Unit Title

CC053

/ Promote, monitor and maintain health, safety and security in the workplace

Summary

This unit is about promoting, monitoring and maintaining health, safety and security in the work environment. First aid training and certification may be a useful route of development to consider for the third element.
To achieve this unit, you will need to
  • confirm individuals’ rights of entry
  • identify the risk of work activities
  • use equipment and materials in a safe manner
  • respond appropriately to emergencies in the environment
  • undertake work activities in a safe manner
  • monitor activities as they progress
  • undertake appropriate initial action for a wide range of health emergencies until you are able to hand over the care of the person involved to someone more competent in that area of practice.

There are three elements:

CC053.1 / Monitor and maintain the safety and security of the work environment
CC053.2 / Promote standards of health and safety in working practice
CC053.3 / Minimise the risks arising from health emergencies

Target Group

This unit applies to healthcare staff in custodial settings who need to maintain the health, safety and security of the healthcare setting and respond to health emergencies in the custodial setting as a whole.

Linked Units

Links to other Custodial Healthcare units: CC018 and CC033.
Links to QCA Key Skills: Communication Level 3, Application of Number Level 1, Working with Others Level 3 and Problem Solving Level 2.
Links to SQA Core Skills: Communication Intermediate 2, Numeracy Intermediate1, Working with Others Intermediate 2 and Problem Solving Intermediate 2.

Place in Qualifications

This is a mandatory unit in the Custodial Healthcare Level 3 NVQ and SVQ.

This unit is taken from the national occupational standards for Care where it appears as Unit CU1. Successful candidates would achieve a unit credit for the relevant Care NVQs and SVQs.

Skills for Justice / Page 1
National Occupational Standards for Custodial Healthcare Units / April 2005

Element

CC053.1

/ Monitor and maintain the safety and security of the work environment

Performance Criteria

To meet the standard, you

1 / you correctly identify people entering the environment and establish their right to entry
2 / you use practices in relation to health, safety and security which are consistent with legislation and organisational requirements
3 / you identify the risks involved prior to starting work activities, and then undertake activities in a way which minimises the risks
4 / you maintain work areas as safe and as free from hazards as is possible during work activities
5 / you use equipment and materials in a correct, safe manner, consistent with current legal and organisational requirements
6 / you store equipment and materials safely and securely when not in use
7 / you dispose of waste and spillage without delay in a safe manner and place
8 / you take the appropriate action to minimise health, safety and security risks which arise during work
9 / you put the appropriate safety procedures into effect without delay in an emergency
10 / you keep accurate, legible and complete health, safety and security records.

Range

1 / equipment
a / manually operated
b / powered
2 / materials
a / hazardous
b / non-hazardous
3 / appropriate action
a / take action oneself to limit the effect of the risk
b / set off an alarm
c / call someone else more able to deal with the risk.

Element

CC053.2

/ Promote standards of health and safety in working practice

Performance Criteria

To meet the standard, you

1 / you identify the risks to self and others when undertaking work activities and take appropriate actions to minimise risk
2 / you use approved safe methods and systems when undertaking potentially hazardous work activities
3 / you encourage and support others with whom you are working to promote their own health and safety during work activities
4 / you stop work activity immediately if there is the likelihood of an accident or injury, and take the appropriate action to remedy the problem
5 / you maintain accurate information regarding your own whereabouts so that immediate contact can be made should this be necessary
6 / you keep accurate, legible and complete health and safety records.

Range

1 / potentially hazardous work activities
a / moving and handling
b / working with potentially hazardous equipment
c / working with potentially hazardous materials
d / working in hazardous environments
e / working with people who may pose a risk to health and safety.

Element

CC053.3

/ Minimise the risks arising from health emergencies

Performance Criteria

To meet the standard, you

1 / you summon assistance immediately for any health emergency and begin the action appropriate for the condition
2 / you provide the individual with the health emergency with support, both verbally and by physical presence
3 / you give appropriate support to assist in the ongoing care of the individual with the health emergency when someone with more competence to deal with the emergency is available
4 / you make the immediate vicinity as private and safe as possible once the intervention has been taken over by an appropriate person
5 / you offer any others involved in the incident appropriate support once any initial danger is passed
6 / you keep accurate, legible and complete records of incidents.

Range

1 / health emergency
a / severe bleeding
b / cardiac arrest
c / shock
d / faints or loss of consciousness
e / epileptic seizure
f / choking and difficulty with breathing
g / falls—potential and actual fractures
h / burns and scalds
i / poisoning
j / electrocution.

