Unit 3 P1
Hazards in settings
Hospital
Hospitals can pose many hazardous risks. Risks in a hospital environment could be; risk of
microbes infecting an individual’s wound during or after surgery, chemotherapy drugs
being harmful to professional staff unless care is taken, controlled drugs which can pose
threat of addiction and radiation from x-rays. Most large organisations including hospitals
will have plans in place in case of fire risks. Some hospitals have divided the buildings into
zones which can be easily separated in the event of a fire with large fire doors.
Hazards
Exposure to stress
Stress can become dangerous for all those involved in the care and support of a
vulnerable individual. Stress can cause staff shortages in a working environment,
presenting itself in a variety of ways. This includes; anxiety, sleep problems,
digestive disorders, high blood pressure and mood swings. Management in this
environment have a duty of care regarding their staff and should be aware of any
strain and the effects on their mental well-being. Stress on staff could have an
impact on the quality of care given. This means the patient could suffer, which could
cause a deterioration in health, depression and anxiety. Stress could also affect the
patient especially those with serious illness or injury or those who are to undergo
surgery. This could cause the patient to act out or become aggressive and become
much more challenging for staff to care for. Alternatively friends and family of the
patient can experience stress as they are concerned for their health. If the patient is
extremely ill or terminally ill for example the friends and family will become stressed
about their health and how they can aid the individual. This could cause friends and
family to become agitated, angry, emotional or persistent.
Substances
A variety of different substances are used within care settings and could be
hazardous if used incorrectly. Examples of hazardous substances are; medications,
cleaning fluids and x-rays. Chemicals can cause burning to the throat and
oesophagus if consumed and also swelling making it hard to breathe. If a
professional is careless when administering medication it could cause severe
problems to the service user and even death, then putting the professionals career
in jeopardy. Even when medication is administered correctly there can be risks with
the medication. Arthritis tablets for example have a risk of causing stomach ulcers to
the service user. This could affect the service users as they could be at risk of harm,
which could participate in the deterioration of the patient’s physical and mental
health. This could also affect staff if medication is administered incorrectly then the
individual may find that it affects their professional working career.
Working conditions
Hazardous working conditions include hours worked by staff, staffing levels and staff
relations. Staff turnover and staff shortages can still be problematic regardless of
regular inspection. This could cause professional care givers to rush their work load
and poses risk of them not following procedures correctly, increasing risk of injury
and accidents. Pay rates vary in health professions, with many professionals earning
minimum wage or just above. Although many health care professionals work to high
standards regardless of their pay, many may feel undervalued and therefore less
likely to follow procedure and policies designed to keep themselves and the service
users safe. An example for working conditions could be a professional such as a
nurse who feels as though they are not as valuable as other members of staff with
higher wages. The nurse may be less accurate with policies and procedures. The
Hazards in settings
Hospital
Hospitals can pose many hazardous risks. Risks in a hospital environment could be; risk of
microbes infecting an individual’s wound during or after surgery, chemotherapy drugs
being harmful to professional staff unless care is taken, controlled drugs which can pose
threat of addiction and radiation from x-rays. Most large organisations including hospitals
will have plans in place in case of fire risks. Some hospitals have divided the buildings into
zones which can be easily separated in the event of a fire with large fire doors.
Hazards
Exposure to stress
Stress can become dangerous for all those involved in the care and support of a
vulnerable individual. Stress can cause staff shortages in a working environment,
presenting itself in a variety of ways. This includes; anxiety, sleep problems,
digestive disorders, high blood pressure and mood swings. Management in this
environment have a duty of care regarding their staff and should be aware of any
strain and the effects on their mental well-being. Stress on staff could have an
impact on the quality of care given. This means the patient could suffer, which could
cause a deterioration in health, depression and anxiety. Stress could also affect the
patient especially those with serious illness or injury or those who are to undergo
surgery. This could cause the patient to act out or become aggressive and become
much more challenging for staff to care for. Alternatively friends and family of the
patient can experience stress as they are concerned for their health. If the patient is
extremely ill or terminally ill for example the friends and family will become stressed
about their health and how they can aid the individual. This could cause friends and
family to become agitated, angry, emotional or persistent.
Substances
A variety of different substances are used within care settings and could be
hazardous if used incorrectly. Examples of hazardous substances are; medications,
cleaning fluids and x-rays. Chemicals can cause burning to the throat and
oesophagus if consumed and also swelling making it hard to breathe. If a
professional is careless when administering medication it could cause severe
problems to the service user and even death, then putting the professionals career
in jeopardy. Even when medication is administered correctly there can be risks with
the medication. Arthritis tablets for example have a risk of causing stomach ulcers to
the service user. This could affect the service users as they could be at risk of harm,
which could participate in the deterioration of the patient’s physical and mental
health. This could also affect staff if medication is administered incorrectly then the
individual may find that it affects their professional working career.
Working conditions
Hazardous working conditions include hours worked by staff, staffing levels and staff
relations. Staff turnover and staff shortages can still be problematic regardless of
regular inspection. This could cause professional care givers to rush their work load
and poses risk of them not following procedures correctly, increasing risk of injury
and accidents. Pay rates vary in health professions, with many professionals earning
minimum wage or just above. Although many health care professionals work to high
standards regardless of their pay, many may feel undervalued and therefore less
likely to follow procedure and policies designed to keep themselves and the service
users safe. An example for working conditions could be a professional such as a
nurse who feels as though they are not as valuable as other members of staff with
higher wages. The nurse may be less accurate with policies and procedures. The
