Health and Safety in HSC: A Comprehensive Guide to Legislation, Practices, and Dilemmas

This comprehensive guide explores the intricacies of health and safety in the health and social care workplace. It delves into legislative requirements, risk assessment, policy implementation, and the impact of non-compliance. The report examines real-world dilemmas encountered in implementing health and safety systems, providing practical solutions and ethical considerations. It also emphasizes the importance of promoting a positive health and safety culture, fostering a collaborative environment where individuals' well-being is paramount.

Health and Safety in HSC
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Contents
Introduction..............................................................................................................................3
LO1 Understand how health and safety legislation is implemented in the health and
social care workplace...............................................................................................................4
1.1 Review systems, policies and procedures for communicating information on health
and safety in the health and social care workplace in accordance with legislative
requirements.........................................................................................................................4
1.2 Assess the responsibilities in a specific health and social care work place for the
management of health and safety in relation to organizational structures.....................5
1.3 Analyse health and safety priorities appropriate for a specific health and social
care workplace......................................................................................................................6
LO2 Understand the ways in which health and safety requirements impact on
customers and the work of practitioners in the health and social care workplace............7
2.1 Analyse how information from risk assessment informs care planning for
individuals and organizational decision making about policies and procedures...........7
2.2 Analyse the impact of one aspect of health and safety policy on health and social
care practice and its customers...........................................................................................9
2.3 Discuss how dilemmas encountered in relation to implementing systems and
policies for health, safety and security may be addressed..............................................10
2.4 Analyse the effects of non-compliance with health and safety legislation in a health
and social care workplace..................................................................................................12
LO3 Understand the monitoring and review of health and safety in the health and social
care workplace........................................................................................................................14
3.1 Explain how health and safety policies and practices are monitored and reviewed
..............................................................................................................................................14
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3.2 Analyse the effectiveness of health and safety policies and practices in the
workplace in promoting a positive healthy and safe culture..........................................15
3.3 Evaluate own contribution to placing the health and safety needs of individuals at
the centre of practice..........................................................................................................16
Conclusion...............................................................................................................................17
References...............................................................................................................................18
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Introduction
The research has been discussing the various policies and procedures that are needed to be
followed by the supervisors and the employees of the health department and all the other
organizations relatively. The discussion is about the various procedures and priorities of the
people in the same. The risk assessment in the workplace to maintain the health and safety
has been done. The impact of the same has been seen as per the non-compliance and the
various dilemmas have been discussed. Apart from that there have been monitoring policies
and practices that have been affecting the same in the maintenance of the workplace. The
positive impact of the policies has been discussed to make the workplace a safe place at the
same time discussing various hazards and issues in the workplace and effective measures to
deal with the same. In the end, own contribution and learning from the same has been
discussed to take learning for the future aspects.
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LO1
1.1 Review systems, policies, and procedures for communicating information on health
and safety in the health and social care workplace in accordance with legislative
requirements.
In the health and safety places where the patients come and look forward to better health and
safety in Fleetwood Hall Home, there is always need to give accurate and proper information
to the patients in order to maintain a proper record of the facilities and analyze the
requirement of each patient. In order to work as per the legislative features, the care
organization follows the Health and safety act, as per that all the employees are needed to be
provided and guided with all the legal information and outcomes of the work they are doing.
The communication can be done in three ways: Verbal communication –They includes
communication such as interview, they can be done through meetings and speeches to the
staff. It is faster and more effective way to make sure all the employees are being
communicated well. Written communication- This can be done using memo, posters, emails,
and reports. The same can be very effective to revise and professionally put information at
large on the notice of the people. The noticeboard is one of the examples. Graphical
communication- The form of graphical representation is the graphical representation that can
be in the form of DVD, presentation and other symbols and graphical representation.
Policies and procedure-The directors and employers have been made mandatory to use the
health and safety work act 1974 and to keep documented all the process and rules of the
place. General information must be inattention of all the employees through training, posters
and other methods by the employers. This is mandatory for all the employees and the people
to be aware of the hazards and health issues that can affect the patient any situation may arise
in future. All the signs and communication should explain all the rules and legislation
(Jeremy, 2003).
