Case Study 1 North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust Implementation Requirements The new Director has to make sure that security, safety and risk concepts are clearly articulated. These risks can become categorized into various groups that include: individual risks, zero risks, property risks and minimum risks; protection from harm and security versus safety; first aid, accident prevention and hazard restraint; as well as equipment premises, practices and substances (Engeman et al., 2013). The Director is also required to ensure the communication process is categorized into policies and procedures, the utilization of various media, organizational culture and training, record keeping, compliance, enforcement and exchange of information. In addition, to be observed is the fact that there is need for personnel who are held responsible for the enhancement of safety of both the organization and employees (Fisher, 2005). The individual policies have to take care of service users, visitors, support workers, external agencies and managers. Focusing on legislative requirements, under the new Director, the organization should acknowledge the laws that are passed regarding safety and health including the ways in which they can be implemented. This should follow the available Safety and Health at Work Acts including the codes of practice and the associated regulations (Moonie, 2000). Moreover, there is the Foods Acts, as well as those that most particularly relate to social and health care, for instance, Mental Health Acts. The new Director needs to incorporate technology into this as well. Technology plays a significant role within an organization as far as health and safety is concerned. Its policies have been categorized into maintenance environments, security systems, malfunction or equipment breakdown effects and safety aids (Garcarz and Wilcock, 2005). Responsibilities for Managing Health and Safety North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust has a duty of protecting the welfare, safety and health of all that are affected by its undertaking. The overall responsibility for health and safety management is in the hands of the Board of Governors, Vice Chancellor and some parts that are delegated to the other parties (Moonie, 2000). Among the additional parties are the policy makers, who are responsible for the provision of direction and leadership to safeguard the welfare, safety and health of all the involved patients and employees. Planners make a part of this organization and are responsible for creating an outline of the activities that are to be implemented or carried out. In the additional parties, there is also the implementer whose responsibility is ensuring the local compliance with the Safety and Health procedures and policies including Support Services (Morath and Turnbull, 2004). To ensure that there is compliance, the organization has appointed persons who are competent within the field of risk management. They help the organization with coming to terms with, understanding, as well as complying with the set out regulations. The roles of all personnel are clearly defined to aid in an effective execution of responsibilities (Garcarz and Wilcock, 2005). Also ensured is that the whole staff is trained suitably to deal with the issues of health and safety that is relevant to their attached positions. Possible hazards are identified that could affect the welfare, safety and health of the employees, patients and visitors via executing their legitimate organization activities (Fisher, 2005. Reasonable and practicable control measures are identified and implemented to control the welfare, safety and health risks that the staff, patients and visitors could be exposed to. The research team has also worked hard to bring on board sufficient and suitable information, training, instruction and supervision to the relevant patients, employees and visitors. The management ensures that there is effective liaison with the local authorities including other external bodies in cases that are deemed appropriate (Moonie, 2000). Employees have a responsibility of taking reasonable care for their health and safety including that of other persons who might become affected foreseeably by their omissions or acts at work. The staff has to co-operate with the managers, or other persons to ensure the compliance with the requirements and duties imposed on them to the standard so required. Employees are therefore to follow safe systems that are established for work, as well as other verbal work instructions that their immediate manager gives. Moreover, anything that is provided to protect employees’ and any other person’s welfare, health and safety is not to be interfered with (Morath and Turnbull, 2004). Everybody has the responsibility of reporting accidents, as well as co-operate in the investigations to ensure remedial actions become developed to aid in the prevention of a re-occurrence. All employees have a responsibility to give a notice to their managers of the situation at work. In this case, the managers become aware of a situation, which has the potential of an imminent or serious danger to Safety and Health. Managers also become notified in the event of any shortcomings with regard to the protective measures where they become aware. Nevertheless, all groups or people who are assigned the responsibility of achieving the safety and health objectives are required to acquire sufficient training to ensure their competency in performing their assigned duties (Nolan, 2005). The Health and Safety Management at Work Regulations 1999, makes more explicit in a general