Safe Work Practices: Hazards, Risks, and Precautions

This article discusses safe work practices, hazards, risks, and precautions to ensure a safe work environment. It covers topics such as MRSA infection, personal protective equipment, and duty of care. The article also includes case studies and risk assessments to help readers understand how to reduce risks in the future.

Safe work practices

TABLE OF CONTENT
1.1.................................................................................................................................................4
1.2.................................................................................................................................................4
1.3.................................................................................................................................................4
1.4.................................................................................................................................................4
2....................................................................................................................................................5
3 ...................................................................................................................................................5
4.1.................................................................................................................................................6
4.2.................................................................................................................................................6
6....................................................................................................................................................6
6....................................................................................................................................................7
7....................................................................................................................................................7
7.1.................................................................................................................................................7
8....................................................................................................................................................7
Task 2...............................................................................................................................................8
1....................................................................................................................................................8
2....................................................................................................................................................8
3....................................................................................................................................................8
4....................................................................................................................................................8
5....................................................................................................................................................8
6....................................................................................................................................................9
7. Hand hygiene:..........................................................................................................................9
8. Resident room:.........................................................................................................................9
9. What to report:.........................................................................................................................9
10. Personal risk:..........................................................................................................................9
11. Duty of care:........................................................................................................................10
CASE STUDY 2............................................................................................................................10
1. Report this situations:............................................................................................................10
2. Future care:............................................................................................................................10
3. Warning sign:.........................................................................................................................10
4. Risk assessment:....................................................................................................................11

6. reduce risk in the future:........................................................................................................11
TASK 3..........................................................................................................................................11
PART A:....................................................................................................................................11
2. Discussing each policy and procedures with relevant legislation and standards:..................11
PART B..........................................................................................................................................12
PART C..........................................................................................................................................12
TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................15
1. finding any non compliance during the inspection:...............................................................15
2. what to do with non compliance item:...................................................................................16
3. How often these area need to be inspected:..........................................................................16
TASK 5..........................................................................................................................................16
1. Risk assessment control form:...............................................................................................16
2. Risk matrix:............................................................................................................................17
3. Risk assessment control form:...............................................................................................18
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................20
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................1

1.1
Ans- A hazard refers to potential sources that might create harm and provide adverse health
effects over an individual.
1.2
Ans- Risk illustrates the possibility of something bad happening as it involves uncertainty about
the implications that can be faced due to an activity with respect to something that valued by an
individual by often focusing towards the pessimistic and undesirable consequences (Hughes and
Afanuh, 2021).
1.3
Is this a hazard? Tick each correct answer
Working with client in their homes
A strained back ✓
Showering a client
Lifting a box ✓
Working long hours ✓
Stress ✓
1.4
(a) Poor manual handling can result into injuries, long term musculoskeletal disorders and joint
pain issues. Moreover, one can also have to face stress and anxiety.
(b) Inappropriate way of handling mobility equipment might lead to underarm crutches that also
lead towards a condition of crutch paralysis.
 One can have a risk of cuts and punctures, chemical burns, electric shocks along with
exposure of excessive vibration and noise.

 Poorly prepared plans, will lead towards disorganized evacuation or emergency responses
that resulting into injury, confu6.sion as well as property damage.
(e) The management team will unable to aid from proper risk assessment and identify effective
solutions to potential risks.
(f) Overall spreading of the infection that might lead to drastic situation.
2.
Ans- Provide adequate means of escape
Outline clear pathways to exit doors
Install smoke detection system
Conduct regular fire drills
Use flame retardant material in interiors
Keep building plans handy.
3
(a) Reporting of hazards provide an appropriate solution and ways to remove or mitigate
something from which others are highly unaware as once the hazard have been identified, they
can be handled in proper manner along with reduces or eliminate the risk of death or injury.
3.1 (a) Yes, the supervisor must report this issue as a work health and safety issue to
management because this forbidding air conditioners lead to serious hazards as the staff
members are working in front of fire which creates the whole environment hot for them which
might create harmful impacts over the workers who are working over there.
◦ (b) The supervisor must report the incident to the WHS in order to resolve the issue at
utmost priority level.
◦ (c) Initially by providing fundamental information.
Take note of any damages and injuries.
Identify affected people
Take action

