Assignment Safety and Health at Work

Joseph McLean 1

Safety and Health at Work:

1. Explore the role of communications and training is in the promotion and provision of Health and Safety in the workplace.

Communications…Providing communications and training to both staff and employees is probably one of the most important roles a company needs to do, to ensure that there is adequate understanding between both parties of the lawful requirements. This will help in both the safety of

the workers and the reduction to any workplace accidents.

Staff need to be made aware of all of the proper requirements of how to deal with Health and Safety, which can be done in a number of ways, mainly by the employer can set up regular meetings with the staff Health and Safety representative and with the rest of its employees. Regular training sessions could be held to show people upfront by using visual learning to give a better understanding of how Health and Safety works and would also build up a better relationship with the company, instead of just giving reading material for them to learn. Staffs need to be encouraged to play their role in making the workplace a more Health and Safe environment and learn any lawful regulations that are needed to maintain a safe workplace. There should always be a safety

statement for each member of staff to access at all times.

Outline the principles and procedures of good house-keeping in the

workplace. According to the Safety, Health and Welfare Act of 2005 it is necessary for employers to provide its employee’s with a safe working environment. Keeping good housekeeping like making sure work areas are kept neat, floors are kept free of slip and trip hazards, removing waste materials will prevent certain accidents from taking place. A good layout of the workplace is needed in order to let employees work safely (e.g., making sure space is provided for a safe work area, toilets ECT). Proper storage facilities must be provided as to store away safely any harmful substances like cleaning products. Even storing away boxes of goods must be assessed to make sure they get stored at a safe height and does pose a threat to employees. Poor housekeeping can contribute to common workplace accidents such as things like tripping over loose objects, beings hit by falling objects, slipping on wet or dirty floors “if there is a spillage you need to clean it straight away or make whoever deals with housekeeping made aware straight away and stay there till they come,” striking against projecting, poorly stacked items material to things like cutting, puncturing, or tearing the skin of hands or other parts of the body on projecting nails, wire or steel strapping. Good maintenance should be carried out regularly on any materials or tools as the cause of poor

maintenance will lead to workplace accidents.

Training staff in good housekeeping is a must, and should in my be carried out on a regular basis as this will give employers the awareness of keeping the workplace safe, also having regular meetings with both employers and employees can boost overall moral there for reducing accidents and keeping a healthy relationship in the company. All equipment and tools should be maintained as I briefly mention before. A good waste disposal system should be put in place as to eliminate things like pest ECT. Cleaning equipment, should be stored in such a place as

Assignment Safety and Health at Work

Joseph McLean 2

where any chemicals that pose a risk factor to health and safety needs to be in a area where is kept clean, signs stating what dangers there are and not mixed together as the risk of toxic fumes can have long term effects on the human body not to mention that a fire could easily be started as well. There are 4 main type of cleaning agents which if required more information can be found online but I will just name them for now, they are acidic, alkaline, neutral, and cleaning agent that are solvent- based or solvent-containing which is then called degreasers. Finally there are certain elements that should be considered for effective housekeeping program which I shall name a few. Dust and dirt removal, which is common sense by just keeping the entire workplace such as surfaces walls clean. Making sure there are employee’s facilities in place, such as male and female toilets and a place to wash your hands. . Employers must conduct a proper risk assessment of its place of business and make sure that they implement control measures that are put in place to reduce the risk of hazards and risks.

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 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.

2. Explain the typical contents of a First-Aid Kit and their appropriate uses.

The table below shows the recommended contents of first aid boxes and travel kit Noise is something that most of us hear on a daily basis and on most occasions is okay as far as are health is concerned but when the noise level rises it can cause damage to are hearing. Noise is measured in decibels (dB) using a device called a sound level meter. Exposure to high le vels of noise, either continuously or a sudden loud bang from equipment such as cartridge operated tools or guns can cause a number of physiological and psychological effects on employees and if exposed can cause permanent irreversible loss of hearing. Vibration is also associated with noise, direct vibration through a vibrating floor can damage your legs and vibrating tools can damage bones and joints. Vibrating tools can cause a serious condition known as ‘vibration white finger’. Loud noise is anything that is or above 80 decibels but employers only need to take action if it’s above 85dB. Protection against noise is best achieved by controlling it at the source-devices or machines causing the noise. . Protection against noise is best achieved by controlling it at the source-devices or machines causing the noise. silencers on exhaust systems should be fitted, design machines to produce less noise, enclose noisy machines with sound -insulating panels, put noisy machines and processes separate rooms or fi x ceiling-high partitions and finally you can get operators in noisy areas to wear ear protection-but don’t rely too heavily on ear protectors as they will only drown out some of the noise and can still cause lose of hearing.

