Health and Safety in the Healthcare Workplace

This assignment is for students studying Health and Safety in the Healthcare Workplace. The task requires students to demonstrate their understanding of health and safety legislation, policies, and practices in a specific workplace. To achieve this, students must analyze the responsibilities of managers and staff in implementing health and safety measures, evaluate the impact of health and safety policies on customers and practitioners, and discuss how dilemmas encountered during implementation can be addressed. Students are also expected to demonstrate their understanding of monitoring and reviewing health and safety practices, and present their findings in a clear and professional manner. The assignment has specific criteria for achieving Pass, Merit, and Distinction grades.

Assignment
Programme: Higher National Diploma in Health and Social
Care
Unit Title: Health and Safety in the HSC Workplace
Lecturer: Mr D Waite
QCF Level: 4
Unit Number: 3
Credit value: 15
Assignment Starts: 17th October 2016
Date for Completion: w/c 12th December 2016

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Aims:
This assignment will develop your understanding of your work
responsibilities in ensuring the health and safety aspects of the
health and social care workplace and the people within it. It will
enable you to know that health and safety is an essential
consideration for all practitioners in health and social care and also
help you to develop your understanding of the importance of
continually monitoring the implementation of health and safety
legislation and policies within any health and social care setting.
Learning outcomes:
To achieve this Unit, you must demonstrate your ability to:
1. Understand how health and safety legislation is implemented
in the health and social care workplace (LO1)
2. Understand the ways in which health and safety requirements
impact on customers and the work of practitioners in the
health and social care workplace (LO2)
3. Understand the monitoring and review of health and safety in
the health and social care workplace. (LO3)
Indicative Content:
By the time you have completed this assignment; you should have
explored and thought about in depth:
Learning Outcome 1
Concept of risk e.g. safety and security i.e. minimum risk, zero risk;
risk for individuals and property; public liability; hazard; accident
prevention and first aid. Systems, policies and procedures for
communicating information e.g. training; organisational culture; use
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of different media and record keeping. Responsibilities for
management of health and safety e.g. organisational responsibilities
i.e. employers, employees, external agencies, carers and visitors
include users of service; auditing; inspecting the workplace;
management structure and representation. Legislative requirements
i.e. current legislation, regulations and codes of practice relevant to
health and safety in health and social care setting e.g. health and
safety at work act 1974, health and safety (First Aid) regulations
1981, management of health and safety regulations 1999 and
Reporting of injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences
Regulations 1995. Implementation i.e. safety aids e.g. walking aid,
wheelchair, hoist; security systems e.g. door locks, cameras, alarms,
patrol and gates. Maintenance e.g. ventilation, temperature control,
buildings; and consequences of malfunction/breakdown of
equipment.
Learning Outcome 2
Care planning i.e. meeting needs; ensuring safety; security;
maximising wellbeing; principles of good practice. Dilemmas i.e.
risk-benefit analysis; risk to self and others; resource implications;
and differing priorities between stakeholders. Implications of non-
compliance e.g. financial, legal, moral, physical and health.
Learning Outcome 3
Monitor and review e.g. audit of risks; review of practice; learning
from experience; updating of policies and procedures. Positive
health and safety culture e.g. individuals, teams, managers and
organisational levels. Own contributions e.g. responsibilities;
compliance; training; practices; interactions with individuals; and
groups and agencies.
Outline of assignment
The main focus of this assignment is on health and safety issues
within your own organisation. This is for Tasks 1 and 3. In Task 2,
you focus on a real health and safety issue which resulted in the
death of a service user. Basic information about the incident is
attached and you will find additional information on the Internet.
In addition, there will be one practical activity linked to the
assignment. You will be required to carry out a risk assessment of
all the kitchen-related areas within City College using the official
documentation provided by the Health & Safety Executive. This
activity will take place during class time and the date will be given
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to you by your tutor in advance. This is an essential element in your
Health & Safety course unit so it is essential that you attend.
Task 1 – (L01):
You must respond to the three sections of Task 1 from the point of
view of your own involvement in health and social care and your
own workplace. In each section, it is essential that you give
practical examples to support your points.
a) Review the way in which, in your own workplace, the systems,
policies and procedures for communicating information on
health and safety
comply with legislation.