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1.2 Assess the responsibilities in a specific health and social care workplace for the
management of health and safety in relation to organizational structures.
The responsibilities of Fleetwood Hall Home can be explained as the task or the rules or set
of work that has been assigned by someone else and is in need to be done perfectly so as to
see the consequences are in the favor of the person. In health and safety industry the has 3
groups to discuss the issue with-The health and safety executive- They see the day to day
activities and check the breach of the rules. They give notices to the employees based upon
the severity of the breach. They ensure documentation and legal requirements. Board
members and senior managers- The duty of the employers is to safeguard all the employees
are healthy and safe; they are responsible for the articles and the logistics. They timely
provide information and training and supervision of the workplace. The employees are
needed to take care of the employees, follow all the safety and security instructions, report
the accidents and use the provided training to solve the issues.
General responsibilities for all are Avoid wearing jewelry, any other loose clothing in the
operation of machinery, Wear scarf, cap and cover the hair in contact with open wounds,
Report any injuries or any health issue during the working, Immediately use PPE as and when
required. All the health and safety representatives are hired by the trade union on the health
and safety issue, apart from that if there are no representatives then the employer themselves
are responsible for any issue. They need to attend the safety committee meeting and maintain
all the documents along with adherence to all the rules and regulations. Apart from that, there
are separate legislation for the lone workers and the agency workers in the system. This
helps in developing safety standards for them.
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1.3 Analyse health and safety priorities appropriate for a specific health and social care
workplace
The priority of the workplace includes all the features in the system and at the same time,
they consider the welfare of the employees and other users, along with complying with the
legislation and rules. Some of the priorities of Fleetwood Hall Home are written as below-
Reporting of Incidents, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences
Reporting- In this feature all minor to major incidents are needed to be shared with the
supervisors. Even the government instances should also be reported to the authorities. Major
incidents and disease found are also needed to be shared at the point of notice. Prevention of
Falls- Employers are needed to see the safety of the people working above the grounds, they
must wear protective gear along with the safety of the safety ladders are to be seen. Small
falls like those from the stools, steps, and ladders should also be considered. Respective
measures to be taken from the same. Welfare activities- They consist of activities like basic
hygiene maintenance like those from the dustbins, sanitary waste disposal, clean washbasin
and providing basic toiletries. Environment- The priority is to keep the workplace clean and
safe to work.
This can be done by keeping the workplace clean and providing comfortable furniture.
Keeping the office temperature and other things in the office at the appropriate level First
Aid- Keeping basic safety equipment in the green and white boxes respectively in order to
use them at the time of need. Fire Safety- Basic fire safety like alarms, fire extinguishers,
evacuation system, training for the staff should be given. Manual handling- This is basically
for the workers working on the roads and industries and has been handling the stuff manually
and getting injured. Thus the industries are providing them with good equipment and right
posture training. Other priorities include protective equipment, working with substances.etc.
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LO2
2.1 Analyse how information from risk assessment informs care planning for
individuals and organizational decision making about policies and procedures.
The process of risk assessment is to identify the are the major causes of harm to the people
and what can be done in order to resolve the same. All the legal and organizational rules have
been followed to keep the people safe. In order to make it suitable and sufficient following
steps are taken.
Look for and list the hazards- The supervisor needs to see the basic facilities working in the
workplace by asking the employees, asking the manufactures for data and information, refer
to all the accidents and the incidents.
Decide who might be harmed and how- The major group that is prone to danger are new
trainees, young workers, expectant mothers. Apart from that cleaners and housekeeping
workers, public or private members to whom the work is being shared.
Evaluate risks arising from hazards - To decide whether existing controls are adequate or not
the standards are evaluated by seeing all the legislative measures taken or not, hazards are
being controlled or not. Apart from that the hazard should get ten rid of and the risk control
measures should be taken.
Record the findings- Make a team of 4 -5 people to regularly check the workplace
environment and then reporting the same. Record and share the findings with all the
employees.