4.1
Standard precautions are the primal level of infection control that should be utilized in the care of
the patients for all the time (Baguma, 2021). This will enable to reduce risks of transmission of
microorganisms from recognized and non-recognized sources of infection. It has been used for
all patient care as they are based upon risk assessment and make use of common sense practices
and personal protection equipments to protect healthcare providers from infection. For example
hand hygiene before and after patient contact, use personal protective equipments such as gloves,
gowns, etc. and safe use and disposal of sharps.
4.2
Additional precautions are infection prevention and control measures as well as practices
required in addition to routine practices. It has been applied when patients have a known and
suspected infectious agent that might not be contained using standard precaution alone. Three
examples of additional precautions are contact precaution, droplet precaution and airborne
precaution.
◦ The client has the responsibility to avoid contacting the worker as she is suffering
from diarrhoea and not allowed him to do home visit as well.
◦ The symptoms show the disease of diarrhoea.
◦ The risk of spreading diarrhoea should be minimized by washing hands often, taking
good hygiene and using improved sanitization measures.
◦ Getting entry within the home premises of the client create risk to the worker as she is
suffering from diarrhoea which is a communicable disease that can be easily spread
specially through direct contact with vomit and faeces from infected people (Beutel,
2018). It can also spread through contact with contaminated surface or object.
6.
Ans- Three things that help an individual to remain updated with safe work practices are:
 Keeping tidy work space
 Inspection of equipments

 Record keeping
6.
7.
Ans- Risks associated with long driving hours are:
Risk 1: Damage to musculoskeletal system which can be controlled by maintaining erect
position of back and neck, keep wrists as neutral as possible, avoid neck bending and avoiding
static position for prolonged period.
Risk 2: Heart problems as long sitting hours create stress over the body that fluctuates the blood
pressure and create heart problems. In order to mitigate the damages from prolonged driving, one
should take rests in between the drives and keep focus towards their posture.
7.1
Risk 1: As Kellie works as transporting client with disabilities, she has a risk of fall from the
vehicle which is due to mobility issues, balance disorder, chronic illness and impaired vision.
The risk can be controlled by staying physically fit, getting enough sleep and stand up slowly.
Risk 2: Risk of getting delay also might be faced by the Kellie and for this she have to manage
their time accordingly so that she can reach to their clients within appropriate time duration. She
must prioritize things in planned manner.
8.
Ans- Appropriate lifting of heavy objects in a way which has been shown in the above diagram
enables an individual to reduce the risks of injury. It also promoted back health and ensures that
the work will be completed in highly safe manner.
◦ No, the employer does not show a duty of care towards care worker as a care worker
have to fulfil the role which is about assist to vulnerable people to live comfortably as

well as providing appropriate assistance to the workers in order to avoid any
damages.
◦ No, the care worker also does not fulfil the duty of care as she have to ask about the
manual or for training requirements before handling the client with a disability in
order to avoid accident or injury.
Task 2
1.
Ans- MRSA is a kind of infection which is occurred when there is a cut or break within the skin.
It is highly contagious and can be spread through direct contact with infectious person. This
spread through contact with a contaminated wound or by sharing personal items such as towels,
razors, etc. that have touched infected skin or surface (Xiaojun and Ken, 2020).
2.
Ans- The procedures for working with MRSA infection client is available at the hospitals and
healthcare settings which include nursing homes and dialysis centres.
3.
Ans- Yes the standard precautions has been utilized within the MRSA infection issues. For
example using contact precautions from personal touchable things such as gloves, gowns, etc.
and by using hand sanitizer. On the other hand, the additional precautions could not be used for
MRSA patient as it is not airborne virus. The care provider have to use contact precautions while
caring for patient with MRSA.
4.
Ans- The care provider must wash their hands before and after providing care to the MRSA
resident and during all the five moments of hand hygiene.

5.
Ans- The personal protective equipments required at the time of handling MRSA patient include
gloves and gowns provided by healthcare personnel is highly recommended avoiding further
infection to care provider.
6.
Ans- The correct procedure to remove PPE is if mask is used, remove gloves using glove to
glove technique and skin to skin technique and discard immediately. Perform hand hygiene. If a
gown is used untie necktie's first, then waist ties over the gown (Bouchaut and et.al., 2021).
7. Hand hygiene:
At first resident and her visitor should avoid social contacting and try to avoid visiting them in
their home. Secondly they need to wear PPE kits and other safety equipments such as gloves,
mask and hand sanitizer to stop spread of MARS.
8. Resident room:
Resident room should be clean in proper manner, there are certain steps:
 At first, room cleaner have to wear PPE and other personal safety equipment to ensure
safety.
 Secondly, worker or cleaner need to find transmission of infection and identify those
droplets that can be dangerous.
 At last, worker or cleaner need to use cleaning chemical like disinfectants, concentration
and other chemical that reduce power of infection and then room should be cleaned with
dust and aerosols control procedure.
9. What to report:
In this situation safety protocol need to be recorded, worker and healthcare professional need to
ensure personal as well as safety of patient. Patient health and status need to be recorded, this
simply means care worker need to report health status of patient.

