Workplace Health and Safety: A Review

This assignment delves into the critical field of occupational health and safety. It examines relevant legislation such as the Food Safety Act 1990 and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The assignment explores best practices, the significance of joint health and safety committees, and the impact of weather conditions on worker health and performance. Moreover, it investigates how organizations can integrate occupational health and safety into risk assessments and compares practices in different workplace settings.

Health and Safety

Table of Contents
Introduction .........................................................................................................................................3
Task 1 ...................................................................................................................................................3
Task 2 a ................................................................................................................................................5
Task 2 b ................................................................................................................................................7
Conclusion............................................................................................................................................8
References............................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Health and Safety are vital phenomenon in Health and Social Care (HSC) setting in the UK.
It is very cardinal to implement effective policies and practices at workplace for ensuring health and
safety of service users by protecting them from potential hazards (Haas and Yorio, 2016). The
present report entails three essays. Task 1 of the study covers health and safety legislation employed
in workplace of care organizations. Task 2A encompasses ways in which health and safety
requirements affect service users and care professionals in HSC setting. Besides this, Task 2B talks
about monitoring and reviewing of health and safety policies and practices in HSC workplace.
TASK 1
A workplace of a care organization with poor health and safety policies as well as
procedures causes perils to the life of service users. In addition to this, it also leads to negative
impact on patients, care organizations and communities at large (Fung and et.al., 2016). Therefore,
it is very crucial to develop and implement effective health and safety policies as well as practices
in order to protect service users from various hazards across workplace of healthcare organizations.
During an inspection by Health and Safety Executive in Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation
Trust, it has been observed that the organization failed to devise and implement sound health and
safety policies and practices which consequently led to the death of a patient. This leads to legal
prosecution on Mid Staffordshire NHS trust against breach of Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
(Health and Safety at Work 1974, 2016). Thus, this calls for an immediate action for reviewing
existing systems, policies and practices by the new director of trust in order to safeguard the rights
of service users. The director is required to develop and implement sound policies and practices to
make sure that information of service users regarding health and safety is properly communicated
and are in line with legal regulations.
There are many legal regulations and acts which are formulated by UK government to
regulate health and safety policies as well as procedures at workplace of care organizations at both
national and local levels. The vital acts include Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Health and
Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995,
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health 2002, Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992,
Mental Health Act 2007, Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, Care Standards
Act 2000 and many more. According to Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, all healthcare
organizations are required to follow its guidelines in order to prevent mishaps and accidents at
workplace (Health and Safety at Work 1974, 2016).The newly appointed director of Mid
Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust can ensure proper communication of these legislative
requirements by taking certain initiatives. These include developing sound training modules to
impart essential information on health and safety regulations as well as codes of practices to care

professionals who are directly involved in delivery of care services of the trust. In addition to this,
trust can also make the use of effective communication tools and media in order to communicate
information related to organization's health and safety policies as well as practices to its care staff.
This will be helpful in increasing the knowledge of healthcare professionals which in turn assists
them in decision making processes linked with care planning of patients. Apart from this, trust can
also install efficient record keeping systems to store important details of service users which can
further be used by care professionals who work in different shifts.
Apart from developing organizational policies and procedures linked with health and safety
at workplace, it is the responsibilities of various entities of Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust
to ensure safety of individuals form dangerous hazards (Lu and et.al., 2016). Care professionals of
the trust are responsible to abide by organization's health and safety policies as well as practices
while delivering care and support services to the patients. Management of the trust can carry out
regular inspections to check the efficacy of implemented health and safety policies as well as
practices across its health and social setting (Shea and et.al., 2016). In addition to this, director of
the trust is responsible for formulating sound monitoring and evaluating processes in order to ensure
that health and safety practices are effectively employed by care workers while offering services to
the patients. Other than the trust, external care agencies also play a vital role in time to time
inspecting at the workplace of Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust to monitor its health and
safety policies as well as procedures.
Furthermore, trust is required to develop, implement and monitor its health and safety
policies as well as practices according to the needs of diverse service users. It can be analysed that
older patients suffering from severe physiological and psychological disorders are at greater risk of
health hazards. For example: elderly patients lack physical ability which affects their movement and
thus they are prone to falls and fractures. Therefore, to ensure their health and safety, trust can
provide walking aids, wheelchairs and bed rails in order to prevent falls and other accidents.
Similarly, organization can keep hazardous chemicals at safe places in order to prevent accidents
and injuries among elderly patients and care staff (Ellen and et.al., 2016). Besides this, trust can
also install closed circuit cameras in its premises to supervise service users with mental disorders to
protect them from accidents and injuries. It can be analysed that elderly patients with severe mental
ailments may behave aggressively and cause harm to self, other patients and carers. Thus, trust can
ensure the safety of all individuals by transferring them to separate wards attached with proper door
lock systems.
Thus, it can be concluded that effective formulation and implementation of policies as well
as practices as per the guidelines of legislative framework associated with health and safety play a
crucial role in protecting individuals at the workplace of Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.