Keep records for future references and then check the other legal and policy documents for
reference. Review assessment when necessary- Check the quality of machines and the
working conditions, any significant measures taken to fight with the hazards. Periodic
assessment helps in overall improvement and development of healthy and safe workplace
environment. All the precautionary measures should be taken into considerations from time
to time.

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The care planning of the patients in Fleetwood Hall Home is very important for health and
safety of the people as it is urgent for the people with dementia, disability and other diseases
with adults and children.
The various risk handling that can be seen is in-Manual Handling- Good posture, mechanical
aid, and help from the supervisor have been advised to care for the same. Environmental- To
care the same the things that have been to be seen are taking care of housekeeping, slippery
floors, putting up warning signs and providing adequate lightings. Fire safety- Timely
evacuation of the floors, certain trained residents to work on the emergency situations, special
help for lifting and shifting especially for the people with physical disability Fire lectures and
fire drills should be done regularly to see the effective use of the same in the time of need.
Prevention of accidents- There can be accidents like falling and slipping, at the same time
there can be certain people with diseases like Parkinson, dementias and may be under heavy
sedation. People with hearing loss and other mental problems may need special care. For
them, the car attendants are required to keep in mind the potential risks that have been
involved with the same, different members should be assigned different assignments and
specialized training should be given to deal with the situation like these.
There can be other injuries as well are-Overheating of the system, scalding of the hot water.
Staff should assist in the occasional cases as per written instructions. Elderly people suffering
from hearing loss and having low immunity should be assisted with specialized care and
separate staff to take care of them. There are always infections and open viruses and bacteria
in the environment that has to be controlled by properly washing hands, wearing gloves,
sanitizing the hands, covering the hair, appropriate waste disposal. Special care for the food
and water supply should be taken in order to see the infection is not communicable. Care
planning is also done for certain emergencies and accidents that can happen in the place and
appropriate is to be taken as per the written and discussed policies.
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2.2 Analyse the impact of one aspect of health and safety policy on health and social
care practice and its customers.
The basic objective of the study in Fleetwood Hall Home is to see that as per H&S policy are
the management following the policies, what measures have been taken to make it a healthy
workplace and prevent any personal injury to anyone. It shows that all the employees should
be aware of the responsibility to care for their own safety along with the fellow employees.
All the policy changes and documents should be explained to all the employees. A policy
should focus on 3 major parts-A general statement to be explained to all the employees,
Allocating the roles and duties to all the employees in terms of H&S management, making
arrangements as per the system and procedures.
Taking into the example of manual handling policy the impact on the people working in the
healthcare facility has to manually lift certain equipment and they are very dangerous.
Improper handling can lead to injury to the staff, there can be an increase in the number of
near misses, loss of employee’s finances in case of serious injuries can be a few negative
impacts. They can be minimized by analyzing the potential risks and providing with
mechanical aids to help the employees to work properly. The impacts can be minimized by
taking good posture, avoiding excessive heavyweights and stress on arms and legs. Seeking
help from the co-workers and supervisors and marinating the same in order to see the
effective need for the same to reduce effects. When all the risks are analyzed in advanced
they give positive impacts such as low accidents, improved business, low insurance premium,
health safety and well being of the employee is considered properly in order to see to the
relative impacts on the system and avoid occupational health hazards at Fleetwood Hall
Home.
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2.3 Discuss how dilemmas encountered in relation to implementing systems and policies
for health, safety and security may be addressed.
A dilemma as per the study of Mrs. Y can be said as a choice that has to be taken between the
two right choices and then choosing one of the right choices in order to meet the solution.
There can be various types of dilemmas, one of them is an ethical dilemma in this dilemma
whether the solution is acceptable or not there should always be the truth as a solution. In
this, there can be any form of restraints but the ultimate need is to save the patient from harm,
taking the case of Mrs. Y. Even the truth is needed to be dealing with some of the following
issues: Permanency Vs physical safety, The best interest of the client that may need to harm
them Vs obligation to not harm them, Long life Vs quality of life, Risk Vs duty, The principle
to protect life is always at the sake, there can be conflicts in certain point, Accountability and
personnel issues can also hinder the same.