(LO1.1)
Note: ‘Review’ means more than just ‘describe’ or ‘explain’ it
means that you carry out an assessment with the intent of
making changes if they are needed
b) Again for your own workplace, assess responsibilities for the
management of health and safety at each level within the
organisation’s structure. A diagram would be a helpful
addition here. (LO1.2)
c) Give examples to show how, in your own work activities, you
analyse and give priorities to, specific aspects of health and
safety. You should also
think about conflicting priorities.
(LO1.3)
Task 2 –LO2
An incident took place in a specialist residential unit for adults with
learning disabilities which resulted in the death of an 18-year old
service user – Connor Sparrowhawk.
Connor, who was epileptic and had autistic traits was admitted to
the unit on 19th March 1013 and died on 4th July 2013 after having
been found submerged in his bath.
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This task is based on the situation leading to Connor’s death. Full
details have been uploaded to SharePoint and it is essential that you
access these.
After reviewing the information on SharePoint you should analyse:
i. How information from risk assessments carried out for Connor
Sparrowhawk immediately after he was admitted to Slade
House could have resulted in better care planning for him and
in improved
organisational policies and procedures.
(LO2.1)
ii. The impact of the risk assessment policy and practice in place
at Slade
House on Connor and his family.
(LO2.2)
iii. The effect of non-compliance with RIDDOR at Slade House.
(LO2.4) iv. Finally, to complete Task 2, you should discuss
likely dilemmas related to Connor’s care at Slade House and
how they could have been addressed. Alternatively – you may
choose to focus your answer TO (iv) ONLY on dilemmas you
come across in your own work. (LO2.3)
Task 3 – (L03):
a) Explain with specific examples, and supporting documentation
(if available and within confidentiality guidelines) how health
and safety policies and practices are monitored and reviewed
in your own
organisation.
(LO3.1)
b) Use the Safety Climate
Tool to analyse the
effectiveness of health and
safety policies and practice
in your own workplace.
(LO3.2)
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c) Critically evaluate your own
contributions to placing the health
and safety needs of individuals at
the centre of practice in your
workplace. (LO3.3)
Some useful Guidelines:
1. All tasks must be completed within the word limit of 3500.
2. The source of all figures and diagrams should be clearly
referenced by using the Harvard System.
3. It is essential that you make practical use of methods,
concepts and theory you have covered in class. Work that
does not do this will not attract a Pass grade.
4. During the period of the assignment, your course tutor will act
as your consultant. He will be happy to discuss with you, your
approach to the assignment and your chosen organisational
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focus so you should feel able to try out your thoughts and
ideas. It is sensible to seek advice instead of
taking the risk of handing in an assignment that will be
referred.
5. As you work through the three tasks, all your answers must
focus on the specific care settings and the interacting health
and safety issues described – assignments that do not do this
or are just general essays will not achieve a Pass grade.
6. You will need to carry out background research via websites,
and appropriate books and journals
7. You are reminded that the City College assessment process
does not allow for late work – if you want your work to be
marked, it is essential that you submit it by the published
deadline.
8. The only exception to the rule about late work is if you have
submitted an extenuating circumstances request using the
appropriate form and have received an official extension. The
system is explained in your Student Handbook. All decisions
about extenuating circumstances are made by the
Extenuating Circumstances Panel and the Panel’s decision is
final. You should note that lecturers do not have the power,
under any circumstances at all, to extend assignment
deadlines.
Performance criteria:
Pass:
1. The assignment will cover the main areas as specified below
but with only limited evidence of critical analysis or evaluation
and possibly with occasional errors or omissions. However,
there will be evidence of an ability to think independently as
shown through the application of appropriate theory
To achieve Learning Outcome 1 (Understand how health and
safety legislation is implemented in the health and social care
workplace) you must:
o Review systems, policies and procedures for
communicating information on health and safety in the
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health and social care workplace in accordance with
legislative requirements (LO1.1)
o Assess the responsibilities in a specific health and social
care workplace for the management of health and
safety in relation to organisational structures (LO1.2)
o Analyse health and safety priorities appropriate for a
specific health and social care workplace (LO1.3)
To achieve Learning Outcome 2 (Understand the ways in
which health and safety requirements impact on customers
and the work of practitioners in the health and social care
workplace ) you must:
o Analyse how information from risk assessments informs
care planning for individuals and organisational decision
making about policies and procedures (LO2.1)
o Analyse the impact of one aspect of health and safety
policy on health and social care practice and its
customers (LO2.2)
o Discuss how dilemmas encountered in relation to
implementing systems and policies for health, safety
and security may be addressed (LO2.3)
o Analyse the effect of non-compliance with health and
safety legislation in a health and social care workplace
(LO2.4)
To achieve Learning Outcome 3 (Understand the monitoring
and review of health and safety in the health and social care
workplace) you must:
o Explain how health and safety policies and practices are
monitored and reviewed (LO3.1)
o Analyse the effectiveness of health and safety policies
and practices in the workplace in promoting a positive,
healthy and safe culture (LO3.2)
o Evaluate own contributions to placing the health and
safety needs of individuals at the centre of practice.
