Role of Communication in Health and Safety

SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORK

DIANE PARSONS 1/05/15

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Explore the role of communications & training in the promotion & provision of health & safety in the workplace. Page 2
2. Outline the principles & procedures of good house-keeping in the workplace. Page 3
3. Noise, dust and fumes are hazards which are commonly found in workplaces. For one of these hazards outline the risk associated with exposure to this hazard and control measures which might be used in the workplace. Identify at least 3 hazards which are commonly encountered in your workplace and briefly describe how these are controlled. Page 4&5
4. Explain the typical contents of a first-aid kit & their appropriate uses.
Page 6
5. Explain the risks associated with the following hazards work environment, work practices, medication, alcohol, drugs and outline for each, steps which an employer might take to control these risks (please provide at least 2 controls per hazard).
Page 7&8
6. Outline risk factors in relation to health, to include stress/ lifestyle/ diet/ illness.
Page 9&10
ReferencesPage 11
1. EXPLORE THE ROLE OF COMMUNICATIONS & TRAINING IN THE PROMOTION & PROVISION OF HEALTH & SAFETY IN THE WORKPLACE.
The role of communications and training in the work place is important in any job. In Healthcare there is no exception to this. Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 (SHWWA 2005) all employers must specify the training essential to ensuring the health and safety of their employees. The training provided will help staff achieve the essential skills, knowledge and attitudes needed to ensure that they are competent in the health and safety features of their work. In healthcare the Conformity European (CE) mark is important and a lot of employers train their staff to look out for this. Communication in the workplace is essential as is training and the Health Service Executive (HSE), Health Service Authority (HSA) and Health Information Quality Authority (HIQA) are there to ensure that the SHWWA 2005 and the General Application Regulations 2007 (GAR 2007) are in place in the workplace. It is important from management to staff that communication is enforced in the workplace for health & safety. For instance if there was a spillage in a nursing home in the corridor and there was a sign put in place to warn others of this the management could rest in ease knowing that their staff are aware and capable of ensuring health & safety practices in the workplace. That is just one way of communicating there are many more ways I have listed a few below.
(Course Notes 2015)

Verbal – speaking, face to face
Listening
Non Verbal – texting, email, notice board, fax, registered mail, skype
Demo/Training
Focus group
Conference call
Emergency procedures

www.google.com /images
2. OUTLINE THE PRINCIPLES & PROCEDURES OF GOOD HOUSE-KEEPING IN THE WORKPLACE.
The importance of good house-keeping is so important Healthcare and in particular Nursing Homes and Hospitals which are all about health and the well-being of patients. If a workplace practises bad house-keeping it can become unsafe and even hazardous for the staff and patients. Cluttered and untidy areas, spills and leaks and broken and damaged equipment are all signs of poor house- keeping.
An example of bad house-keeping could be a fire exit left blocked and a fire breaking out in the work place, this bad house-keeping endangers everybody in the work place and it is up to the employers and employees to avoid incidents like this.
Work places need to outline the principles & procedures of good house-keeping to all employers and employees. The workplace needs to be actively monitoring the process of house-keeping within the workplace. HIQA and HSA have certain standards on house-keeping and have an inspection system in place.
Some benefits of good house-keeping are:

Good housekeeping prevents accidents such as slips, trips and falls
Make the workplace happy, enjoyable and safe
Improve and maintain your company’s image (good housekeeping echoes a well-run company) order and routine will impress visitors, employees and clients etc.
Reduce the risk of accidents or harmful materials i.e. dust, vapours
Help your company make the most and benefit the best out of its work space.

In house-keeping there are 5S, this is a method of work organised in 5 stages with the goal of considerably improving the order and cleanliness in the workplace. This is known as the Heidelberg Model.
These 5S are:

SORT- removing anything unnecessary and disposing of it properly
STRAIGHT- set things in order, easy to find
SHINE- keep work place clean and safe
STANDARD- maintain high standards in house-keeping and maintain orderliness
SUSTAIN- to keep in working order, to perform regular audits

(www.hsa.ie)
3. NOISE, DUST AND FUMES ARE HAZARDS WHICH ARE COMMONLY FOUND IN WORKPLACES. FOR ONE OF THESE HAZARDS OUTLINE THE RISK ASSOCIATED WITH EXPOSURE TO THIS HAZARD AND CONTROL MEASURES WHICH MIGHT BE USED IN THE WORKPLACE. IDENTIFY AT LEAST 3 HAZARDS WHICH ARE COMMONLY ENCOUNTERED IN YOUR WORKPLACE AND BRIEFLY DESCRIBE HOW THESE ARE CONTROLLED.
A hazard is anything that has the potential to cause you or others harm. In the workplace there are many hazards. There are 5 categories of hazards
Physical, Mechanical, Biological, Chemical and physosocial.
(Course Notes 2015)
Fumes would be a major hazard, the risks associated with this are life threatening. They would be physical and chemical hazards. The risks of fumes can come from gas leaks, chemical fumes etc. Some of the risks associated with fumes are they can cause serious illness, death, over exposure can lead to long term health problems, gas leaks can cause explosions. The control measures for this hazard would be storing chemicals away in proper storage areas, a carbon dioxide alarm and when handling dangerous substances always wear your Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Making sure all chemicals are Classification, labelling and packaging (CLP) and a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) is available and up to date.
(www.google.com/image)
In healthcare hazards are all too common but they must be identified and control measures must be put in place. Employers need to refer to the hierarchy of control measures which are: Remove, Replace, Reduce, Restriction, training and PPE to ensure safety.
3 HAZARDS COMMON IN THE WORKPLACE

HAZARD

RISK

CONTROL

Manual Handling

Lifting heavy items or people
Lack of or not having the correct equipment
Unexpected movement of a resident
Lack of training

Using and having proper equipment
Training yearly

PHYSICAL & MECHANICAL HAZARD

Spills, Trips & Falls

Slippery floor, tiles lifting & tripping over objects
Wires & cables exposed

Ensuring spills are cleaned & proper signage used
Tiles, carpets all in good working order
Objects all stored away correctly

PHYSICAL & CHEMICAL HAZARD

Infection

Mould & dirt
Sharp objects not disposed of correctly
Failure to use standard provisions i.e. washing hands, wearing PPE

Ensuring good house-keeping procedures
Proper management of waste
Using PPE
And good cleaning standards

BIOLOGICAL & PHYSICAL HAZARDS

4. EXPLAIN THE TYPICAL CONTENTS OF A FIRST-AID KIT & THEIR APPROPRIATE USES.
First aid is the first or immediate help given to a patient before the arrival of a paramedic or doctor. The first aid kit is there to offer an appropriate point of care, everything in the first-aid kit is put together based on the knowledge and experience on those putting it together. Included in it is PPE which is one of the employer’s duties in the workplace to have to maintain health and safety at work.

 

Contents of first aid box

No.ppl
26-50

Uses

 

Medium sterile dressings

6

To Protect wounds from infection

 

Large sterile dressings

2

To protect would from infection

 

Adhesive plasters in assorted sizes

20

To cover scratches & grazes to avoid infections

 

Sterile eye pad

2

To treat wounds to the eye area to avoid infections

 

Safety pins

6

To hold bandages closed

 

Disposable gloves

10

For protection from blood & bodily fluids when examining casualties

 

Triangular bandages

6

Can be used to treat broken arms, dislocated jaw, broken ribs or punctured lung, head wound, hand wound or minor burn

 

Roller bandages

2

To apply pressure to a wound & reduce the risk of infection

 

Paramedic Shears

1

Cut clothes to get at wounds, examine body, ensure clothing isn’t too tight

 

Alcohol free wipes

40

To clean wounded area to avoid infection

 

Pocket mask/Face shield

1

For protection when giving CPR

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

Adhesive tape

1

To hold bandages in place

Water based burns dressing Large

1

To be used on 2nd & 3rd degree burns

Water based burns dressing Small

1

To be used on 2nd & 3rd degree burns

Foil Wrap

1

To treat shock, stop casualty becoming too cold

Sterile Water where there is no clear running water

2x
500
mls

Clean infected area. For chemicals & burns

Water gel

1

To apply to a burn, after treating with cool running water

(www.hsa.ie)
5. EXPLAIN THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS WORK ENVIRONMENT, WORK PRACTICES, MEDICATION, ALCOHOL, DRUGS AND OUTLINE FOR EACH, STEPS WHICH THE EMPLOYER MIGHT TAKE TO CONTROL THESE RISKS
In the workplace there are many risks, some include hazards work environment, work practices, medication, alcohol and drugs. Under the SHWWA 2005 one of the employer’s duties to employees is to provide a safe place to work so therefore the employer may have steps in place to control these risks. Every year it costs the state 3.6billion in accidents, 70% of accidents can be prevented by good health & safety morals.
(Course Notes 2015)
There would usually be a risk assessment carried out which would:

Identify the hazard b) assess the risk c) put controlled measures in place

HAZARDS

RISKS

STEPS MADE TO CONTROL RISK

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Have employees read and signed the safety statement
Ensuring employees wear their PPE

WORK PRACTICES

Lack of motivation
Stress
Injury to staff/patient

Proper training and communication between employers and employees
Making sure staff are up to date in their training i.e. manual handling

HAZARDS

RISKS

STEPS MADE TO CONTROL RISK

MEDICATION

Accidents
Adverse reaction
Fatigue

Only accessible to authorised personnel
Need to be labelled properly and stored correctly

ALCOHOL

Accidents
Unprofessional manner
Unreliable/Unfocused

Keeping a log of all incidents
Monitoring staffs progress

DRUGS

Violent
Unfocused
Time off/Sick days

Information and help given on drug abuse being made available
Drug tests

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6. OUTLINE RISK FACTORS IN RELATION TO HEALTH, TO INCLUDE STRESS/LIFESTYLE/DIET/ILLNESS
The risk factors in relation to health in the workplace are huge because stress, lifestyle, diet and illness all fall under health. In healthcare it is important that the staff promote good health and wellbeing, they do this through putting into practice of workplace policies and health promotion activities. For employers the risk factors can lead to loss of business and damage the company name, performance impairment, absenteeism and the loss of competitive edge.
STRESS is a major risk to the health of an employee. Stress can be caused by many different reasons and have many different effects. Some effects of stress:

Can be physical or mental
Interfere with your ability to perform
Increase cholesterol & blood pressure
Cause depression, break downs etc.

All these can have a bad effect on the employees work and performance.

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LIFESTYLE can have risk factors in relation to an employee’s health. A hectic or busy lifestyle can take its toll on someone’s health. If a person had a busy social lifestyle and were out parting every night it would eventually have an effect on their work due to tiredness or maybe coming into work with alcohol still in their system, the same would go for drugs. Drugs can be part of someone’s lifestyle too and have a devastating impact on it.
ILLNESS can also have a lot of risk factors in relation to health. In the workplace it can lead to cross contamination staff and patients. It can lead to poor work performance, judgement and unpredictable moods. Lack of good time keeping and an increase of absenteeism.
DIET can play a major role in the growth, repair and maintenance of a body. A well balanced diet and exercise are essential to good health. A bad diet, lack of water and no exercise can result in tiredness, stress, illnesses and depression which in return can influence someone’s ability to work.

www.google.com/image
REFERENCES
(Course Notes 2015)page 2
(www.google.com/image)page 2
(www.hsa.ie) page 3
(Course Notes 2015)page 4
(www.google.com/image)page 4
(www.hsa.ie)page 6
(Course Notes 2015)page 7
(www.google.com/image)page 8
(www.google.com/image)page 9
(www.google.com/image) page 10
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