10. Personal risk:
 Risk of infection: taking care of infectious person have certain risk associated, this means
worker personal will going to feel fear while working this resident and their performance
might be impacted.
 Exposure: risk of exposure, this simply Salih, F.I., Bakar, N.A.A., Hassan, N.H., Yahya,
F., Kama, N. and Shah, J., 2019. IOT security risk management model for healthcare
industry. Malaysian Journal of Computer Science, pp.131-144.means worker might
exposure to infectious environment and get sick, personally it is very risk for worker
because one small mistake can impact their personal life and health.
11. Duty of care:
Fair treatment: fair treatment is one of the most import duty which care worker need to provide
to resident, this simply means fairly taking care and avoiding any kind of unethical behaviour
that might impact health of resident (Lancet, 2020).
Safeguarding: safeguarding is another important duty of care provider which they need to
provide, this means care provider will ensure patient's safety and safeguarding them from any
kind of risk including risk of getting infection or exposure.
CASE STUDY 2
1. Report this situations:
Taking immediate situations: care provider need to take action immediate and report this
situation to manager and inform them about aggressive behaviour of patient.
Report to the authorities: after informing to manager, care provider need to inform and report
these situations to authorities who has sent them for care and dressing of patient. Reporting
should include aggressive behaviours of patient and immediate help to control this situation.
2. Future care:
Care provider need to record observation of these situations and behaviour of patient to avoid
any future incident that might impact patient and care provider. Recording of observation will
help them in certain ways, these are:Card, A.J. and Klein, V.R., 2016
More careful: observation of previous incident will allow care provider to be careful in next
operation and allow them to be effective.
Handling: if care provider is aware about aggressive behaviours of patient then they will be more
serious and handle patient with care and other ethical procedures.

3. Warning sign:
Warming from wife: wife of client warned care provider about aggressive behaviours of client
and highlighted that he is in angry mood that impact care provider. Her wife informed that he
remain gentle throughout the day but today he is aggressive and might harm care provider (Card
and Klein, 2016).
Warning from client: client have given warning to care provider before dressing, this should be
taken seriously because person with aggressive behaviour only provide one warning and their
behaviour become aggressive.
4. Risk assessment:
Rare Unlikely Possible Likely Almost
Aggressive
behaviour
low Medium High Very high Extremely
high
Violent
behaviour
Low Medium High Very high Extremely
high
Mental illness Low Medium High Very high Extremely
high
6. reduce risk in the future:
Visiting client in the future have certain risk associated, care provider need to take certain
measure to control risk in the future, these are:
Ask for appointment: care provider need to often ask client or need to take permission before
visiting their home, this will allow them to understand whether client have aggressive mood or
he is ready to take medical process.
Inform authority: care provider need to inform authority about visit to client, this will allow them
to alert authority and provide help in tough situations and allow care provider to be safe from any
kind of obligation from client.

TASK 3
PART A:
2. Discussing each policy and procedures with relevant legislation and standards:
Infection control: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) jointly with
Australia health guideline has provide policy and procedures to control infection; this include:
every healthcare provider need to ensure all precaution to avoid spillage on floor that can spread
infection to worker. Medical clinic need to use chemical substance and cleaning material to clean
spillage properly and place safety sign board to avoid accident.
Emergency management: under Emergency Management Australia department, government of
Australia have certain guideline to manage emergency related to health and medical. To address
any medical emergency, healthcare organization have to activate National Incident Room to
actively respond to health emergency. Under Biosecurity Act 2015, health professional need to
respond to emergency with precaution.
Manual handling: manual handling is activity that allow health professional to avoid any kind of
issue that may arrive due to lack of manual guide causing accident. Under National Manual
Task, health professional have to ensure lifting of chemical and other medical substances need to
be done in proper manner to avoid incident.
Incident reporting: every healthcare professional and organization have to follow legal and
legislative procedures to report incident, they can not avoid reporting of incident as this will
consider against professional practice. Under National Safety and Quality Health Service
(NSQHS) standard healthcare professional need to report in formal manner including setting of
the incident and impact on work or any other person.
PART B
Verbal question Write response
What are manual handling hazard did you have
to deal with?
In fire scenario, there are certain manual
handling hazard impacting worker. Smoke is
one of the most dangerous hazard but more
dangerous was asbestos and vapour that
contain chemical and can impact life of
worker.

