Unit 3 Health and Safety in HSC Assignment

Program	Diploma in Health and Social Care
Unit Number and Title	Unit 3 Health and Safety in HSC
QFC Level	Level 5

Introduction

Every human wants certain security for their lives and it is the responsibility of the government to take care of the employees who work in the offices. That’s why these health and safety laws were made. There are certain policies which are mandatory for the employees to follow at every workplace. The main aim of Unit 3 Health and Safety in HSC Assignment is to provide for overall well being of the people in the society and provide them with necessary support and care. The information about the health and safety should reach all the employees at all offices. It should be one of the priorities of an office. Decisions are also important in case of emergencies. If the health of any employee will be at risk, then the management must decide and take steps in favour of his health; rather than the work (Flynn, 2012). A secret monitoring and review gets done; so that the government will get to know that the companies are following the health and safety law at their workplaces or not. It is important for all the employees to get their share of health and security from their office, where they work.

Task 1: Health and Safety Legislation

1.1 A review of systems, policies and procedures for communicating information on health, safety and security to staff, clients and visitors of the agency

The policies of health and safety  legislations and ethics  are way too important for every company. The entire staffs, clients, visitors of any company needs to have certain knowledge about the policies of health, safety and security. If the safety of the employees would be strong, then only the company would be able to work in an organized manner, otherwise things would become too messed up. The management of every company should design the structure of their office in such a way; so that no accidents can happen. The protection of the employees has to be done within the office premises. The laws and policies of health and safety needs to be emerged in the values of the business and must believe that ‘every miss-happening can be avoided’. The supervisor of an agency has something to say on this matter. (Hadley, 2014) The policies for communicating information on this legislation with their employees were made and are even being followed at workplaces. Some of them are:

• The right facilities: Every workplace must have a first aid kit with them and a separate clinic as well with a doctor always available. Accidents can happen anytime, so arrangements should be made in advance. E.g. every school follows this precaution and takes care of the children where the children spend around 8 hours in a day. Similarly the employees of any company spend either 8 hours or more in a day in the office, so they do deserve some protection.
• Training: Proper professional trainers are invited and the employees get the first aid training and even they are trained about the emergency exits and routes from their workplace. In case of fire or terrorist attack, the employees must know all the way outs, emergency gates and their directions from their office, so that they can save their lives. And also in case of any minor injury to any employee, the other employees should know how to give them first hand treatment before the doctor’s arrival. This training is mandatory for all the employees.

1.2 Examine the responsibilities in your agency for the management of health and safety in relation to organizational structures supported by appropriate examples

The responsibilities in our agency for the management of health and safety in relation to organizational structures are managed by the senior manager. They are:

1. The insurance of the agency needs to be done: The insurance of the agency should be renewed every year from any recognized insurance company. This is of great importance, because in case the workplace catches fire and some employee dies, then the family of that company will get the money from the insurance company. It can happen due to the negligence of any one or it could be revenge from any competitor, no one knows what can happen.
2. Certain precaution should be mentioned on a board: There is a display board at the reception of our agency where certain precautions are highlighted in bold for the employees about the health and safety legislation. (Kumar, 2011) Every employee gets a pocket card and a leaflet as well, which has the important information on it.
3. Updating is required: The British laws on health and safety keeps on changing. They do make certain additions and also subtract a few old procedures, and every company must keep themselves updated with this information. The updated laws are supposed to be properly followed by all the agencies.

For example:  Health and Social Care  Act was made in 2008 but certain amendments were made to it in 2010, which has added some provisions and services and has directed the government officials to keep a check and observe that the agencies are following the revised versions or not. Therefore, the managers of an agency have to keep themselves updated. Every incident, every accident, every death and every injury must be reported and a proper report needs to be maintained. Another example: Mrs Elizabeth who was 88 years old broke her neck when she fell from the stairs at BUPA Care Homes, situated in South Lanarkshire. This care centre paid the fine and was sued by the family of Mrs Elizabeth for negligence and even they failed to take the risk assessment measures.