way whatever it is that is required of employers so as to manage safety and health under the clearly spelled out Health and Safety at Work Act (OSHA. 2004). Analysis of Health and Safety Medical Priorities Patient safety is a worldwide issue that affects all nations at all development levels. Although the estimates of the appear to be scarce, most particularly in the transitional and developing nations, it becomes likely that globally millions of patients suffer from disabling injuries or even death as a result of unsafe medical care. The harm to a patient can occur due to constellation of circumstances and factors (Barr and Welch, 2012). Getting to understand a problem’s magnitude and major contributing factors, which lead to the harm of patients, is significant to devise efficient and effective solutions for distinguished environments and contexts, as well as to come up with safer health systems. However, the available data on epidemiology and on the consequences of care that is unsafe are extremely scarce, more particularly in the developing nations and nations whose economies are in transition. It is thus crucial that the high-level decision makers give their support to more research efforts especially in the areas, which seem to yield the largest benefit (OSHA. 2004). Case Study 2 Information to Plan for Care via Risk Assessment When one is an employer, he or she has great responsibility placed on their hands with the aim of ensuring their employees’ safety and health. Running an organization or a business is not all about acquiring the right persons (Nolan, 2005). The employer still has the responsibility of carrying a risk assessment to identify the potential dangers or harms, which seem to be involved in the workplace. This is
a part of law requirements whose failure to adherence leads to business closure or certain possible lawsuits in the future when safety and health problems are encountered by employees. In any given business, there is always the presence of risks. Some risks are not that harmful, however, there are those that cause great harm if not responded to immediately. Having the correct preventive measures helps one stop the risks or even prevent their happening ever. Managers have to note that businesses will not run effectively without a precious workforce, which needs to be kept healthy and safe every time (Sprenger, 2003). It would be practically impossible to clear all those risks that the law does not and expect the employers to have the ability of addressing all of them. One has to therefore, pick only those risks, which can cause potential harm, as well as minimize the other risks, which can be identified. The employer has two options of either conducting the risk assessment or relying on a professional’s services. The risk assessment in this case is just an evaluation of the place of work and the kind of business that is being undertaken (OSHA. 2004). After the identification of risks, ways have to be created in which to control these risks to stop the occurrence of accidents, damaged machinery, ill health, as well as increased costs of insurance. So as to carry out the evaluation one has to first of all identify the potential hazards. The persons who seem to be in a possible situation of harm are then identified including the accident that can occur. The involved risks are then calculated and the precautionary measures to be undertaken are determined. All findings are recorded and followed by a proper implementation. As the business expands, updates become necessary, and a time-to-time review becomes necessary as well (Brock and Hooten, 2006). Impact of Legislation Policies on Health and Social Care Practice For safety and health legislation to be considered effective, there has to be effective ways via which, procedures, policies and systems become implemented. These policies must first have the ability of complying with the processes and structures of healthcare organizations. Several disorders that arise from work related musculoskeletal come about as a direct consequence of workspaces that are set up poorly. This also involves the lack of safety and health education among the workers, as well as managers alike (Garcarz and Wilcock, 2005). Many disorders that arise from musculoskeletal are in a way preventable. Through following a number of simple rules when loading, setting up equipment and lifting, there is the possibility of the risk of injury to be reduced significantly. When approaching the tasks that involve moving and handling it is vital that one considers the fact that, every lift possesses its own risks. Employees should therefore try to plan such like tasks in advance and make sure they remember to hold a discussion of any concerns they might have with their employers (Engeman et al., 2013). Addressing of Dillemas There are many ways through which a given organization can go ahead to implement her policies of safety. Care planning gives an assurance of an effective strategy that is put into place to take care of the implementation process of these safety policies. Organizations could meet such like requirements via the maximization of employees’ wellbeing, meeting employees’ needs through security enhancements, as well as implementing security and good practice principles (Sprenger, 2003). For all this to take place there has to be an effective communication. However, effective communication of safety and health within the workplace is often faced with a broad variety of challenges and dilemmas. Contrary to this, there are a range of factors which should be put into consideration to ensure the effectiveness of the entire process. These necessities involve the risk-benefit analysis, risk to other individuals and personal risk, different stakeholders’ priorities and the implications of resource use (McCaughey et al., 2012). Non-Compliance Effects At the place of work, it is the management’s responsibility to ensure that all the employees become trained on safety and health issues, which may occur
