HEALTH AND SAFETY

The HSE Law Poster says – “All workers have a right to work in places where risks to their health and safety are properly controlled. Health and safety is about stopping you getting hurt at work or ill through work. Your employer is responsible for health and safety, but you must help.”

As an employee you have a legal duty, please read the paragraph below for more detail.

What are the legal requirements of Health and Safety?

In every workplace there should be either, a Health and Safety Law poster, or each employee should be provided with the equivalent leaflet. Below are the main points taken directly from a Health and Safety Law poster. Please find the one in your workplace and read it fully. If you have any questions about Health and Safety please talk to the Duty Desk Team.

What employer must do for you:

  1. Decide what could harm you in your job and the precautions to stop it. This is part of risk assessment.
  2. In a way you can understand, explain how risks will be controlled and tell you who is responsible for this.
  3. Consult and work with you and your health and safety representatives in protecting everyone from harm in the workplace.
  4. Free of charge; give you the health and safety training you need to do your job.
  5. Free of charge, provide you with any equipment and protective clothing you need, and ensure it is properly looked after.
  6. Provide toilets, washing facilities and drinking water.
  7. Provide adequate first-aid facilities.
  8. Report major injuries and fatalities at work to our Incident Contact Centre: 0845 300 9923. Report other injuries, diseases and dangerous incidents online at .
  9. Have insurance that covers you in case you get hurt at work or ill through work. Display a hard copy or electronic copy of the current insurance certificate where you can easily read it.
  10. Work with any other employers or contractors sharing the workplace or providing employees (such as agency workers), so that everyone’s health and safety is protected.

ICS Health and Safety objectives:

  1. To ensure as far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety and welfare of all workers, and of all those visiting ICS premises or using services provided by the organisation.
  2. To ensure that the workforce is competent to undertake the tasks required.
  3. To comply with all current health and safety legislation, regulations and code of practice.
  4. To provide safe and healthy conditions of work.
  5. To ensure safe handling and use of hazardous substances.
  6. To raise the level of knowledge of all the workers on health and safety through the provision of education and training programmes.
  7. To consult with the workers on matters affecting their health and safety.
  8. To ensure that audit systems are in place and that monitoring of work practices takes place according to relevant policies.
  9. To assess and manage risk in all working and service user environments, to ensure that all risks are identified and minimised as far as is reasonably practicable.

What you must do:

  1. Follow the training you have received when using any work items your employer has given you.
  2. Take reasonable care of your own and other people’s health and safety.
  3. Co-operate with your employer on health and safety.
  4. Tell someone (your employer, supervisor, or health and safety representative) if you think the work or inadequate precautions are putting anyone’s health and safety at serious risk.

If there’s a problem

  1. If you are worried about health and safety in your workplace, talk to your employer, supervisor, or health and safety representative.
  2. You can also look at our website for general information about health and safety at work.
  3. If, after talking with your employer, you are still worried, you can find the address of your local enforcing authority for health and safety and the Employment Medical Advisory Service via HSE’s website:

What are the main aims of Health and Safety?

To keep everyone as safe as possible and reduce the risks of danger and harm.

What are the main health and safety risks?

The most common causes of injury and ill health to health care workers arise from moving and handling, and dealing with challenging behaviour.

Where the Health and Safety at Work Act applies, any significant risks to both the health care worker and service user must be adequately assessed. So far as is reasonably practicable, safe working procedures and appropriate equipment should be provided, and the health care worker should be suitably competent/appropriately trained to carry out the tasks safely.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Personal protective equipment you need to do your job will be supplied free of charge. These will include disposable gloves, aprons, masks and goggles. If you are concerned about PPE please contact the Duty Desk Team.

Risk Assessment

Risk assessment is identifying a hazard and assessing how dangerous it could be, then identifying ways of managing the risk to reduce the hazard, this is then recorded on a risk assessment document. We all risk assess informally all day long. We take note of hazards and often move them without thinking. For example you walk into your home after a long day at work and see the rug has folded over in the corner, you automatically straighten it out. In work we need to risk assess more formally and write down the risk and how we can best manage the risk. It is your responsibility to report any hazards you think will pose a risk.

In the useful website section is a link to the HSE’s Five steps to risk assessment, this is a useful tool for everyone to use to help you focus, even if you do not complete formal risk assessments, you will unconsciously be risk assessing all the time. The link will help you to understand the purpose and how the decision has been reached.