1.3 An analysis of the health, safety and security priorities of your agency

In case of any accident, the priority in our agency is the assurance of the safety and security of the employees and rather all human lives, which were present at the time of the accident. Initially, the safety of the human lives, then the property of the agency and lastly the environment of the agency- this is the list of priorities. The senior managers ad rather everyone help each other at the time of the need. Employees work under one roof, so obviously they do get attached to each other as well. If someone needs help, others will definitely volunteer. They do support each other through thick and thin. In our agency, health priorities are arrangement of first aid kit and a call to the doctor and an ambulance (in case of major accidents). In this case, the training of first aid, which was given to the employees, helps a lot and we can treat the injury, save the flood flow by tying the wound with the cloth, give pain killer medicines and everything else possible.

Where the matter of safety and security are concerned, our agency has many bodyguards with licensed pistols and other weapons, who guard the whole agency at all hours and work in shifts (WHO, 2013). They stand fully alert all the time outside the office and if they think something fishy is going on, they can object and they do have the right to stop a person from entering, if they feel suspicious about anything. The security officials are fully trained and in case they fail to do their job, they can call the police immediately to save the agency and its employees from the terrorist attack. These are the priorities of different sections of our agency. But the ultimate thing is information about all these procedures and every employee should know it.

Task 2: Risk Assessment

2.1 Clear and relevant analysis of how information from your risk assessment can inform the planning for the care of individuals and how an organisation might undertake organisational policies decision making supported by innovative examples should be apparent in your work

For the assessment of risks, an agency needs to follow these  various aspects:

1. Identify all the possibility of the hazards
2. A decision can be taken, about who can get hurt, how much and how exactly
3. Calculate the risk involved and then plan the precautions
4. Whatever calculations are done, note them down and make a record
5. If required, renew them and keep them updated

There could be anything which can cause harm to the lives of the employees. For example: fire, electricity, fault in escalator, open drawers, water dropped at the floor, someone can slip from stairs, a fan or a decorative piece can fall from the ceiling on someone’s head or anything. Accidents are always unpredictable. Various plans and projects should be done to make the situation understandable and easily manageable. The risks could be high or low, depending on the accident. Many a times, the under construction building falls where the labours work day and night. Supposedly, the building fell but fortunately no one was hurt. Although the risk factor was high here but nothing happened, as in human lives were saved but the property was entirely damaged. On the contrary, if there is a short circuit in the electricity board of an office, and whosoever checked it at the first place died of the electric shock, now here the risk was not that high, but still someone lost his life, although if the electrician would have done it, he would be more careful and precautious. 

Once the risk assessment plan is prepared, the supervisor should arrange a meeting of all employees, to inform them about the plan and direct them about the situations, which can possibly happen. This planning and its information can save the individuals from every miss-happening, if they will follow it as planned (Rausand, 2013). But unfortunately when the situation occurs, things become different and how to lead the situation too becomes difficult, that’s why one of the employees have to take the responsibility and take decisions in favour of everyone. An organization might undertake organizational decision making policies to minimize the risk level of the safety of the employees. An organization should always be more concerned about their employees rather than their property and environment. So, this decision making will definitely help.

2.2 An analysis of the impact of one aspect of your health and safety policy on your own practice with service users and the care team

A job with the airlines sector can make someone deaf. Rather it does have that impact on the pilots. The career of a pilot is only of 10 years. He cannot fly after that, it is a fact. The airplanes create such heavy noises which are unbearable and pilots sit in their chamber where these voices affect their brains and after 10 years it is proved that they lose their power to hear. Obviously if they won’t be able to hear things out, they won’t be able to manage their work. Although there are some equipment given to them on the airplanes to same them, their hearing ability and to keep them safe, but even then, it does affect them physically. So, this is one of the impacts of a job profile, despite providing health and security measures.

Otherwise, the impact could be good as well, according to the risk assessment plan and directions, the health and safety’s aspect could get the employees out from a fire situation through an exit plan and an exit gate along with the usage of fire extinguishers (Heuvel, 2013). The employees can save themselves easily; can even manage to exit safely from the workplace just with the help of the poster and map displayed on the boards and also from the  training and development  they got about the emergency situations.