How do you keep skills up to date? In fire scenario, worker can sharpen their skills
to survive this situation. With effective
communication skills and ability to keep calm
under tough situations will allow them to
survive these situations and stop the spread of
fire.
PART C
Verbal question Write response
Blood spill This situations can be reported in formal
manner with few procedures of health
reporting guideline:
 Reporter need to ensure client, name
and other personal details.
 Report need to examine blood spillage
and need to place safety instruction
until team come and clean those part.
 This scenario need to be report to
authority and need to ask them for
further investigation with PPE.
Suggestion To avoid such situations in the future and for
risk control there are certain steps:
 Remove sharp objects: removing sharp
objects is one of the most important
thing as this will allow client to ensure
that do not cut themselves or harm
other.
 PPE: worker need to use personal
protective kits to avoid any incident or
spread of infection to worker who will

be cleaning the blood spillage.
Stand precaution Worker who will be cleaning blood spillage
will going to face certain risk, they need to take
stand precaution to avoid spread of infection,
these are:
 PPE: personal protective equipments is
one of the most important thing for
worker before cleaning those spillages.
They need to ensure their PPE allowing
them to be safe from such infection.
 Rubber gloves: rubber gloves is the best
equipments worker need to wear before
cleaning blood spillage to ensure hand
Salih, F.I., Bakar, N.A.A., Hassan,
N.H., Yahya, F., Kama, N. and Shah, J.,
2019. IOT security risk management
model for healthcare industry.
Malaysian Journal of Computer
Science, pp.131-144.hygiene and hand
safety.
Give two example Cleaning blood spill, worker need to take two
more important precaution, these are:
 Gloves is one of the best protective
equipments allow worker to be safe
from infection that might spread from
blood spill.
 Personal protective equipments will
allow worker to ensure safety, during
blood clean up, worker will face issue
and after clean up worker need to be

careful because this is stage where
worker might get in the contact with
blood and infection.
Additional precaution In additional precaution, worker need to ensure
they know method of cleaning spills, methods
may include, these are:
 Using PPE, worker need to place
bleach solution at blood spill and let it
work until power of infection reduce,
later worker can clean that spill with
the help of wipe that are use and throw.
 Chemical bleach: after normal bleach,
worker need to put chemical bleach
which might impact their eyes, hands
and other body part. After using
chemical worker need to place warning
sign to avoid other worker to catch
infection.
Two additional precaution Worker need to take additional precaution to
ensure they follow ethical and guideline of
government. There are two precaution they
need to take, these are:
Dispose: worker need to dispose those
equipments or material which they have used
in the cleaning process.
Clean more: at once, power of infection is not
reduced which means worker need to clean it
three times to ensure infection is completely
gone and safety is ensured.

TASK 4
1. finding any non compliance during the inspection:
During inspection process, client room need to be checked carefully to identify those hazard
which can turn into risk for client as well as worker, during room inspection, it has found some
non compliance that might impact worker and client, these are;
Expiry medicine: expiry medicine is one of the biggest compliance that can be found in the client
room, it is very clear that by mistake or with purpose, expiry medicine can be found in client's
room. Person who have responsibility of inspection need to ask worker to remove those medicine
with the doctor's advice.
inflammable substance: during client's room inspection, it has found that there are some
substances which might create greater problem in the times of emergency including fire
emergency, there as no fire extinguisher in the room and worker did not removed those
substances which can easily catch fire and cause huge loss to healthcare organization and life of
client.
Untidiness: untidiness can be seen in clients room, there was blood spill at some part of the room
including attach bathroom which can be dangerous for visitor. Worker have not removed those
blood spill properly because they do not have equipments which was another barrier in ensuring
client's room safety.
2. what to do with non compliance item:
During client's room inspection, there was some dangerous substance and equipments that can
cause harm to worker as well as client, these non-compliance item need to be removed, there are
certain steps, these are:
Changing expiry medicine: changing expiry medicine with prior permission of doctor is very
important care provider need to remove those medicine with new medicine to ensure client
remain safe and avoid any kind of accident that might impact healthcare organization and client.
Removing Inflammable substances: after inspection, it is very important to remove inflammable
substances to ensure client's safety and security. Worker need to remove those substances and
have to place fire extinguisher to ensure that in the case of emergency, worker or client
themselves respond effectively and manage these situation.

