Health and Safety in Social Care

2:1 explain why it is important to assess health and safety risks
Social care organisations by law are required to carry out formal risk assessments of their workplace and outside areas. That both employers and service users may use, it is also very important to assess health and safety risks in order to identify potential risks to the health, safety and security of service users, health and social care practitioners and anybody else who uses the services. The aim is to minimise risk by identifying hazards and putting measures in place to protect people from harm.

2:2 explain the steps to carrying out a risk assessment
Risk assessment recognises that health and social care provision, equipment and care settings itself can all be hazardous, but steps can be taken to remove or minimise the level of risk to people.
Step 1: identifying the hazards and differentiate between a hazard and a risk.
Step 2: deciding who might be harmed and how, that is to decide who the risk applies to and what harm it could result in.
Step 3: evaluating the risk and deciding on precautions to minimise it. This means evaluating how dangerous the risk is and identifies risk control measures and responsibilities for reducing or removing the risk.
Step 4: recording findings and implementing them.
Step 5: reviewing the risk assessment and updating the risk control measures if necessary.

2:3 explain how to address potential health and safety works identified:
Any potential health and safety risk identified could be addressed through monitoring and reporting and using reporting procedures and records.
It is also important to keep on an eye on the police and procedures and agreed ways of working that are normally used in one’s workplace. Reporting any identifies risks is an important aspect of health care worker responsibility for health and safety. Any identified could lead to someone being harmed or injured. Any changes to the environment, working condition, or to the work...