in the course of conducting their duties. This can start from basic regulations that include cleanliness that is so much essential in preventing food poisoning. Moreover, ensuing that equipment is often kept at designated places. There is a procedure, which is effective in enhancing safety via the disposal of waste. This is so as a peel of banana left on the floor can end up causing a fatal accident if a given employee steps on it accidentally. There are a number of other main security issues, which can contribute to the reduction of hazards (Brock and Hooten, 2006). Take for example; all employees are required to have the skills of utilizing a fire extinguisher in the event of an eruption of fire from their departments. This reduces fire escalation significantly. Moreover, this might include the cases of a fire, for instance, accessing the fire exists or the utilization of first aid becomes critical in the reduction of effects of hazards and accidents. To deal with such like effects, an organization can hire safety consultants to train its employees or rather install the equipment, which can become utilized to deal with the hazards. These consultants provide crucial information to top management on regulations and laws regarding safety within the workplace (Engeman et al., 2013). Employees have to follow those security policies that the organization implements. They can also consult the respective managers on ways that are effective with regard to preventing safety hazards occurrence. Employees should also report any hazards’ cases or any faulty assets and equipment, which may derail hazards’ prevention. Moreover, top management has the responsibility of training the employees on safety and health issues within the workplace (Pagura, 2013). The laws and regulations in the United Kingdom in this case require that common sense and good management would in a way lead the employers to identify risks easily and take reasonable measures early enough in tackling them (OSHA. 2004). Case Study 3 Monitoring and Reviewing Health and Safety Policies Monitor and review involve the auditing of threats and risks, review of practices, updating of policies and procedures, as well as learning from experiencing. A given organization can become effective only if it identifies the past threats and comes up with strategies, which can minimize the recurrence. For instance, having a risk management and facility safety team, which checks into such things as fire extinguishers and fire exits to ensure that they become charged annually. This should be according to their dates of expiry as it appears on the paper tag. Certain extraordinary incidences and circumstances become reported at the time of occurrence. The findings are then reported to the upper management (McCaughey et al, 2012). A quarterly or monthly is then often generated to be presented at the headquarters for an oversight. In the facilities that appear smaller, the managers have the responsibility of identifying, maintaining, as well as correcting the risk management issues, effecting a safe workplace environment, and removing all the workplace hazards. People need to be trained on each kind of hazard that they are likely to meet (Moonie, 2000). The trainers can seek help from the Material Safety Data Sheets when asked questions where they seem not sure of their answer. People could also attend the annual recertification and trainings for blood-borne pathogens, risk management, waste clean-up & proper disposal and biohazards. One way in which the organization identifies the hazards within the workplace is through the performance of regular inspections on the premises (McCaughey et al, 2012). Several laws exist that have to be followed by any type of business. For instance, within a hospital, the SHARPS containers have to be utilized for the disposal of all the sharp objects, more particularly the used hypodermic needles, which may never become re-capped, among many others. Therefore, the safety company officer, the risk-management team, the upper management and the federal government are just but part of the players. Involved as well are peripheral roles, which are played in the maintenance of a healthy and clean work site. The building inspectors, building code enforcement officers and fire safety marshals, can handle these. Nevertheless, each employee has a responsibility and duty to become trained in a proper way regarding the safety and risk management, as well as to identify report and remove hazards within the workplace daily (Blewett and Dorrian, 2012). Policies’ Effectiveness in Promoting Positive Health and Safety Culture A work environment, which is healthy, contributes to the success of the organization through creating suitable conditions for innovation, business results, development of skills and continuous learning. The health of the workplace remains a shared responsibility among the supervisors/managers, individual employees and the entire organization at large. Leaders have to keep on practicing effective management, recognition, and coaching have a great positive impact on the well-being of the staff. Work environments that are proved healthy recognize, as well as strive to ensure that all their employees’ needs are met (Morath and Turnbull, 2004). Each