2.3 Your personal analysis on the effects of noncompliance experience in relation to health and safety legislation in the workplace

The effects of noncompliance in relation to health and safety legislation in the workplace could be dangerous. Someone can die due to the negligence of the management; a wrong exit plan can risk the lives of everyone at the workplace (Li, 2014). My own experience says that the health and security policy should never be taken irresponsibly and should not miss a single point in the risk assessment. Although I once was in a similar situation like that, where I was working in an office and suddenly the fire alarm broke, but for last week or so that fire alarm used to start without any reason, which means it was facing some problems. That day when I was working, it started gain, and we all neglected it, as we imagined that it could be just like that and there is no fire around. Then within minutes half of the office was burning, and two people were badly injured and rest were evacuated somehow. Many more were injured in the rescue mission, so that was the negligence of the management of the organization and they took that electricity fault casually, which burned the office property and the employees too suffered.

Task 3: Monitoring and Reviewing

3.3 An evaluation of your own contributions to placing the needs of individuals at the centre in relation to health, safety and security.

I myself am a part of the management team, where we work on these policies and measures. The health, safety and security of the employees are treated as one of the highest priorities of the management (Scholtz, 2013). I at times do talk to employees themselves and consult with them about the measures and policies being followed at the organization. Whether they are satisfied with the provisions or not, or do they want us to add some new idea to improve the situation. I even hold meetings for this issue, and keep on doing mock drills to be double sure. I do check the expiry date of the fire extinguishers; the electronic gadgets used need servicing and many more things that I care. Obviously, a company runs because of its employees and their health, safety and security is the responsibility of the organization. So, their needs have to be put at the centre by the management, to make sure that their organization runs smoothly. I have made the emergency routes clear and keep on updating my own information regarding the health and safety legislation. I make sure that not even a single joiner would miss the training session of the first aid and emergency situations. All these measures are done for the sake of the employees and the management tries really hard not to miss out things, where the concern is regarding the safety of the employees. Therefore, every organization/agency writes down their initial risk assessment plans and then work on them, even if the company comprises of as less as 5 employees or as more as 5000 employees. It is mandatory for everyone to do and build their brand image with these initiatives.

Conclusion

At the end, I would like to say that every organization has to adopt the health and safety policies to secure the future of their own organization. If the employees won’t be assured that the company is not giving them proper facilities of first aid and safety measures, then no one would join such a company. Everyone loves their lives and no one will risk it for some money. The first and the foremost thing, an organization should do is to plan out things and arrange a risk assessment report, only then further work will be done. Monitoring and reviewing is equally important, as the organization cannot afford to take things lightly, as it is a matter of life and death for their employees (Gray, 2011). If some natural disaster can happen, then it would be too sudden for a company to react but otherwise if the fault would is manmade, just like the technology, then it can be saved and secured. There is a saying “Precautions are better than cure” and in this case the  research on risks  assessment plan, monitoring and reviewing are all precautions for the hazards which can happen. 

References

Flynn, R. (2012). Structures of control in health management.Routledge.
Hadley, J., andTyquin, P. (2014). Harmonised work health and safety legislation: Recent developments.
Vinodkumar, M. N., andBhasi, M. (2011).A study on the impact of management system certification on safety management. Safety Science, 49(3), 498-507.
Li, W. (2014). Risk assessment of power systems: models, methods, and applications. John Wiley and Sons.
Rausand, M. (2013). Risk assessment: Theory, methods, and applications (Vol. 115). John Wiley & Sons.
Van den Heuvel, S. G., Vergeer, G., and de Weerd, T. (2013). 403 Occupational Safety and Health Impact Assessment; health, socio-economic and cost effects of excluding small low risk companies of the RIE-obligation. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 70(Suppl 1), A138-A138.
Black, A. D., Car, J., Pagliari, C., Anandan, C.,Cresswell, K., Bokun, T., ... and Sheikh, A. (2011). The impact of eHealth on the quality and safety of health care: a systematic overview. PLoS medicine, 8(1), e1000387.
García-Peñalvo, F. J., Colomo-Palacios, R., andLytras, M. D. (2012). Informal learning in work environments: training with the Social Web in the workplace.Behaviour and Information Technology, 31(8), 753-755.

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