UNIT 3: Health, Safety and Security in Health and Social Care. Bilqis Ishaq-Bakare Age group: 3 to 6

Introduction In this assignment I will be identifying Hazards in a health and social care setting, the likelihood of this hazard harming a service and the severity the injury from the hazard will course and also say the risk rating of the hazard by multiplying the likelihood and the severity together. I will also find solution to this hazards and what kind of actions need to be taken to reduce the risk of the hazard from harming a service user.

|Identified Hazard |Assess the identified Hazard.|How could the risk and harm |Risk Rating |Give reasons for the why you gave the identified hazard the rating you did. |
|Age group: |Think about the risk and harm|from each hazard be more | | |
| |from each Hazard. |dangerous for the service | | |
| | |user group you have | | |
| | |identified | | |
| | | |Likelihood |Severity |Risk | |
| | | | | |Rating | |
| Hard surfaces under equipment | Hard surfaces under | There are not aware of the | 2 | 2 | 4Low | I gave the likelihood 2 because it is not something that happens occasionally and it |
|Age group: |equipment such as the ground |hazard, as there do not look | | | |is likely that the child has a parent with them who guides and makes sure that they do|
| |and sand can lead to bruises |at their surroundings. | | | |not hurt themselves. I rated the severity 2 has the injury is minor and does not lead |
| |and cuts on the skin. | | | | |to any serious medications. I rated the risk 4 because I do not think that it will |
| | | | | | |lead to any life threatening situation but it might lead to a slight concussions. |
|Insufficient Equipment Spacing |This could lead to |Children are not aware of the |2 |3 |6 low |I gave the likelihood 2 because majority of the equipment in the park I visited have |
| |bruises or sprained |dangers around them as all they | | | |the right amount of spacing, which makes it less likely for any child to get injured |
| |bones as a child could |Want to do is play. | | | |or stuck in between the equipments. I gave the severity 3 because sometimes |
| |fall from the equipment | | | | |insufficient spacing can lead to minor injuries such as bruises and but it can |
| |or gets stuck in-between| | | | |sometimes lead to major injury such as spraining a bone in your body. I gave the |
| |the equipment and this | | | | |rating of this hazard a six because it does not lead to any life threatening |
| |could lead to injuries | | | | |situations and majority of the children were supervised by their carers or parents who|
| |like bruises or a | | | | |make it less likely for any child to get injured. |
| |sprained bone in the | | | | | |
| |body. | | | | | |
| Broken swing | Broken swings can lead | Children are not aware of the | 4 | 4 | 8 medium | I gave the likelihood a 4 because, in the children’s play area in the park I |
| |to Cuts and grazes. |dangers around them so they | | | |investigated majority of the equipments and they all looked strong and that they have |
| | |sometimes play carelessly and not| | | |being regular check up to make sure that there are nothing wrong with them. I gave the|
| | |aware of the dangers around them.| | | |severity 8 because it only leads to minor injuries but if the wound gets infected then|
| | | | | | |in might need more severe medical attention. |
| | | | | | |The bruises can get infected. I gave the rating 8 because it does not lead to any life|
| | | | | | |threatening situations and even if the wound gets infected it can be treated quickly. |
| Sharp or rough edges | Sharp or rough edges | Children are unaware of the | 3 | 4 | 12 medium | I gave the likelihood of this a 3 because sharp edges are dangerous and lead to deep |
| |can lead to deep cuts |dangers and what they can do to | | | |cuts in the skin, but majority of the slides and other equipments in the park do not |
| |and bruises. |them. | | | |have sharp edges which makes it less likely for any child to get injured. I gave the |
| | | | | | |severity a 4 because it can lead to harsh injuries which can then mean that the child |
| | | | | | |will need medical attention. I gave the rating an 8 because children are more open and|
| | | | | | |vulnerable to these kinds of hazards but it only resorts plaster not a disability or |
| | | | | | |death. |
|Trip hazards |Trip hazards such as |Children are vulnerable and less |2 |3 |8 medium |I gave the likelihood of this happening a 2 because it is less likely for it to happen|
| |water, wet grass and |aware of the dangers around them | | | |as there will be signs there warning parents to make sure that their child does not |
| |cracked concrete can |as they are running around. | | | |play near the trip hazard. But sometimes it can be the cause of someone spilling their|
| |lead to fractures and | | | | |water or drink. I gave the severity a 3 because it does not lead to any major |
| |bruises. | | | | |injuries. I gave the rating a 9 because children are more open to the hazard and 5 |
| | | | | | |times more likely to get injured than an adult. |
|Age-Inappropriate Activities |Age-Inappropriate |Children do not know the risk of |2 |4 |9 medium. |I gave the likelihood a 2 because, it is rare to find a child that is not supervised |
| |Activities injuries such|the hazard so; this means that | | | |by their parent as the parents do not want their children to get injured. I gave the |
| |as cuts in the skin and |they are more vulnerable to | | | |severity a 4 because, if a child plays with equipment in the park that is not |
| |bruises. |getting injured. | | | |appropriate for their age it can be dangerous for children as it could lead to |
| | | | | | |injuries which may harm them. I gave the risk rating an 8 because age inappropriate |
| | | | | | |can lead to serious injuries. |

Ratings – (S) Severity, (L) Likelihood, Severity x Likelihood= Risk Rating

*L = likelihood 0-5 (1 = not very likely) *S = severity of consequence 0 - 5 (1 = if it did happen, harm is minimal)
L x S = Risk rating: 0-7 low 8-16 Medium 17- 20 High 21 – 25 V. High (unacceptable level of risk)

D1: Make recommendations in relation to identified hazards to minimise the risks to the service user group.