H & S policies can also generate dilemmas at some point that can be due to use of assistive
technology as new kinds of technologies have come, telecare facilities to monitor distant
patients, smart homes that are equipped with latest technologies are also responsible. In order
to identify the issue and provide following steps should be taken in order to make a decision
against the dilemmas are-Identification of the problem, Nature and dimension of the dilemma
is identified, make an appropriate course of action, evaluate the course of action, Implement
and review.
There are certain guidelines and laws has been made in order to solve the issues that have
been developed by the ethical ways and then helping the same to solve the issues effectively.
There certain risks that come up to the management they can be determined from cost
analysis. There can be cost dilemmas, for example, spending the budget on what kind of
diseases if the comparison is between bruised knees or on prevention of a major explosion
killing almost 150people. The risk can also be reduced as per the severity of the risk and
weighing the trouble time and money needed to control it.
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Making sure that the risk has been reduced to a far low level. Duty holder should be assigned
in order to see the level of the same and review and give a decision. In reality it may not be
easy or obvious to take a decision on the risk and control of the situations. Managing the
daily expenses and cost of improvement and supervision is needed to be seen in the system.
Sometimes the people in the care center are needed to make calculated risk analysis for the
potential benefits for the user.
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2.4 Analyse the effects of non-compliance with health and safety legislation in a health
and social care workplace
Compliance can be understood as adhering to the laws, standards and industry standards that
have been made in favor of the community and accepting the codes and principles of the
community in order to favor all. Non – compliance is just the opposite of the above-
mentioned things thus they have their consequences. The need to comply in Fleetwood Hall
Home is because they tell about the different things that help in coping with major health and
safety issues in the organization. The need to comply is important as it helps in maintaining
the business ethics and quality.
The effect of non-compliance is-Fines- The fines have been imposed in order to punish the
serious breach in the rules. The convict has to pay the legal cost along with noncompliance
with health and safety legislation cost. Reputational damage- The companies have to follow
the policies in order to manage and maintain the health and safety records of the organization.
Reputational damage can cost them notices and documents permanently stored in the records
of the HSE public register and another database thus affecting the future. This is done for the
period of five years in the system and thus on the HSE’s conviction history database and
notice history database should be there until the end of five years. Prosecution of the
individual- Any individual particularly responsible for the whole process is responsible to do
the work and at the same time they can be fined and potential impact on the business will be
faced. It can be seen that the fine that has been imposed on the individual may not be as
severe as that as on other big firms and businesses but as an individual, the impact is far more
damaging.
Imprisonment- In case of high severity the convict can be punished for imprisonment which
can be of two years in some cases. Corporate manslaughter- In case of death or any other
serious allegation that has been faced by the organization, the organization will be prosecuted
to corporate manslaughter and unlimited legal obligations and fines. They will be prosecuted
for gross negligence manslaughter. Due to gross negligence of either individual or an
organization, the same will be taken as a severe breach and the consequences are far more
serious.
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The people who will be prosecuted are employers, self-employed individuals, owners of the
premise, individual employees, importers, and manufacturers. In order to decide the kind of
action or punishment that has been taken in order to see the level of breach. These factors are-
Is there any death caused by the same, has there been a reckless and severe breach of the
health and safety policy?
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LO3
3.1 Explain how health and safety policies and practices are monitored and reviewed
The health and safety policy is a group of 4- 5 people that discuss and document certain
policies in order to show how serious is the organization for the safety and health of its
people. The policy should have an appropriate length and relevance to the concerned issues.
The policy should be made by adhering the legal issues, management of the risks, and should
be written to make sure that the policy is clear and understandable by all the employees. In
order to review the policy following model is followed by the supervisors at Fleetwood Hall
Home-Policy- Policy is made to satisfy the legal and all ethical needs of the
organization,Organizing- The allocation of duties and gaining the competency level to make
the position,Planning and implementation- The implementation should be according to
minimize the risk in the workplace, Measure & Review performance- This is done to see the
quality of the policy and then see whether the standards are being measured or not.