In addition to this, there is a need of using sound communication processes and tools in order to
manage health and safety of care staff and service users of the trust (Holness and et.al., 2016). Also,
it is the responsibilities of healthcare professionals, management of the trust and external care
agencies to monitor and evaluate the health and safety policies as well as procedures in order to
check their effectiveness in safeguarding of all the entities in its HSC setting. Health and safety
priorities of the trust regarding elderly patients include extra measures to protect them from various
hazards.
TASK 2 A
In health and social care setting it is very important to ensure protection of service users
regarding movement, handling and food safety while delivering care services. Non compliance of
relevant legal regulations and policies can lead to adverse consequences for service users, carers
and care organizations (Costa, 2016). Apart from this there are certain dilemmas related to
implementation of health and safety policies and procedures among care workers in their
workplace. Besides this, the non compliance of health and safety legislation leads to negative
effects on HSC workplace.
In the given case scenario of Four Seasons Health Care Limited (FSHCL), the care
organization was penalised heavily for non compliance of Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. It
can be inferred from the case that FSHCL failed to check the temperature of hot water due to which
a patient was exposed to severe burns. It can be analysed that the health staff of the organization did
not check the temperature of hot water which was meant for bath for the patient. Due to this the
patient faced severe burns on his feet and ankles. Such ignorance by care staff of Four Seasons Care
put the safety of the patient in danger (Probst, Jiang and Graso, 2016).Another incident of non
compliance of health and safety policies and procedures by FSHCL came into light after a patient
choked to death. It can be analysed that the patient was recommended puréed food after risk
assessment was made previously at a local hospital. However, after being referred to FSHCL, the
organization did not carry out proper risk assessment plan for the patient. In an inspection by Health
and Safety Executive it has been found that the patient died after consuming solid food. It was also
observed in the inspection that the information regarding patient's risk assessment plan was not
communicated to concerned carer and the FSHCL was penalized for the death of the patient (Costa,
2016). Thus, it can be analysed that non compliance of health and safety policies and procedures of
the organization negatively impact service users by putting their life into danger.
In a healthcare setting there may arise certain dilemmas among care workers while carrying
out health and safety policies and procedures (Fung and et.al., 2016). Organizational norms and
regulations significantly affect decision making processes of care professionals regarding the care
planning of service users. This leads to dilemmas among healthcare staff of the care organization.

For example: an old patient suffering from dementia which is a mental disorder expresses his will to
go out on terrace. The carer cannot grant his wish under in order to ensure his health and safety
(Eastlake and Geraci, 2016). However, according to organizational policies all health professionals
are required to obey and respect the opinions of service users. This leads to dilemmas in care
workers regarding the implementation of health and safety practices to protect the patient from
falling from the terrace. Similarly, in the given scenario, the dilemmas of the carer in case of patient
who died due to choking from the consumption of solid food raised due to lack of effective
communication regarding the care planning of the service user (Top, Adanur and Öz, 2016). It can
be analysed that the care worker was unfamiliar with the health condition of the patient and served
her solid food instead of puréed food during supper. The carer cannot hold responsible for the death
of the patient but the non compliance of health and safety procedures of FSHCL (Ellen and et.al.,
2016). It can be analysed that if the risk assessment and care planning was done appropriately then
the patient would have been saved from choking to death.
The effect of non compliance of health and safety policies and practices on health and social
care workplace can be very detrimental (Top, Adanur and Öz, 2016). Such impact can not only
impact service users but also care staff and the heath and social care setting. It can be analysed from
the given scenario that Four Season Care Limited faced negative consequences for not abiding the
legal regulations and codes of practices set by the government regulatory bodies to ensure health
and safety of individuals at workplace of health and social care settings. The organization was
penalized heavily for putting patients safety in danger for two times (Arntz-Gray, 2016). The fist
incident entails the case of the patient who died due to choking and other is when a patient reported
severe burns from hot water. Both these incidents occurred due to non compliance of various legal
acts and regulations which are formulated by government regulatory bodies. The organization was
prosecuted for non enactment of acts like Health and Safety at Work 1974 and Food Safety Act
1990. As mentioned earlier according to Health and Safety at Work 1974 all organizations in UK
including health providers are required to abide by the act to ensure safety of individuals in their
working premises (Health and Safety at Work 1974, 2016). The act entails general responsibilities
of care providers to protect people from accidents and injuries from hazardous chemicals and
equipment at their workplaces. Similarly, according to Food Safety Act 1990, the food provided for
consumption of individuals must be of desired quality, substance and nature (Food Safety Act 1990,
2016). Failing to comply of these acts resulted into adverse human and financial cost for FSHCL
which may negatively deteriorate brand image of the health provider in the given case.
Thus, it can be concluded that there are certain ways in which health and safety
requirements significantly influence patients and care professionals of the care organization given in
the scenario. In addition to this, there are certain dilemmas which are encountered while performing

