Health and Safety Principles in the Workplace

• Samantha O’Shea

Q1 Explain the role of the Communication and training in the promotion and provision of the health and safety.

The role of the Safety, Health and Welfare Act was originally presented in 1989 and updated in 2005. It was put in place to make further provisions for safety health and welfare of a person at work.

Communication

The role of communication is to discuss or exchange any health and safety problems in the workplace. Provides info for all parties to carrier out there job with good work practices and ethic. Communication is implemented by the employers, employees and also the safety officer getting together to discuss any hazard or risk in the workplace. After identifying the hazards and risks it is important to do a risk assessment. It is also important for staff to communicate about a safety statement and to discuss what information to put in it and put it in a noticeable area. There are different ways to communicate which are talking direct, monthly meetings and also visual presentations. Communication builds trust and respect between both the employers and the employees.

Training

The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, all employers must provide training. Training the staff with appropriate and relevant courses i.e. CPR, manual handling. It is up to both the employers and employees to have the right training and to maintain up skilling. It gives both the employer and the employee confidence when they know how to use the equipment. After getting trained the employers and the employees won’t be as stressed out because they will know how to do the work. It will also help the staff identify hazard, risks, control measures and also do a risk assessment. All training should be available for staff and if staff is entitled to be paid when the training is provided. (Class Notes 2014)

Q2 Outline the principles and procedures of a good housekeeping in the workplace.

Good housekeeping is having the workplace clean and that there is no items out of place. According to Best – Job-Interview.com (2014)

“To maintain a clean, sanitary, comfortable and tidy environment for either private households or commercial establishments”

Good housekeeping keeps the workplace clean and sanitary. It is important to have good housekeeping because of germs or bacteria that are the workplace won’t travel from patient, staff or visitors and also they won’t get sick in the environment. It is also important to do housekeeping because there could be a hazard such as spills on the floor or that wires could be out of place where as patients, staff or visitors could slip and fall and hurt themselves.

The procedures of good housekeeping:

• Is to have all aisles are clear for the residents and other staff, so that no one will fall at the workplace.
• Clean all areas everyday that needs to be done such as floors and bathrooms.
• While the floors are wet to put up the proper signs on the floor so that people know that the floor is wet.
• To use proper bins for e.g. white bins with black bags for general waste.
• Clean up spills that are on the floor so that no one has an accident.
• Store cleaning products in the right area and that they are out of harm’s way.

(Class notes 2014)

Q3 Noise, Dust and Fumes are hazards which are commonly found in the workplace. For one of these hazards outline the risk associated with exposure to this hazard and control measure which might be used in the workplace. Identify at least 3 hazards which commonly encountered in your workplace and briefly describe how these are controlled.

According to Health and Safety Authority (2014)

“Noise means unwanted sound or loud discordant or disagreeable sound or sounds”.

Noise can affect your hearing which could be temporary or permanent. It often leads to temporary deafness after leaving a noisy place or having the radio or television up to loud. Hearing damage could also happen by loud noises or sudden noises. Sometimes tinnitus could happen when you are exposed to loud or continues noise. Tinnitus is a ringing or buzzing in the ear, which sometimes accurse to hearing loss. (Health and Safety Authority, 2014)

Q4 Explain the type contents of a first-aid kit and their appropriate uses.

A first aid kit has medical supplies or equipment in a bag or box for emergencies.

According to First Aid Supplies

“First Aid Fit Full”.

Q5 Explain the risks associated with the following hazards work environment, work practice, medication, alcohol, drugs, and outline for each, steps which on employer might take control these risks. (Please provide at least two controls per hazard)

A hazard is anything that can potentially cause harm to someone e.g. spills (Health and Safety Authority 2014)

Work Practise

A safe way to carry out work in the workplace.

Work Environment

The place or location of where you work.

Medication

Medication is used to treat an illness or disease.

Alcohol

Alcohol has a strong smell, that people use to drink or it is some medications.

Drugs

A Drug/substance that has an effect on the body.

Q6 Outline risks factors in relation to health, to include stress/lifestyle/diet/illness.

Health is where someone is fit and well. Someone that isn’t sick or hasn’t got an illness long term. (Who, 2003)

Stress on person can be physical on a person while working in a healthcare sector. It can be physical if someone hasn’t got the proper training in the workplace. Stress could also be mentally on a person, it could have an effect on someone’s by the person having a breakdown, panic attacks, depressed, absentees and also lack of sleep. They could be stress due to long hours in the nursing home and also a lot of work could be on one person.

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If someone is stressed it could have an effect on their diet. It could have an effect on someone’s health if they aren’t eating properly. If a person is not eating at proper meal times or not eating at all a person can become under nourished. Also if they are over eating in the evenings they could become over weight because they are eating the wrong foods such as sweets and takeaways and also not doing any regular exercise. Both stress and poor diet can result in poor sleeping habits which can which could lead a person to have sleep insomniac.

When someone immune system is down they could easily pick up certain illness that is going on in the workplace e.g. if flus and coughs are going around they could be easily picked up. Illness can affect people because some staff members could get really sick and they could have to take a few days off which could also lead to stress because they can’t afford to take time off.

Health can be affected on someone’s lifestyle. It can be affected by someone being depressed. Someone in the healthcare setting can become depressed by not talking to anybody in the workplace other than the patients or even problems at home.

Reference

Books

Class Notes .

College of Progressive Education (2008), Healthcare Support: A Textbook For Healthcare Assistance, Gill and MacMillion, Dublin.

Websites

Best-Job-Interview.com (2014) “Housekeeping Job Description” [online], Available: http://www.best-job-interview.com/housekeeping-job-description.html [accessed 26th September 2014].

First Aid Supplies “First Aid Fit Full” [online], Available:http://www.firstaidsupplies.org/firstaidsupplies/Main/FAK_Full_410103.htm [Accessed 26th September 2014].

Helpguide.org, “Effective Communication” [online], Available: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/effective_communication_skills.htm [accessed 30th September 2014].

Websites E Journal

Health and Safety Authority, (2014) ‘Noise’ [online], Available: http://www.hsa.ie/eng/Topics/Physical_Agents/Noise/ [accessed 29th September 2014].

Health and Safety Authority (2014) “Safety and Health Management System”, [online] Available:http://www.hsa.ie/eng/Topics/Managing_Health_and_Safety/Safety_and_Health_Management_Systems/ [accessed 5th October 2014].

Health and Safety Authority (2014), “Health and Safety at work in Residential Care Facilities” [online], Available: http://www.hsa.ie/eng/Publications_and_Forms/Publications/Healthcare_Sector/Residential_Care_Facilities.pdf [accessed 2nd October 2014].

World Health Organisation (2003) “WHO Definition of Health” [online], Available: http://www.who.int/about/definition/en/print.htm [accessed 7th October 2014].

Web EBook

Business Dictionary.com (2014), “Business Dictionary”, Web Finance [online], Available: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/work-environment.html [accessed 5th October 2014].

Collins English Dictionary (2014), “English Dictionary: Pioneers In Dictionary Publishing Since 1819”, Harper Collins Publisher [online], Available:http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/first-aid-kit [accessed 2nd October 2014].

Merriam – Webster (2014), [online], Available: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/medication [accessed 2nd October 2014].

Merriam – Webster (2014), [online], Available: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alcohol [accessed 2nd October 2014].

Merriam – Webster (2014), [online], Availablehttp://www.macmillandictionary.com/us/dictionary/american/working-practices [accessed 5th October 2014].

Oxford Dictionary (2014), “Oxford Dictionaries – Language Matters” Oxford University Press [online], Available:http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/drug [accessed 2nd October 2014].