Unit

CC053

/ Promote, monitor and maintain health, safety and security in the workplace

Knowledge and Understanding

To meet the standard, you need to know and understand

Legislation, policy and good practice

1 / the individual’s responsibility under organisational policy and legislation in relation to health, safety and security (e.g. health and safety legislation, legislation relating to Control of Substances Hazardous to Health, environmental legislation, legislation relating to custodial establishments)
2 / the reasons for providing information on whereabouts (e.g. in case of accidents, assaults by others)
3 / legislative requirements for completing records of accidents and emergencies
4 / the purpose of calling assistance immediately
5 / the reasons why actions beyond your own capabilities may further endanger life

Factors which influence what you do

6 / the difference between hazardous and non-hazardous waste and the relationship of this to potential contamination
7 / the health, safety and security risks which may occur (for self, others and the environment) and the appropriate action to take when they do
8 / the different kinds of emergency there may be in the work environment
9 / the signs and symptoms of the different emergency conditions and how these may differ in relation to an individual’s age and for people from different ethnic groups
10 / how health emergencies might affect others in the vicinity and ways of supporting them effectively once the initial danger is passed
11 / potential health risks to others from an emergency, such as contamination from blood and other body products

How to achieve important outcomes

12 / your own capabilities to deal with an emergency
13 / how to move and handle people and objects safely
14 / how to work safely with potentially hazardous equipment
15 / how to assess the risk of working with people and methods of limiting this risk
16 / how to work safely with hazardous materials (e.g. chemicals, body products)
17 / how to promote health and safety to others, including the role of modelling good practice
18 / methods of monitoring health, safety and security
19 / methods of using equipment and materials safely (including the use of chemicals and other hazardous substances)
20 / methods of storing different equipment and materials safely and securely
21 / the actions which you should start to take, and those things which you should not do, for each of: severe bleeding; cardiac arrest; shock; faints or loss of consciousness; epileptic seizure; choking and difficulty with breathing; fractures; burns and scalds; poisoning; electrocution
22 / the appropriate action to take for different emergencies (such as fire, evacuation of buildings, bomb scares, etc.)
23 / the relationship of fire extinguisher/blanket to fire type (electrical, chemical, combustible material)
24 / how to identify risk when planning work activities and undertaking work in a way which minimises risks

Assessment guidance

You should arrange for your assessor to observe you promoting, monitoring and maintaining health, safety and security in the workplace. You should also collect together examples of the records you have completed when promoting, monitoring and maintaining health, safety and security in the workplace. You should provide these examples to your assessor and be ready to answer questions about the way you went about promoting, monitoring and maintaining health, safety and security in the workplace. The assessor may also want some evidence from the people that you worked with during the process. The assessor will also ask you questions about the knowledge, understanding and skills required to underpin this unit.

In element CC053.1

  • performance criterion 9, emergencies might include: fire, evacuation of buildings, bomb scares
  • range a2, powered equipment would include any electrical or electronic equipment (such as computers) as well as equipment which may be found specifically in custodial or healthcare environments
  • range b1, hazardous materials includes: blood, other body waste, sharps and needles, infectious materials, compressed gases, chemicals.

In element CC053.2

  • performance criterion 3, encouragement and support would include such aspects as: modelling good health and safety, encouraging others to take the necessary health and safety precautions (e.g. wearing protective clothing), acting in a way which enables others to be safe and promotes their health and social well-being
  • range a4, hazardous environments might include: isolated places where it is difficult to contact colleagues, temperatures which are likely to cause hypothermia, dirt, dangerous conditions
  • range a5, people who may pose a risk to health and safety would include individuals who are behaving aggressively or threateningly.

Evidence Requirements

To achieve this unit, you must provide evidence that you

  • consistently meet all the performance criteria, and
  • have the necessary knowledge, understanding and skills to work competently with all types of range.

You must show evidence from your work for the following range.

  • Both of these types of equipment

1manually operated

2powered.

  • Both of these types of materials

1hazardous

2non-hazardous.

  • All five of these types of potentially hazardous work activities

1moving and handling

2working with potentially hazardous equipment

3working with potentially hazardous materials

4working in hazardous environments

5working with people who may pose a risk to health and safety.

Simulation can be used for

  • all of these types of appropriate action

1take action oneself to limit the effect of the risk

2set off an alarm

3call someone else more able to deal with the risk.

  • all of the following types of health emergencies

1severe bleeding

2cardiac arrest

3shock

4faints or loss of consciousness

5epileptic seizure

6choking and difficulty with breathing

7falls—potential and actual fractures

8burns and scalds

9poisoning

10electrocution.

Skills for Justice / Page 1
National Occupational Standards for Custodial Healthcare Units / April 2005