(LO3.3)
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2. The presentation of the material must be appropriate and
business-like but may display weaknesses in the way in which
it is communicated
3. All outcomes must be covered by task responses i.e. you must
deal with all the tasks
4. The assignment must meet the specified deadline and must
not exceed the specified word limit.
Merit: o As for Pass but with more detailed and analytical responses
which show a clear understanding of the processes involved in
analysing a variety of care environments. This would involve
producing evidence within the completed assignment to meet
the performance criteria set out below.
Note:
o Guidance from BTEC indicates that students should be given
more than just a single opportunity to achieve Merit criteria
and the criteria set out here have been designed with that
guidance in mind so that you can make choices.
o Naturally you do not need to achieve every single criterion
however, you should note that M1.3 and M3.1 are essential for
the achievement of Merit grade and that you must meet at
least one criterion from each of M1, M2, M3 in addition to the
two specified above.
o You must identify and apply strategies to find appropriate
solutions and provide evidence to show: (M1)
• Effective judgements have been made e.g. in monitoring and
reviewing health and safety policies and procedures in your
work place. (M1.1)
• Complex problems with more than one variable have been
explored
e.g. in Task 2b. (M1.2)
 An effective approach to study and research has been
applied and will be evidenced through completion of all
tasks to Pass standard and the assignment having been
submitted by the due date. (M1.3)
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o You must also apply appropriate methods/techniques and
provide evidence to show: (M2)
• Relevant theories and techniques have been applied e.g. in
Task 2c (M2.1)
• A range of sources of information has been used and will
be evidence through correct use of the Harvard System
(M2.2)
• The selection of methods and techniques / sources has
been justified
e.g. in Task 2c (M2.3)
 Appropriate learning methods/techniques have been applied
and will be evident throughout the submitted work (M2.4)
o Your work must also present and communicate appropriate
findings and provide evidence to show: (M3)
• Appropriate structure and approach has been used and will
be evident throughout in professional presentation / all
documentation correctly completed and securely
attached / all pages numbered and
bound together in the correct order. (M3.1)
• Logical and coherent arguments have been presented e.g.
in Task 2a (M3.2)
• A range of methods of presentation has been used e.g.
tables ans diagrams as well as text and the technical
language of health and
safety has been correctly used (M3.3)
• Communication has taken place in familiar and unfamiliar
contexts e.g. assignment writing is familiar but the
regulations of health and safety are not. (M3.4)
• The communication is appropriate for familiar and
unfamiliar audiences and appropriate media have been
used and will be evident throughout the submitted work.
Distinction:
o You will have used critical reflection to evaluate your own
work and justify valid conclusions. Your evidence will show:
• Synthesis has been used to generate and justify valid
conclusions
• The validity of results has been judged
• Self criticism of approach has taken place
• Evaluation has taken place using defined criteria
• Realistic improvements have been proposed against
defined characteristics for success
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o You will have taken responsibility for managing health and
safety and organising activities and your evidence will show:
• Demonstration of autonomy/independence
• Substantial activities/projects or investigations have been
planned, managed and organised
• Joint/activities of others have been managed
• The unforeseen has been accommodated
• The importance of interdependence has been recognised
o You will demonstrate convergent, lateral and creative thinking
and your evidence will show:
• Ideas generated and decisions taken
• Self evaluation has taken place
• Convergent and lateral thinking have been applied
• Problems have been solved
• A capacity for innovation and creative thought has been
used
• Receptiveness to new ideas has been demonstrated 
Unfamiliar contexts have been applied
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The City College HND in HSC – Health & Safety in the HSC Workplace – September 2016