The 5 steps are:

  1. Identify the hazards
  2. Decide who might be harmed and how
  3. Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions
  4. Record your findings and implement them
  5. Review your assessment and update if necessary

Risk assessments are there to protect you and your service user/patients so always read and follow them.

Accidents/Incidents/Near misses

All accidents, incidents and near misses must be reported on the correct form and verbally to your line manager and the Duty Desk Team as soon as possible after the incident. This will help prevent another person becoming injured. Always follow the Trust’s policy for accident and incident reporting as well as the ICS policy which states if a worker has an accident, it must be reported as soon as possible to enable an investigation. All accidents, near-misses and cases of work-related ill health must be recorded. All workers have a duty to read and understand the Incident reporting policy. The Clinical Director reports any accidents or major incidents that occur to the HSE enforcing authority under RIDDOR.

In the case of Northern Ireland, whilst we ensure that all incidents are followed up and managed appropriately, all incidents that may affect the wellbeing of a patient/client require reporting to The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority. The Nursing Agencies Regulations (Northern

Ireland) 2005 states the Agency must notify The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority of any incident reported to the police not later than 24hrs after the Agency has reported the matter to the police or is informed that the matter has been reported to the police.

RIDDOR

RIDDOR is the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995. These Regulations require employers, the self-employed and those in control of premises to report specified workplace incidents.

Always report any accidents, incidents and near misses, as your employer may have to report them to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) under the RIDDOR regulations. If in doubt report it, let your employer make the decision.

HSE defines reportable incidents as:

  • death
  • fractures, other than to fingers and toes,
  • amputations,
  • any injury likely to lead to permanent loss of sight or reduction in sight,
  • any crush injury to the head or torso causing damage to the brain or internal organs,
  • serious burns (including scalding) which: covers more than 10% of the body, causes significant damage to the eyes, respiratory system or other vital organs,
  • any scalping requiring hospital treatment,
  • any loss of consciousness caused by head injury or asphyxia, any other injury arising from working in an enclosed space which: leads to hypothermia or heat-induced illness, requires resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours

If a worker is off or unable to perform their normal work duties for more than 7 consecutive days the accident must be reported. This 7 day period does not include the day of the accident, but does include weekends and rest days. The report must be made within 15 days of the accident.

Accidents that leave a worker unable to work for 3 or more consecutive days must be recorded but not reported, this will usually be on the company’s DATIX risk management software system.

Employers must report diagnoses of certain occupational diseases. Dangerous occurrences are certain, specified near-miss events but not all such events require reporting.

For more information on RIDDOR follow the link on RIDDOR in the useful website section

Housekeeping

Good housekeeping is essential for good health and safety. Items left on the floor are a trip hazard, overflowing bins are a health hazard, dirty work surfaces can cause an infection hazard etc. Always ensure you tidy up your own mess after yourself. Never put items on the floor where someone could trip over them. Keep all areas clean and tidy, mop up any spillages as soon as they occur and put out ‘wet floor’ signs to warn others of the potential danger.

Keep escape routes clear at all times and make sure corridors are not obstructed.

Waste

In Health Care there are several ways of disposing of waste, these are:

Yellow sharps boxes – these are used to dispose of needles, razor blades, broken glass and any other sharp items.

Yellow Clinical Waste Bags – these are used for waste that includes blood, faeces, human tissue, other bodily fluids, incontinence pads, colostomy bags, disposable bed pans, used condoms etc.

General Waste Bags – these are for general waste, including food, paper, cans, etc. Where possible recycle these items and keep general waste to a minimum.

Clinical waste and sharps boxes are collected and disposed of by a specialist service. Always make sure you are using the correct bin for you waste. If in doubt always ask for advice.

NEVER FILL ANY WASTE DISPOSAL (BAG/BOX ETC) MORE THAN 75% FULL. Handle bags by the neck and NEVER take out any waste from the sharps box! Always wear PPE when handling waste.

COSHH

What is COSHH?

COSHH stands for Control of Substances that are Hazardous to Health and is law that your employer is required to follow[1].COSHH is designed to help prevent or control exposure to substances to prevent ill health.

What are the Hazardous Substances you may be exposed to?