Other measuring features include the success of the actions taken to minimize the risk in the
place, This includes safety inspection regularly and thorough investigation of the accidents
and ill health, The policy is needed to be in the notice of all the employees by different means
of communication, Auditing and reviewing the management reports are also important to see
the effective usage of the policy and breach of the same, Encouraging the employees to report
any incident and any severe incident and disease to stop further aggravation, Build a simple
questionnaire to improve likelihood and gather information, Timely review of the same will
help in identifying and resolving the issue at the earliest level as possible.
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3.2 Analyse the effectiveness of health and safety policies and practices in the workplace
by promoting a positive healthy and safe culture
An organizational culture can be defined by the health and safety standards in the workplace.
The culture does not only include changing the culture but also changing the cooperate
culture as well in order to strengthen the work culture environment and person work
interfaces. A positive health culture has characteristics such as they are built upon mutual
trust, confidence, and efficacy in the preventive measures. The collaboration and coordination
among the team lead the organization to better recognition position and at the same time
helps in cultural development. The recognition and reporting of the incidents and the
workplace issues by the people and making the place healthy and safe, this can help in
tracking various incidents and accidents due to poor equipment. Poor environment and work
culture ruins the overall culture and make it unsafe. The organization should manage the
change in the overdevelopment and culture of the place in order to make the workplace a
strong and positive workplace to work on.
In order to increase there is a need by Fleetwood Hall Home to encourage leadership and
responsibility among the employees in order to ensure health and safety of the workplace. In
order to develop strong and effective work environment, there is a need to develop strong
health and safety culture as per the mutual trust and confidence between the employers and
the employees. Maturity model has been selected and used to understand the appropriate
behavior and policies that should be selected in order to make workplace positive and
healthy. The stages include developing the commitment, realize the duty and importance of
front liners, engage all the staff, develop complacency and improve the culture continuously.
The good relationship between the management lead to good risk analysis and at the same
time develops healthy and safe workplace in order to improve the integrity of the
organization and manage safety arrangements.
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3.3 Evaluate own contribution to placing the health and safety needs of individuals at
the center of practice.
The contribution of the employees is towards the adherence of the legal duties, along with the
caring of the health and safety duties of the system. There many places where the
contribution is needed they are: Environment - Potential environment hazards include wet
floors, cluttered doorways, and visitors of the place. The employees should be beware of the
potential hazards, must assure that the staff is aware of all the potential hazards, Hazards
from material and equipment – These hazards may include faulty brakes of the beds,
damaging chemicals, and damaged lifting equipment. All these are needed to b secured and
protected, Hazards connected with people – This may include visitors, intruders, violent
outbreak of the people.
Risk Assessment- The risk assessment is always important by the people in order to maintain
the quality of work that will help in safety and security of self and the workplace. This is
helpful in following ways-Enhancing your practice- Everything that has been a part of the
overall structure will help in developing the culture and safe workplace. The learnings can
form the colleagues, the supervisors and self-experiences Health and safety training- This is
important to know the overall effect and needs for the safety of self and others. This helps in
the explaining the health and safety policy of the workplace. Training should be well enough
to raise the issues as and when required, sharing the information- Information sharing is
responsible to make sure that the evidence and the incidents have been shared to all the
people in the organization to make sure they are learning from the same experience.
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Conclusion
The report has been made in order to see the policies and procedures of the health and safety
that has been communicated and will be used in order to maintain the hygiene and health of
the workplace. There has been a discussion of various policies and factors that should be kept
in mind in order to make sure that the employees are aware of the basic hazards and other
basic exercises and drills they need to know in the maintenance of the workplace and self-
safety. There have been a few acts and legal procedures that have been discussed in order to
see the effective compliance of the same. The risk management and various dilemmas have
been detected and then the effective application of the same has been applied to the
organization to make it healthy and safe for self and for others.
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References
 Health and social care (adult)-Yvonne Nolan PP-225-258.
 Jeremy Stranks (2003): the handbook of Health and Safety Practice 6th
edition.Pearson Education Limited. Edinburgh
 Management of health and safety at work. Management of Health and Safety at Work
Regulations 1999. Approved Code of Practice and guidance L21 (Second edition)
HSE Books 2000 ISBN 978 0 7176 2488 1
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