HNHS 103 Health and Safety in the Health and Social Care Workplace |
Task 1.3

In this essay I will be reviewing systems, policies and procedure that the new directors need to implement to ensure that health and safety information is properly communicated in health and social care setting according to the legislative requirements. I will also be assessing the responsibilities for managing the health and safety of individuals.
Health and safety communication is essential when working in health and social care as a health care provider because it is your job to make your service users feel safe and comfortable, when working in a health and social care environment it is the employers job to make sure all the employees are well trained, most health care settings provide a training course at the beginning of the employment.
Health as safety is often communicated through signs and posters; there are many different types of health and safety signs that can be located on doors and walls all over the building. A main example of health and safety signs is an ‘Exit’ or an ‘Emergency Exit’ sign that is usually located above a door; this sign shows us where we can exit from in case of an emergency of fire, another word for this door is a ‘Fire Escape’.
Having an emergency exit sign is very important because if there happens to ever be a fire or another form of emergency it will make it quick and easy for individuals to find the quickest exit and leave safely.
In a health and social care environment there are rules and codes of conduct put in place for both the staff and the service users to follow and abide by. These rules are put in place for the safety of both the staff and the service users. The rules are often communicated at the beginning during the training period.
The communication of health and safety is important to everyone so if in case of emergency everyone knows what to do and how to react. It is important for all the staff to know what to do in case of every emergency and to stay calm. It is common for places to do fire drills so that everyone knows where to go and how to react in case of a fire.

During the training period, employees should be put through training that covers manual handling of the service users and how to correctly use the equipment when handling the service users. The employees should be given training on first aid so that they are able to help take care of the service users if they are injured and are able to clean wounds and protect them from getting infected and dirty. Employees should also be given training on how to carry out cooking and cleaning tasks. There should be signs and labels in the kitchen and storage rooms communicating to the employees how to correctly store equipment and cleaning products to avoid risks and hazards.
When the employer is employing the staff they must communicate how to correctly fill out all the papers and forms, this is also usually shown during the training period. The trainer trains the staff how to correctly document accident and incident forms and how to fill out handover and taking over shift papers.

The HSE (The Health and Safety Executive) promotes good practice in health and social care.
The HSE provides information about managing the risks in health and social care that can affect employees and users of these services. It helps those who are responsible for health and safety to manage the risks. The HSE’s mission is to prevent death, injury and ill health in the United Kingdom. The HSE provides information how to practice good practice in the work place
What are the communication requirements for The Management of Health and Safety at Regulations 1999?
As a health care manger the communication requirements for the Management of Health and safety are to access the risk to health and safety posed by all the work activities that you have planned or prepared. This is to carry out protective measures and document all the significant findings. The health care manager must take a risk assessment before any activities and before bringing any service users into a room and fix anything that can lead to a hazard.
A health care manager must put in place the required health and safety measurements that follow from the risk assessment that has taken place before the activity. It is the health care manager’s job to make sure the risk has been taken care of and monitored and been reported and filed. These records must be kept.
As a health care manager you must ensure that you have procedures in case of emergencies and dangers and make sure all the staff knows what to do in case of an emergency and what the procedures are. It is important to have health and safety signs to communicate what to do in case of an emergency and also signs above the ire escape showing that that is the exit.
As the manager you must provide the other employees with the information, instruction and training that they need to understand the risks they face and how to minimise or avoid them and keep the service users safe. You must provide the employees with adequate training before the employee official starts the job so that they are capable of working with the service users and are able to use the equipment efficiently. It is important that you as the manager make sure the employees know all important information about the service users when they are dealing with them so that they are using the right methods for specific service users.
As a manager you must a undertake risk assessments to ensure the health and safety of new or expectant mothers when doing a risk assessment to ensure their safety.
One of you roles is to allow volunteers and temporary workers appropriate information to enable them to comply with their health and safety duties. You must inform them with any important information regarding the service user’s health that they may need to know in case of any accident or emergencies.
The health care manager facilitates consultation over new work arrangements, equipment or procedures which affect health and safety. As the manager you must provide training when there is new equipment and make sure the employees are well acquainted with the equipment an know how to safely use them.
It is important to have a good relationship with the other employees in your work place and have good communication skills with each other, when there is a good relationship it is easier to communicate with each other at the work place this is great practice in a health and social care environment. When two employees have a bad relationship this can reflect on their communication and practice and this can affect the service user’s care. It is important to make sure that no one health and safety is compromised.
One of the managers requirements it to make sure that equipment is safe to use and that it is being used for its intended use. As a manager you should run a risk assessment regularly on the equipment and make sure the hoists are safe to use before you use it on the service users preventing them from getting harmed. When taking the risk assessment take the working environment into consideration also the conditions and hazards.
The health care manager is required to regularly check the equipment and make sure everything is working regularly, it is the managers requirement to check the equipment and replace anything that needs fixing or replacement. It is very important to make sure the equipment is safe to use and if it is not safe the manager must make it known to all the employees if it is unsafe to use by making a sign and placing it on the equipment and also mentioning it directly to the staff while it is being replace or fixed. You must make sure that the equipment is maintain and is kept in efficient order and is always kept in good repair.
A manager’s job is basically to make sure that everything runs smoothly and that everyone is safe in their care home, the manager is often the health and safety officer so when there is a health and safety concern the manager is the person you would want to go and see. The mangers main job is to manage things and that includes being in charge of things and being aware of all the possible risks and hazards in the work place and fixing them.