Health and Social Care: Hazards, Risks, and Safety Measures

This article discusses the unique healthcare setting of dementia care and the importance of health and safety measures for patients and caregivers. It covers hazards and risks within the setting, communication of health and safety information, health and safety legislation, and health and safety priorities. The article also provides references for further reading.

Running head: HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
Health and Social Care
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Task 1
Overview of the guidance document
Dementia setting is a unique healthcare setting that entails sufficient health and safety
measures to be taken by all stakeholders. Dementia patients suffer from decline in physical and
mental health in a manner that is quite different from what other patients without dementia
suffer. Safety in such a setting can be influenced by key dementia symptoms such as
disorientation, memory loss and confusion, changes in the environment and decreased mobility.
Employees and employers have equal responsibility in maintaining health and safety measures
for avoiding major risks and hazards that can lead to increased burden on the patients as well as
on the care givers.
Concept of hazards and risk within the setting
Hazard in the context of health and safety is defined as the potential source of adverse
health affect or harm on an individual or a group of individual. Though the term hazard and risk
are used in an interchangeable manner, there exists distinct between the two. Risk has been
denoted as the likelihood that an individual might suffer harm or adverse health effects when
there is an exposure to a hazard. The level of risk is can be classified on the basis of the potential
harm or adverse health impact that the related hazard can cause, each tisme the individual is
exposed to the hazard. These are attributed as ‘less likely’, ‘likely, ‘highly likely’. In dementia
care settings, hazards are common to which the patients are exposed frequently. Some of such
hazards are lack of safety alert system, inadequate lighting, blocked walkways, chairs without
armrests, insufficient handrails, resident abuse, floor in poor condition, poor security. The risks
of these hazards are highly likely, upon which the health impacts suffered are adverse. The most

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occurring health effects include falls, injury to the arms, injury to the legs, and fracture among
others. Such risks are a main cause of additional health care costs in the setting and burden on
care providers to assist patients suffering from poorer health outcomes (Healy 2016).
Communication of health and safety information
Communication of health and safety information across the care setting is pivotal to ensure
that there is adequate knowledge of health and safety measures as demonstrated by all health and
social care professionals.
 Record keeping is crucial for keeping a track of the incidents occurring in the setting so
that similar issues can be avoided in future. Relevant health and safety documents are to
be made available to the employees. This includes records kept under RIDDOR
(Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations). RIDDOR puts
the obligation on employers in work premises to report particular workplace accidents,
dangerous concerns and particular occurrences.
 Risk assessment is an integral part of understanding potential risks within the workplace
setting. Assessing risks and prioritizing preventive measures would be the responsibility
of workers at all levels to ensure there is equal distribution of responsibilities. Risk
assessment must include identification of major hazards, evaluation of risks, recording of
findings and reviewing assessment for updates.
 Accident books are to be maintained in which employers as well as employees are to
record details of work-related injuries for which there could be increased economic
burden on the setting

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 Employer is supposed to provide adequate information, training and instruction, and
supervision to the employees for ensuring that the health and safety of all stakeholders
are promoted. The nature and degree of training would be reliant on the natures of tasks
to be performed, and the existing skills of the workers. Collaboration with external
agencies is crucial for uplifting the knowledge level on reformed health and safety
policies and procedures. Local organizations are to be contacted on a regular basis for
receiving updated information. It would be suitable to recruit experts from such external
agencies to provide training to the professionals at the care unit (Reese 2015).
Health and safety legislation
Management of health and safety within the workplace has to be a shared responsibility
of the employer, employees, service users and visitors, and external agencies such as the CQC.
 The Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) is to be followed by the employer which
covers different issues related to the workplace health and safety welfare across different
domains. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has enforcement powers leading to
prison sentences and fines for not adhering to the workplace policies and practice
guidelines.
 Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (1999) legislation is put in place
for enforcing duties on employees and employers for ensuring hazard free workplaces.
999 Regulations revoke Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992,
Management of Health and Safety at Work (Amendment) Regulations 1994.

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 COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health), under the Control of Substances
Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, obliges employers to take actions for preventing
or reducing their workers' exposure to hazardous to health substances.
 The Care Quality Commission is the executive non-departmental public body of
the Department of Health and Social Care of the United Kingdom that was formed in the
year 2009 for regulating and inspecting health and social care services in England. Its
role is to ensure that care homes, hospitals, and other care practices provide safe, high
quality and effective services, and there is scope for improvement at all levels.
 Healthcare service users and visitors are required to cooperate with service providers for
achieving expected care outcomes. They are obliged to provide complete information,
assist in compiling records and inform providers with information of improvements
achieved. In addition, they are to refrain from being abusive with the care providers
(hse.gov.uk 2014).
Health and safety priorities
 Modern dementia care setting should have the provision for all modern facilities that can
ensure health and safety maintenance. A proper safety alert system is pivotal for helping
in prevention of falls and ensuring that patients receive prompt attention from staff at the
time of emergency.
 Poor lighting causes obscure hazards and thus adequate lighting is to be provided
 Obstructed walkways pose significant dangers to seniors, and are thus to be avoided
 Handrails and grab bars are important safety measures
 Poorly maintained flooring surfaces are a leading cause of falls that are to be avoided

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 Facility is to take special precaution for securing the premises and monitor through
advanced technologies (Brooker and Latham 2015)

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References
Brooker, D. and Latham, I., 2015. Person-centred dementia care: Making services better with
the VIPS framework. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Health and safety in care homes. (2014). [ebook] Available at:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pUbns/priced/hsg220.pdf [Accessed 2 Jun. 2018].
Healy, J., 2016. Improving health care safety and quality: reluctant regulators. Routledge.
Reese, C.D., 2015. Occupational health and safety management: a practical approach. CRC
press.