  • Chemicals and cleaning products,
  • Blood,
  • Faeces,
  • Human tissue,
  • Other bodily fluids,
  • Incontinence pads,
  • Colostomy bags,
  • Disposable bed pans,
  • Used condoms etc.

How do I keep myself safe?

  • Following the risk assessment and manufacturer’s instructions
  • Wearing correct PPE
  • Follow correct hygiene procedures
  • Never mix substances
  • Keep the room well ventilated
  • Report any concerns immediately

Whistle Blowing/Bullying

The ICS policy on Whistleblowing complies with the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 in protecting and not victimising any worker who seeks to report, and has investigated, a genuine and reasonable concern about any form of malpractice that they encounter in the course of their work.

The whistleblowing policy should be followed if a worker believes that one of the following either has occurred, is in the process of occurring, or is likely to occur:

  • A criminal offence
  • Failure to comply with a legal obligation or an ICS policy
  • A miscarriage of justice
  • Endangering of a service user/workers, health and safety
  • Damage to the environment
  • Deliberate concealment of any of the above.

If the matter is not resolved satisfactorily you should make your concerns known again but thistime in writing to the Registered Person.

If you have acted in good faith, not seeking personal gain out of the situation, the law is on yourside. Where legitimate concerns have been raised, it is illegal for The Agency to cause youdetriment as a result.

Always follow the Trusts policy and inform Thornbury Paramedics of your concerns. If you feel you need advice call the Duty Desk Team.

Should we be unable to satisfy the concerns raised, you are entitled to take the matter to alegal representative, CQC, SCRC, RQIA or other government officer. You may do this withoutnotifying us first but only where you have good grounds for not having notified the RegisteredManager or Registered Person first.

Moving and Handling

Moving and handling is a daily task we undertake in Health Care. It includes moving equipment and assisting people to move.You must have adequate training in order to use a hoist and assist to move and position people.

It is important we move and handle items and people safely as it may cause:

  • back pain and musculoskeletal disorders to ourselves or the people we are assisting
  • moving and handling accidents to ourselves and the people we are assisting
  • discomfort and a lack of dignity for the person we are assisting

ICS Manual Handling Policy states:

  • ICS recognises that the hazards may exist related to manual handling involving service users and inanimate loads and is committed to reducing as far as is reasonably practicable, the risk of injury from any manual handling tasks to both workers and service users and their families.
  • ICS provides its workers with a safe place of work, safe equipment, safe systems of work, safe substances and competent fellow workers along with adequate information, instruction, training and supervision.
  • All ICS workers take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions.
  • ICS fully complies with all the relevant legislation.

Laundry

(If working in a hospital environment)

Laundry/Linen must always be handled correctly, as it can put your health at risk. Full laundry bags can be very heavy, so never fill more than 75% full and if it is heavy use a laundry trolley to protect yourself.

Laundry can be infectious or soiled so always wear your PPE when handling laundry.

Soiled laundry should be put straight into a red soluble laundry bag. These dissolve in the washing machine so reduce the risk of spreading infection.

Non-soiled linen is kept in white bags. Laundry waiting to be washed should be stored neatly in a safe place where no one can trip on it.

Smoking

Should you smoke always wash your hands after smoking before you start your work duties.

Only smoke in designated areas and do not smoke near food, food storage areas, kitchens and food preparation areas.

Equipment

All the equipment you use in work must be clean and ready for us, regularly maintained and serviced. If you are concerned about the safety of any equipment you are using report this immediately to your line manager.

ICS Safe Use of Medical Devices Policy states:

“The use of medical devices can influence the quality of care given to the service user and present risks for the service user and ICS staff therefore it is important to have robust policies and procedures in place to ensure their effective management”.

The following are Health & Safety topics and have a module of their own:

Infection Control including Hand Washing

Fire

VIDEOS

Home care. Health and Safety:

Health & Safety Laws:

Moving and Handling Assessments:

Raising Concerns and Whistleblowing:

Hand Washing:

USEFUL WEBSITES

UNISON, Health and Safety Guidelines for home care workers:

Health and Social Care (Safety and Quality) Act 2015:

Health and Safety Executive, Health and Social Care Homepage:

Health and Safety Executive, Frequently Asked Questions (HSC):

Safe use of bed rails:

RIDDOR: