LEGISLATION RELEVANT TO INFECTION CONTROL Health and safety at work act (1974) This is the primary piece of legislation covering occupational health and safety in the UK, and is enforced by the health and safety executive (HSE). It states that the employer has a duty to provide a safe working environment and must carry out full risk assessments in order to achieve this. Employees must also be adequately trained to deal with these risks. In addition, under this act employers also have a duty to protect the welfare of others who may be affected (e.g. patients, visitors).
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (amended 2008) RIDDOR - sets out what needs to be reported. Health and Safety First Aid Regulations 1981 Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 - emphasizes what employers are required to achieve under the Health and Safety at Work Act. Health and safety policies and procedures are in place to protect those in social care settings. They are to ensure that I adhere and comply to health and safety rules and regulations. Responsibilities Manager/ Employer To provide a safe place to work Prevent risks to health Assess risks and take action to reduce them Provide information, training and supervision as needed Ensure machinery is safe to use Provide adequate first aid facilities Provide PPE (free of charge) Carer/Employee To take reasonable care of my own and others’ health and safety To report to my manager any potential and actual risks and hazards Take part in any training provided To understand and comply with health and safety instructions and procedures Others To understand and comply with
Two Different Representative Bodies within my area of work are CQC Care Quality Commission HSE Health and Safety Executive Describe the Role of the Two Representative Bodies as above. CQC is a regulator for all health and social care services in England. Their job is to make sure that throughout England compulsory safety standards set out by government standards or rules about care are met in all areas including respect and dignity, hygiene, infection procedures. They provide reliable independent information based on its inspections. They can also advise people what to expect and offer reassurance that their care will be met with proper standards.
Steven Godwin CU2939 1.1 Every workplace has the legal obligation to abide by The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Where there are five or more employees a written health and safety policy must be provided and the employer must ensure that all employees have seen it. Employers must also consult with their employees on health and safety matters. The Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations 1992 require workplaces and equipment to be well maintained and there should be suitable and sufficient lighting. During working hours the temperature inside all workplaces should be reasonable and the employer has a general duty to as far as is reasonably practicable safeguard the health, safety and welfare of employees.
Promote and understand health and safety in HSC 037 health and social care 1.1 Identify legislation relating to health and safety in a health and social care work setting: The HSE is the UK government body responsible for enforcing health and safety at work legislation. The HSE also plays a major role in producing advice on health and safety issues, and guidance on relevant legislation. The role of enforcement is split between HSE and local authorities. Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 is an act of parliament and the main piece of UK health and safety legislation. It places a duty on all employers "to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work" of all their employees.
HSC 037 Promote and implement health and safety in health and Social care Health and safety basically means assessing your workplace and reducing the risks. As an employee I have to abide by the health and safety at work act 1974. This means I need to attend any mandatory training I have been put on, go to supervisions, adhere to policies and procedures, use correct equipment, do not misuse faulty equipment, report any risks that I have seen and co-operate with my employer. This is all to ensure the safety of myself and others. My employer must follow the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992, their responsibilities are to provide the mandatory training and supervisions, ensure policies and procedures are put in place, plan, organise, control, monitor and review health and safety arrangements, make sure the equipment is available and to maintain risk assessments and to deal with chemicals and other substances safely.
Sectors covered by this Act are , government departments, local assemblies, councils, local authorities, health care trusts, hospitals, doctors surgeries, police, colleges and universities, non-department public bodies, commitees and advisory bodies. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the guidance about compliance, it explains all essential and expected standards of quality and safety. It is a guide which is a guide to help providers of Health and social care to comply with Health and social care Act 2008. In outcome 21 it explains how records should be kept securely and can be located promptly when required. It expresses how important accurate record keeping is a must.
Health & Safety at Work Act 1974: The purpose of this act is to promote, stimulate and encourage high standards of health and safety at work. It protects all working people – whether employers, employees, or self-employed. COSHH: COSHH is the law that requires employers to control substances that are hazardous to health. This can prevent or reduce workers exposure to hazardous substances by: • finding out what the health hazards are; • deciding how to prevent harm to health (risk assessment); • providing control measures to reduce harm to health; • making sure they are used ; • keeping all control measures in good working order; • providing information, instruction and training for employees and others; • providing monitoring and health surveillance in appropriate cases; • planning for emergencies. Care Standards Act 2000: The job of regulating the independent health and care sector by health authorities and local authorities has now been taken over by the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) who became responsible for the registration and inspection of all care homes and private healthcare facilities in England.
Health and Safety Legislation and Policies The Health and Safety at Work act 1974 (also known as HSWA, HSW or HASAWA) is the prime piece of legislation in Great Britain. The Health and Safety executive enforces the act with other acts alongside it to make sure that a working environment is appropriate and safe to work in without causing any hazards that may affect a person’s health. It is the duty of any person that has control to said premises to make sure that the Health and Safety at Work act is followed and applied to the site. If anything is deemed unpractical or unsafe according to the Health and Safety at Work act whether it be substances, unstable furniture, storage, inadequate training of others and maintenance to the working in building and facilities, then measures must be taken to correct this issue. Any person should be able to enter the building without risking their health or safety.
Health, safety and security in Health and Social Care Assessment. P2/M1 Health and Safety at work: Health and safety Act 1974 is a piece of legislation covering health and safety in Great Britain. It is put in place for all employers to make sure they are safely operating in the working environment, maintaining a high standard to ensure that accidents at work are kept to a minimum. By training the staff on how to be safer and more precious around machinery and other people it impacts on safeguarding for everyone in the environment as it puts people less as risk because hazards are reduce to a minimum. Some of the training involved for employers trying to improve health and safety would be risk assessments, setting up emergency procedures and making arrangements for implementing the health and social measures identifies as necessary.