures required to meet the legal requirements including : A written health and safety policy(if you employ 5 or more people), assessments of the risks to employees, contractors, customers, partners, and any other people who could be affected by your activities and record the significant in writing. Any risk assessment must be

suitable and efficient, arrangements for the effective planning , organisation, control, monitoring, and review of the preventive measures that come from risk assessment. Access to competent health and safety advice, providing employees in how to deal with the risks in your work place and how they are protected. Instructions and training for employees in how to deal with the risks. Ensuring there is adequate and appropriate supervision in place. Consulting with employees. The Health and Safety Executive is responsible for making adequate arrangements for the enforcement of health and safety legislation in the UK. In fulfilment of its duty, The Executive provides guidance to its regulatory staff who have to judge whether measures put in place, or proposed, by those who are under a duty o to control and reduce risks ,,as low as reasonably practicable,, are acceptable. 2.2. Support others to comply with legislative and organisational health, safety and risk management policies, procedures and practices relevant to their work. a) Significant others - The organization should be aiming to develop a diverse workforce which draws on the skills and experiences of a wide range of communities. The workforce can become a key way of expressing the diversity of our organization and engaging effectively with different groups. b) Visitors to unit - has obligations to ensure the health, safety and welfare of persons other than employees at a place of work. Although the legislation is not specific on the definition of “place of work”, the definition generally used in local government is very broad: physical areas that staff (or volunteers) use or could use. Therefore, staff should be mindful of requirements when assessing and managing visitor safety risks, recognizing that visitors have different hazard exposures, knowledge and behavior from staff. c) Inspectors and regulators Since 1974, the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) has represented all major interests as, backed by good science and by open research, have developed regulations, standards and guidance to help employers meet their obligations.

2.3.Explain the actions to take when health, safety and risk management, procedures and practices are not being complied with. If there is ever any doubt that health and safety/risk management procedures and practices are not being adhered to, then immediate action is required. Within my workplace we have a responsible individual who ensures that risk assessments are up to date and factual, however, the staff and management team as a whole have an overall responsibility for reporting any areas or issues, which may jeopardise the safety and well being of individuals. The usual course of action taken when a health and safety issue is highlighted is to contact the company maintenance team who will address any issues without delay and ensure that necessary steps are taken to amend the problem. There are however at times, instances whereby a staff member may not be following basic procedures or may be taking unnecessary risks in relation to health and safety issues; This again is dealt with swiftly and without delay, usually through formal supervision or immediate action by the management team. At times, simple refresher training is all that is required to ensure that a repeat of the same action does not occur again. If non-compliance is down to a service user, then advice and support is offered and clear expectations and guidelines are explained, to prevent further occurrences and information is logged and recorded and shared with any necessary third parties. 2.4 Complete records and reports on health, safety and risk management issues according to legislative and organizational requirements You may have been asked in the past to keep a chronological health and safety log book / diary. There are some obvious problems with relying on this type of record system, since if you need to quickly identify, for example, which staff have received induction training, or when the last fire drill was held, you will have to thumb through the diary to the relevant date. Instead, it is recommended that each area maintains a Health and Safety File that has sections for each type of health and safety record (training / risk assessments / fire drills etc ). Health and Safety Co-coordinators should maintain a Health and Safety File which should be readily available for inspection. Files can be electronic, as long as they are easily and quickly retrievable, but ideally, a hard copy should be printed out for the Health and

Safety File. The file should serve as the central health and safety record for the department . Details of the following should be kept in the file (where applicable):  A current list of names of individuals with key health and safety roles - e.g. Health & Safety Co-coordinator, risk assessors, DSE assessors, first aiders (include date certificates expire), fire evacuation officers, etc;  A copy of the Health and Safety Code / Health and Safety Policy, and projected date for review;  Copies of other local health and safety policies, procedures or guidance given to staff  A Register of Risk Assessments Completed for the department  Copies of Risk assessments*, including (where applicable):  General risk assessments;  COSHH assessments;  Fire risk assessments;  Manual Handling operations; equipment;  Lifting equipment and lifting operations; Completed Accident Records Sheets [removed from the Accident Book] – or at least details of where these and the Accident Book are kept;  Copies of any Accident Report Form sent to Health and Safety Services, plus the report of any investigation made into the accident / incident and details of any remedial action taken following an accident or incident;  Details of emergency procedures – e.g. fire evacuation, procedures to deal with a chemical / biological or radiological spillage, location of first aid kits and first aiders etc.

 Date and findings of Health and Safety Inspections of the Area; together with details of any actions / timescales to be taken following such an inspections;  Record of Portable Electrical Appliance tests, remedial action required / effected, and date for repeat of test; Other equipment maintenance and service records (or at least a reference to what other records are kept and where these can be found);  Fire Drill Records - dates and performance [clearance time; details of any problems, etc.];  Health and safety training records – names, dates and course title for health and safety training provided / attended (include local training such as health and safety induction; courses provided by Health & Safety Services, and external courses) - plus projected date for refresher training;  Copies of completed health and safety induction checklists (for new staff);  Copies of annual health and safety audit checklists and action plans; Waste disposal consignment notes (if applicable). 3.Be able to lead the implementation of policies, procedures and practices to manage risk to individuals and others in health and social care or children and young people’s settings. 3.1 Contribute to development of policies, procedures and practices to identify, assess and manage risk to individuals and others. Complying with the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASAW) and all other relevant legislation. Defining and adopting best working practices and relevant codes of practice. Holding regular Health and Safety meetings and implementing the recommendations. Reviewing accidents and incidents on a regular basis. 3.2 Work with individuals and others to assess potential risks and hazards.