party has to ensure that they give feedback on, meet, as well as respond to the dynamic preferences and requirements of key persons and individuals. Everybody has the duty of ensuring that the organization’s aims are achieved. Everybody has to understand including taking appropriate action that can help in preventing the risk of abuse, harm and danger, including at instances where there seem to be signs of abuse. Specialists needs have to be dealt with including the preferences of the specific individuals (Barr and Welch, 2012). There has to be an assurance that any given training becomes in accordance to the law, organizational and service requirements. People have to ensure that they gain the much needed level of understanding and knowledge to enable them support those that will take care of the individuals that require specialist care needs. Any potential conflicts between key people, individuals and the staff have to be explored and strategies developed so as to deal with them (Brock and Hooten, 2006). Everybody has to support the staff to take care of the conflicts between the key people, individuals and themselves. Each employee is required to follow up incidents, allegations of danger, abuse and harm promptly which ensure the action taken, and the details become recorded. One is also required to act according to the confidentiality agreements, as well as organizational and legal requirements. Statements that can affect the utilization of evidence adversely in the future investigations and the court have to be avoided. There has to be an appropriate response to any verbal or physical aggression by key people, individuals or others. Nevertheless, the staff has to feedback on the needs of individuals including their preferences, as well as any other changes, which are necessary for service delivery plan (Shain et al, 2012). In relation to the British laws and regulations, the Health and Safety at the workplace Act spells out the general responsibilities and duties that employers have towards their employees including the members of the public. Also set out is what the employees have to themselves, as well as to one another (OSHA. 2004). Evaluation of Own Contribution When it comes to the implementation and communication of safety and health procedures, strategies appear to vary from an organization to another. Own procedures and practice can become classified into changes in practice, individual needs, responsibilities, relations between clients or patients and employees, as well as professionalism. A number of policies, systems and procedures exist which can be used in ensuring that the organization communicates and understands the
safety and health within the workplace (Pagura, 2013). A healthy and safe environment can become created at different levels that include organizational, managerial, individual or team levels. Moreover, the expectation and contribution of every level needs to be articulated clearly within the organization’s policy. This gives an implication that the organization needs to insist on practices, responsibilities, training, compliance, as well as how the various groups, agencies and individuals interact (OSHA. 2004). It is therefore, the organization’s responsibility to evaluate, as well as monitor the safety and health policies including the way in which they become implemented. This can be achieved via auditing and inspection of the workplace by using management structure, management information system and representation (Barr and Welch, 2012). References Barr, J., & Welch, A. (2012). Keeping nurse researchers safe: workplace health and safety issues. Journal Of Advanced Nursing, 68(7), 1538-1545. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2012.05942.x Blewett, V., & Dorrian, J. (2012). Partnering for workplace health and safety. Work, 412753-2756. Brock, M., & Hooten, K. (2006). Health care violence guidelines issued. Occupational Health & Safety, 65(4), 16. Engeman, C. D., Baumgartner, L., Carr, B. M., Fish, A. M., Meyerhofer, J. D., Satterfield, T. A., & … Harthorn, B. (2013). The Hierarchy of Environmental Health and Safety Practices in the U.S. Nanotechnology Workplace. Journal Of Occupational & Environmental Hygiene, 10(9), 487-495. Fisher, A. (2005) Health and Social Care. Oxford: Henemann. Garcarz, W & Wilcock, E. (2005) Statutory and Mandatory Training in Health and Social Care: A Toolkit for Good Practice. Oxon, ox: Radcliffe Publishing, McCaughey, D., McGhan, G., Kim, J., Brannon, D., Leroy, H., & Jablonski, R. (2012). Workforce Implications of Injury among Home Health Workers: Evidence from the National Home Health Aide Survey. Gerontologist, 52(4), 493-505. Moonie, N. (2000) Advanced Health and Social Care. Oxford: Heinemann. Morath, J.M, & Turnbull, J.E. (2004). To Do No Harm Ensuring Patient Safety in health Care Organizations. Jossey Bass Wiley, Nolan, Y. (2005) Health & Social Care: S/NVQ Level 2. Oxford: Heinemann. Nolan, Y. (2005) Health and Social Care (Adults). Oxford: Heinemann. OSHA. (2004) Preventing Workplace Violence for Health Care & Social Service Workers. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Pp.1-20 Pagura, I. (2013). Work Health and Safety Act 2011: Do you know what this means for your workplace? Journal of The Australian Traditional-Medicine Society, 19(2), 117-121. Shain, M., Arnold, I., & GermAnn, K. (2012). The Road to Psychological Safety: Legal, Scientific, and Social Foundations for a Canadian National Standard on Psychological Safety in the Workplace. Bulletin Of Science, Technology & Society, 32(2), 142-162. Sprenger, R. (2003) Health and Safety for Management. London: Highfield,
