Ensuring Health and Safety in Health and Social Care: Key Policies and Procedures (Full Transcript)

Speaker 1: Each year, there are numerous accidents to employees, carers and service users from using work equipment in the health and social care. Many are serious and even some fatal. Using the right, well-maintained equipment operated by trained staff can help prevent accidents and reduce the personal and financial costs. The health and safety concerns in healthcare settings are different to that in other industries. Some examples of the special needs are safety in beds and the use of bed rails, skin problems like dermatitis, manual handling as we're helping people, not objects, medications, sharps and even violence from the people you care for. Other areas that are detailed separately by the HSE are fire evacuation and fire safety. The risks are different in the care setting due to the extra risks like oxygen and mobility of the people you care for. Most employers have a health and safety policy which sets out how they will protect everyone who is affected by their business, like employees, visitors, contractors and individuals who access the services. Even if your role involves working in private homes of individuals, your employer should be aware of the health and safety legislation. Ask your manager about policies that are in place to support your health and safety and wellbeing. What all policies and procedures have in common is to tell everyone how to do something or what must be in place to make sure that all people are safe. A policy is a formal course of action that everyone must follow. A procedure is the way in which a task must be completed or carried out. Examples of procedures can include how to store and give out medications, how to provide personal care, how to lift and carry loads, what to do in the event of a fire, what to do in the event of providing first aid and how to handle soil bed linning. Policies must give clear instructions so that everyone is kept safe and no one is harmed through work that is being carried out. You must familiarise yourself with your own workplace health and safety policies and procedures. It's not possible to cover every health and safety concern in this course. We will look at the main areas that you will need to know. If you have any doubts or concerns, discuss these with your manager.