Work together with applicants and employees if it is necessary to assess whether their disability affects health and safety and, if so, to what extent. In other words, work together when doing risk assessments that consider the effects of the person’s disability and when thinking about the ‘reasonable adjustments’ needed for them to enter or stay in work; Take account of any adjustments already in place, so your conclusions are based on any remaining risks, if they exist; Make new ‘reasonable adjustments’ to overcome remaining risks, remembering to work with the disabled person to tailor the adjustments to their needs; 3.3 Work with individuals and others to manage potential risks and hazards. You would need to explain the risks involved to the individual and make sure they understand. An explanation of the actions that staff members are expected to take to reduce risk to themselves and others. 4. Be able to promote a culture where needs and risks are balanced with health and safety practice in health and social care or children and young people’s settings.

4.1 Work with individuals to balance the management of risk with individual rights and the views of others. Identifying hazards and assessing risks, deciding what precautions are needed, putting them in place and checking they are used, protects people, improves quality, and safeguards plant and production. Once you have identified potential practice risks, you need to perform a systematic analysis to understand the nature and level of each risk. A full understanding of the what, where, when, why and how is required to help you appropriately manage the risk.The Framework categorizes various risk analysis resources by timing or phrase of incident, for example: Before an incident occurs – in order to prevent occurrences During an incident – to mitigate or address the potential consequences

After an incident – in order to prevent a recurrence 4.2Work with individuals and others to develop a balanced approach to risk management that takes into account the benefits for individuals of risk taking. Risk management needs to be managed carefully and appropriately. There are at times, calculated, which must be taken in order to allow for the natural development of service users. This may be permitting a young person to use electrical appliances, or use public transport for example. Young people needs to be able to thrive and develop and there will be risks involved in the process. I ensure therefore that there are adequate risk assessments produced which highlight any risk and provide advice to staff members on how to minimize any potential danger or unnecessary risks. Children and young people are consulted appropriately by experienced and qualified staff members to give them advice and support and help provide them with the knowledge they need to remain safe. This is usually done through direct work and key work sessions. 4.3.Evaluate own practice in promoting a balanced approach to risk management. As a deputy manager I constantly evaluate my own practice by promoting a balanced approach to risk management. I do this by holding regular consultation with my staff team and the young people we care for. Daily and weekly discussions take place with young people to ascertain their views and requests and the staff team are then consulted through daily handovers, staff meetings and supervision regarding the requests made by the young people. There are times when certain requests cannot be met, however this is always fully explained to a young person and appropriate reason are given. A compromise will be sought and if possible, requests will be met to an acceptable degree. I evaluate my own practice by ensuring that I continue to hold regular consultation with my manager to discuss issues as they arise and forward plan. 4.4.Analyse how helping others to understand the balance between risk and rights improves practice. Helping others to understand the balance between risk and rights greatly improves practice, as it shows that you are not just making decisions, but you are consulting people about why a certain decision may have to have been made and

explaining the reasons for this. Direct work with young people or formal supervision with staff members, creates a forum for discussion and allows for reasoning, explanations and understanding to take place. Once somebody understands the reason why a decision may have to have been made, they then begin to understand that it is for the benefit of themselves and in the best interests of all concerned. This in turn greatly improves practice as it creates a more open environment for future discussion to take place and compromisation to be achieved. 5.Be able to improve health, safety and risk manage in health and social care or children and young people’s ssettings. 5.1 Obtain feedback on health, safety and risk management policies, procedures and practices from individuals and others A formal boardroom review of health and safety performance is essential. It allows the board to establish whether the essential health and safety principles – strong and active leadership, worker involvement, and assessment and review – have been embedded in the organization. It tells you whether your system is effective in managing risk and protecting people. Examine whether the health and safety policy reflects the organization’s current priorities, plans and targets; Examine whether risk management and other health and safety systems have been effectively reporting to the board; Evaluate the risk assessment within your organization? 2Smaller sized businesses tend to have less formal and simple systems in place, eg face-to-face discussion, toolbox talks, periodic meetings on specific issues. Discussion on the concept of worker involvement may be over-the-top for some given their size – instead, focus on whether the arrangements allow employees to have a say.

5.2. Evaluate the health, safety and risk management policies, procedures and practices whitin the work setting. All health safety and risk management policies, procedures and practices within the work setting are evaluated regularly. The risk assessments regarding the young people are a live document and may fluctuate on a regular basis, according to the needs and current affairs of the young people. Any updated information is

recorded appropriately and all necessary parties are informed – (parents, social worker, young person) the staff team is then given guidance on how to ensure that any updates are adhered to through the communication log book and daily handovers. Health and safety policies and procedures are reviewed/evaluated annually, or before if required and any areas of concern are addressed without delay and reported appropriately work setting.

5.3. Identify areas of policies, procedures and practices that need improvement to ensure safety and protection in the work setting. An example was the decision to remove a tree from the grounds of the building, following consultation with our neighbours. The tree was causing concerns for the neighbours and after speaking to the senior management team and maintenance team, a decision was made to remove it. 5.4.Recommend changes to policies, procedures and practices that ensure safety and protection in the work setting. A recommendation I have, which is to ensure safety and protection in the workplace is to lock the downstairs internal doors during the night-time hours. The reason for this recommendation is to prevent access to dead end rooms with no exit points and allow for a safe exit channel to be utilised in the event of a fire or other emergency situation. I have discussed this issue with my manager, maintenance team and local fire officer and we are hoping to implement it in the near future....