health and safety procedures in the given care setting. Apart from this, non compliance of
legislative framework related to health and safety at workplace of the organization leads to
detrimental effects .
TASK 2 B
After the formulation and implementation of health and safety policies and practices across
the workplace of health and social care setting the next action calls for proper monitoring and
reviewing of these procedures. From HSE statistics it can be inferred that failing to address health
and safety at work leads to financial as well as human costs in UK (Plan, Monitor, Review, 2016).
Thus, effective monitoring and reviewing system can provide several advantages to healthcare
providers in carried out efficiently.
In the given scenario, it can be analysed that the board of North Staffordshire Combined
Healthcare NHS Trust was initially facing improvement targets. The trust entailed health and safety
as a vital aspect in board agenda to improve health and safety practices. This resulted in ameliorated
health and safety management system. This proved very beneficial for the trust as it became more
efficient in reconsigning the loopholes and managing its corporate risks. The board member of the
trust promoted a culture which enabled care staff in reporting incidents actively. It can be analysed
that the improved approach to health and safety management in the given scenario produced
desirable outcomes (Haas and Yorio, 2016). It can be observed that incident rates have reduced by
16 percent in the period of two years along with significant reduction in insurance premiums by 10
percent. The leaders of the trust made sure to establish downward communication systems with an
aim to make improvement in monitoring and reviewing of health and safety practices. In order to
achieve this objective, the trust engaged care professionals in promoting health and safe working
conditions (Elmaati, Raafat and Hosny, 2016). In addition to this, the trust also provided training to
health staff to inculcate skills related to reporting of incidents in timely manner and identifying
health and safety risks to service users and other individuals in its workplace. The trust also set
provisions for monitoring and reviewing performance of carers related to implementation of health
and safety procedures while delivering care and support to individuals.
It can be analysed that health and safety policies and procedures in workplace of health
providers play very important role in promoting positive health and safety culture. From the given
scenario it can be inferred that North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust has taken
remarkable initiatives to improve the health and safety culture across its workplace. One of the
important factor which play very cardinal role in bringing positive health and safety culture is
effective leadership (Elmaati, Raafat and Hosny, 2016). The board of the trust appointed a new
director under whose direction the health provider was successful in addressing health and safety
concerns more effectively. There are several benefits of good health and safety practices for the trust

such as reduced insurance premium and accidents. In addition to this, effective health and safety
practices can also benefit the trust by increasing the productivity of care professionals leading to
greater operational efficiency of the organization. The care staff is well versed with health and
safety policies and codes of practices formulated by UK government which leads to better
implementation of these policies to ensure safety of patients while offering care services to patients
(Lu and et.al., 2016). Also, good heath and safety practices play important role in creation of good
reputation of the trust among investors, service users and communities of UK.
As a healthcare professional I make sure to place health and safety needs of service users at
the centre of my care practices. I will make sure to increase my knowledge on health and safety
policies and procedures formulated by UK government from training sessions ((Fabius and et.al.,
2016). I will make sure to implement organizational policies and codes of practices to ensure health
and safety of patients while carrying out their care planning. In addition to this, I also contribute by
reporting safety risks to the management of the health provider in a prompt manner to avoid the
chances of accidents and mishaps. Besides, this I also make sure to keep hazardous chemicals and
instruments out of the way of patients or other individuals at my workplace to prevent accidents and
injuries (Probst, Jiang and Graso, 2016). In case of older patients I make sure to be remain careful
while handling them. In addition to this, I also make sure to communicate effectively to avoid
dilemmas related to health and safety procedures at my workplace.
Thus, it can be concluded from the given scenario that it is very critical to monitor and
review health and safety policies and procedures to increase their effectiveness. These policies and
practices play very cardinal role in promotion of positive health and safety culture across the
organization. The effectiveness of good policies and procedures related to health and safety bring
positive outcomes for health providers.
CONCLUSION
From the above three essays it can be concluded that health and safety are the most
important part of health and social care practices. The health and safety policies and practices
significantly impact service users, care professionals and care organizations. The first task of the
report provides clear understanding of how health and safety legislation is implemented in health
and social care workplace. From the second essay it has been learned that there are several ways in
which health and safety requirements largely impact consumers and carers in a workplace of a care
setting. The final essay develops helps in developing the understanding on monitoring and
reviewing systems linked to health and safety in workplace of health and social care organization.

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