Assignment Safety and Health at Work

Joseph McLean 3

● A

dhesi

ve plasters are are used for help stop bleeding in minor cuts.

● Sterile eye pads are used in case of any damage to the eyes and should

only be temporarily used till you see a doctor.

● Individually wrapped triangular bandages are used for an injury to limb .

For example if you sprained your wrist you can make a sling from the

bandage.

● Individually wrapped wound dressings are used to put over any major

cuts ETC until a doctor can be seen.

● Disinfected wipes are used to clean wounds and also clean yourself if

you're the first aider.

● Paramedic shears are used to cut bandages ETC without cutting into the

skin of the injured person.

Assignment Safety and Health at Work

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● Sterile water is needed when there is no clean water availible to clean

wounds.

● Pocket faced masks ared used in the event that someone needs mouth

to mouth so that the person administering the procedure does not cacth

any infections or vomit from the wounded person.

● Water based burns dressings are used to cool down burns until medical

assistance has arrived.

● Crepe bandage is used to make things like a sling.

Explain the risks associated with the following hazards:

● Work Environment

Working at heights can cause an employee to lose their life if a proper legal risk

assessment is not done correctly. By law if you are working at any height you need to

use the proper equipment, for example if you where replacing a window on the top

floor it may be necessary to use a mechanical lift instead of a ladder as you would have

more space to work with and at all times you need to have a harness on and make sure

below is well sealed of from people walking underneath to prevent falling objects.

Anything that is too heavy to lift should be lifted by a hoist or a forklift, but if you can lift

you need to do so in the correct manner as you should know you lift with the power

from your legs.” Again this is where your employer needs to train you.” Proper(PPE)

person protective equipment need to do risk assessed and staff trained to use them

and by the 2005act it is law that there is any equipment needed by the employee must

be provided by the employer

● Work Practices

In order to minimize harm and injury to employees from some work practises you

should do the following. Get your eyes tested have appropriate lighting and have your

work station set up properly. Have your workstation laid out properly with the right

chair to the monitor being at eyes height if you need further information on how this is

done you can easily look it up on the inter- net. A safety document must be at hand at

all times for employees to look at and on it it should contain all the hazards and the risk

assessment that has been carried out to minimize the dangers

Medication, Alcohol and Drugs Working under the influence of illegal drugs can cause harm

both to you and your work colleges and is illegal under the 2005act. Employers should submit to reasonably, appropriate testing, if reasonably required by the employer also a good idea is for them to establish an employment assistance program (EAP) to help troubled employees more directly or

provide referrals to community services.

Assignment Safety and Health at Work

Joseph McLean 5

Outline for each, steps which an employer might take to control these

risks (please provide at least two controls per hazard).

An employer can have random drug testing to reduce the hazard of people getting in injured

from drug related issues; he could also maybe have a counsellor on hand for staff to use

They can make sure they have regular fire drills and make sure that the proper signs are in

place. They can train their staff or a representative to know everything that’s laid out in the

2005 act.

3. Outline the risk factors in relation to health, to include stress / lifestyle /

diet / illness.

Lifestyle: People tend not to think too much on their health in relation to work but maintaining a good healthy lifestyle will benefit both you and your employer, because bad health can lead to poor work and also time out of work. A good lifestyle outside of work should be kept. . Good hygiene is a feel good factor for stress and just trying to maintain a good lifestyle, having a good social network is good. Making employees aware of the risks by not leading a healthy lifestyle

need to be done for both their sake and the employer.

DIET: Making sure we eat a good balanced diet and getting the proper vitamins’ ETC from our food. Maintain a good lifestyle out of work can help keep us healthy and maybe even having

some sort of social club in work can be good for your health. Lots of people work whilst having

ILLNESS: Injuries which can be anything from allergies to someone with a spinal injury but your employer must in most cases do all they can to make sure that we can work by providing the right equipment Stress these days seems to be the number 1 cause to absences from work but there are many ways we can eliminate stress from are life. We can get stress from both having too much work to take on and it can be caused from poor lifestyle at home. It is important to work on are health outside of work so stick to the basic things like a good diet to keep fit even if it means just going for a daily walk.