Hazards are everywhere, but we have solutions which help minimize these hazards, Hazards in the park, school or even in a hospital.

The first hazard I will be looking at is hard surfaces under equipments. Hard surfaces under equipments are potentially more of a risk for children under the age of seven as there are not aware of their environment, but there are solutions which help minimize this hazard so that it can be safe for children. My first solution is poured rubber surfacing, it is a rubber material made from recycled rubber tyres, and it stretches
And prevents puddles forming as it as a rapid rate of absorbing water which will prevent children from slipping. Wet pour surface will help reduce the impact of an injury happening than if there was no surface at all. This is a good suggestion as it also comes in different shapes so that it will be able to suit the shape of the area the equipment are in the park, it is easy to clean from things like sand or leafs. The weakness of this solution is the cost, because the park as a lot of equipment so there might not be enough money to afford the amount of poured rubber equipment there need. My second solution is artificial turf grass; artificial turf grass is a surface of synthetic fibres made to look like natural grass it helps reduces injuries such as bruises because if children fall while playing it will not lead to any serious injuries. Artificial grass do not change in the weather unlike real grass which turns muddy when it rains and the durability lasts longer than a real grass and it does not get torn when children play roughly on it. It also saves water as an average grass uses about 50,000 gallons of water per week during the growing season.

The second hazard I will be looking at is Insufficient Equipment Spacing. Insufficient equipment spacing potentially dangerous because children are unaware of the dangers around them as there are playing, so if there are not enough space to move and run around, which means it will become crowded and may it could lead to injuries. My first solution to this hazard is making sure that Therefore there should be a minimum of twelve feet in between two play structures, this prevent injuries as the children will be able to circulate and it will prevent the possibilities of any child falling of one equipment and slamming into another equipment. This is a good suggestion because children will be safe while playing on the equipment in the park because the amount of measurements has been taking into consideration. The weakness of this suggestion is some children are more aware o their surrounding than other children, which means even if there are enough spacing between two structures there might still be some injuries. My second solution is equipments such as swings and merry go round should be located in a different area away from other structures because there will be a lot of physical movements which means that if the amount of space is not enough for children to move around, this will mean that children will be clashing into each other and equipments such as swing which require a big space because children will be moving from backwards to forward, the swing might hit another child which may then lead to injuries, but if there are enough spacing area this will be prevented. This is a good suggestion because it will lower the risk of any children clashing into each other and resolving into an injury. The weakness of this suggestion is there might not be enough space in the park to provide the area there need to build this equipment.

The third hazard I will be looking at is broken swing. Broken awing are potentially dangerous for children as there have sharp edges which may lead to a child getting injured and leading to cuts and bruises. My first solution to this hazard is getting the swing fixed so that it will be safe for children to play with. This is a good suggestion because if the swing is fixed then it will mean that no child will get injured. The weakness of this suggestion it might cost a lot of money and effort to fix the swing. My second suggestion is making sure that there are regular checkups to make sure that the equipments are healthy and are still strong enough for the children to play with. This is a good suggestion because it means that children are safe and poor maintenance is avoided. The weakness of this suggestion is that the person coming to check the equipments might not be a qualified person, which means that they will not be able to do their job properly.

The fourth hazard I will be looking at is sharp and rough edges. Sharp and rough edges are dangerous because it could lead to injuries like bruises. My first solution to this hazard is that equipments like the seesaw should be blunt to

Components in the play environment should be inspected to make sure there are no sharp edges or points that could cut skin. Moving components such as suspension bridges, track rides, merry-go-rounds, see-saws and some swings should be checked to make sure that there are no moving parts or mechanisms that might crush or pinch a child’s finger.

The fifth hazard I will be looking at is a trip hazards. Trips hazard are thing that make you slip like water or an object on the floor that might make you trip. Children are more in danger of slipping or tripping as there are not aware of their surroundings. My first solution to this hazard is that there should be no objects like tree trumps or rocks on the floor which may strip the children. A cleaner should at least come in the morning and evening to sweep the ground so that it will be clean and safe for children to play and run around. This is a good suggestion as the hazard will be cleared away and this means they is a low risk of an injury happening. This weakness of this suggestion is, if there is no one to check that the cleaner swept the ground properly, this may mean that they may still be some object on the floor. My second solution is fixing the cracked sidewalk so that it will be safe and parents will feel like their kids are protected from injuries while in the park. This is a good suggestion as if the cracked sidewalks are fixed then it will prevent injuries such as twisting your ankle while running.

The sixth hazard I am identifying is age-Inappropriate Activities. My first solution to this hazard is that there should be a sign which says the age the equipment is appropriate for so that parents will know this and not allow their children near it. This good suggestion because the sign will make parents aware if the kids can play on the equipment or not. The weakness of this suggestion is, some parents might not notice the sign or cannot read and allow their children to go on the equipment. My second solution is areas for children should be separate from areas intended for teenagers and adults. This is a good suggestion because, if the children are playing with equipment that is suitable for their age, then it is less likely for them to get injured.