Proper cleaning: after inspection, worker need to perform proper cleaning with the help of
chemical and substances. Worker need to use chemical bleach to reduce power of infection.
Bleach is one of the most important thing which worker need to use to clean client's room.
3. How often these area need to be inspected:
Client room need to be inspected every month for ensuring safety but worker need to daily
inspect these room to ensure client remain safe in the environment. Every month inspection need
to be done not only to ensure that client is safe but to ensure that worker is working effectively
and removing those hazard which can be found during inspection process, these room should be
carefully inspected to provide safe environment to client in room.
TASK 5
1. Risk assessment control form:
RISK ASSESSMENT CONTROL FORM
Workplace
Site supervision
Name of person
Description of activity
Date
Hazard Harm Consequ
ence
Likeliho
od
Risk
level
Control Further
action
Responsi
ble
Date
Lifting of
wheelcha
irs
Harm to
client
High Possible High Careful
lifting
Worker
need to
carefully
lift
wheelcha
ir
Worker
or care
provider
12/02/22
Inapprop Harm to Low Low Moderate Careful Care Care 12/02/22

riate
transport
ation
client transport
ation
provider
and
person
transport
ation
need to
bew
careful.
provider
Hazard
of falling
Harm to
client
and
might
face
serious
issue
Low High High Need to
carefully
lift
client.
Care
provider
need to
avoid
lifting to
stop
falling.
Care
provider
12/02/22
2. Risk matrix:
Rare Unlikely Possible Likely Almost
Accident due
to falling
Medium Low High High Extremely
high
Serious injury Medium Low Low Low High
Lost time
injury
Low Low Low High Extremely
high
Lifting injury High High High Very high Extremely
high
3. Risk assessment control form:
HIERARCHY OF CONTROL TABLE
Control Further, action Hazard Action by Date

requirement
Elimination Care provider
need to be care
full while
accessing
wheelchair
patient with
proper guideline
Lifting or falling
hazard
ABC 12/02/22
Substitution Isolation need to
be done if
accident happen.
Falling ABC 12/02/22
Engineering Regular
maintenance
Poor maintenance
of wheelchair
ABC 15/12/22
Administration Senior authority
need to be
informed about
the accident that
occur in access
wheelchair
patient.
Ineffective
administration
ABC 12/02/22
PPE Care provider
need to ensure
PPE is wear by
both worker and
patient.
Poor PPE ABC 12/02/22

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Hughes, S. and Afanuh, S., 2021. Safe and proper use of disinfectants to reduce viral surface
contamination in correctional facilities.
Baguma, F., 2021. Assessing the knowledge, attitudes and practices towards maintenance of safe
water chain among community members of Western Ward in Butogota Town Council,
Kanungu District in Uganda (Doctoral dissertation, Makerere University).
Beutel, J., 2018, November. Implementation of Field Work Safety Concepts. In SAFE-Safety and
Field Eduction Workshop, Department of Geography, University of Zurich (2018). ETH
Zurich.
Xiaojun, H. and Ken, C.C., 2020. Staying Safe at Work: A Guide to Occupational Safety &
Health. Sunway University Press.
Bouchaut, B. and et.al., 2021. Value conflicts in designing for safety: distinguishing applications
of Safe-by-Design and the Inherent Safety Principles. International journal of
environmental research and public health, 18(4), p.1963.
Lancet, T., 2020. COVID-19: protecting health-care workers. Lancet (London,
England), 395(10228), p.922.
Card, A.J. and Klein, V.R., 2016. A new frontier in healthcare risk management: working tCard,
A.J. and Klein, V.R., 2016o reduce avoidable patient suffering. Journal of Healthcare
Risk Management, 35(3), pp.31-37.
Catalyst, N.E.J.M., 2018. What is risk management in healthcare?. NEJM Catalyst.
Liu, H.C., 2019. Improved FMEA methods for proactive healthcare risk analysis (pp. 15-45).
Singapore: Springer.
Salih, F.I., Bakar, N.A.A., Hassan, N.H., Yahya, F., Kama, N. and Shah, J., 2019. IOT security
risk management model for healthcare industry. Malaysian Journal of Computer
Science, pp.131-144.
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