Unit 4: Laboratory Techniques and their Application
Introduction:
In this unit, I will be researching and comparing two scientific organisations and evaluate
how well they follow the compulsory legislations. This is so we can see how an organisation
that works with hazardous or harmful substances is taught to deal with dangerous
circumstances involving their materials. We also must assess how an employer takes care of
their employees in a work environment where safety is not constantly guaranteed.
Health and Safety at Work Act
The health and safety at work act is a legislation enforced by the UK government to ensure
and maximise safety of employees in a potentially dangerous work environment. This act
has implemented compulsory regulations for workplaces to follow. These regulations include:
● Adequate training of staff to ensure that safety regulations are acknowledged and
followed through
● Adequate welfare provisions at work for staff members
● A safe working environment
○ Must be properly maintained regularly
○ Operations that are conducted within the environment must be done safely
● Suitable provision of relevant information, instruction and supervision to be
distributed
Plymouth City College
City College is one of the top colleges in the South West that specialise in high quality
teaching and professional training. City College is also a science institute with numerous
educational lab facilities for students of all ages. Therefore, they must conform to the legal
health and safety requirements of the UK government. One way that City College keeps in
line with regulations is by distributing roles and responsibilities to different areas of potential
dangers or hazards which makes it easier to keep track of the activities . Moreover, they
make sure that all staff are trained in every possible aspect so that all staff know what
precautions to take.
NHS - Derriford Hospital
The NHS is the UK’s biggest leading national health organisation. The NHS was founded in
1948 and it continues to strive hard in treating patients. As a hospital they would have many
labs which means they also have a system of rules and procedures that require them to
follow legal health and safety regulations of the UK government in order for this organisation
to keep ongoing. Since the NHS is not an educational facility, they’re likely to have bigger
hazards and risks in contrast to City College. Therefore, they would most likely have similar
but further advanced and stricter procedures.
COSHH Regulations:
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health is an important regulation that employers and
employees must be taught and trained to make sure that they and everyone else in the work
environment is adhering to the rules and regulations. The main 3 things to look out for with
COSHH regulations is how well risks such as chemicals, fumes and dust are managed and
handled.
, In City College, the COSHH regulations are complied with. It is the responsibility of the
departmental managers to ensure that all substances hazardous to health are correctly
transported, handled, used, mixed, processed and stored. This is achieved because staff are
expected to go through COSHH training and complete COSHH Assessments. Since
substances can take various forms including chemicals, fumes, dust, vapours, mist, gases
and even pathogens; all items must be recorded, itemised and have the appropriate COSHH
Assessment available to staff that could potentially be affected by the present hazard.
City College also has a ventilation system that takes care of any harmful mists, vapours,
fumes or gases that become present in the air. It is also known that chemicals are stored in
the necessary locations such as cabinets or fridges. It is guaranteed that all of their
chemicals are labelled with the correct symbols in line with the regulations. Furthermore,
work inspections are scheduled annually so that risk assessments can be carried out and
identified.
The NHS COSHH regulations are complied with as I have discovered by looking through the
NHS handbook on the NHS website. Similarly to City College, the NHS also has a large
ventilation system to prevent the spreading and inhalation of harmful air particles or fumes.
The NHS also has a 24 hour health surveillance system. This is especially useful for when
they have a substance that is known to cause an illness or disease that may impact staff
members or other people on site.
Another similarity with City College is that the NHS makes sure that their product deliveries
are labelled thoroughly with the different hazard symbols as well as the name of the
substances in question. This means that either an employee or a group of employees must
be in charge of checking through and labelling all of the products. This task is seriously
crucial as there could be very dangerous chemicals or living organisms that can perform
harmful effects.
Personal Protective Equipment:
This regulation is set in place for the safety of all staff in a lab environment. It is a regulation
that states personal protective equipment must be worn at all times during the handling of
any substances, micro-organisms or any harmful fumes. Workplaces must provide and
strongly encourage the usage of this gear so that wearing it becomes a habit. In City College
the PPE worn consists of gloves, goggles and lab coats. Hair is also advised to be tied back
to minimise the risk of it catching on fire. PPE is included in every lab on the science floor of
City College. This means that City College does indeed follow the PPE regulation.
As a health service, the NHS is legally bound to wearing full body suits and face masks as
PPE to meet the regulation guidelines. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the PPE
regulations became much more stricter. PPE is bought by the Department of Health and
Social Care and is then distributed to the NHS. This means that the NHS has access to a
large range of PPE which allows members of staff to reduce the risk of spreading or
transmitting harmful consequences to others. The NHS also puts up many signs and posters
to alert and inform everyone of their safety measures. Furthermore, hand washing is not
optional as it is critical that it is done regularly after handling anything or anyone.
Manual Handling Operations
Introduction:
In this unit, I will be researching and comparing two scientific organisations and evaluate
how well they follow the compulsory legislations. This is so we can see how an organisation
that works with hazardous or harmful substances is taught to deal with dangerous
circumstances involving their materials. We also must assess how an employer takes care of
their employees in a work environment where safety is not constantly guaranteed.
Health and Safety at Work Act
The health and safety at work act is a legislation enforced by the UK government to ensure
and maximise safety of employees in a potentially dangerous work environment. This act
has implemented compulsory regulations for workplaces to follow. These regulations include:
● Adequate training of staff to ensure that safety regulations are acknowledged and
followed through
● Adequate welfare provisions at work for staff members
● A safe working environment
○ Must be properly maintained regularly
○ Operations that are conducted within the environment must be done safely
● Suitable provision of relevant information, instruction and supervision to be
distributed
Plymouth City College
City College is one of the top colleges in the South West that specialise in high quality
teaching and professional training. City College is also a science institute with numerous
educational lab facilities for students of all ages. Therefore, they must conform to the legal
health and safety requirements of the UK government. One way that City College keeps in
line with regulations is by distributing roles and responsibilities to different areas of potential
dangers or hazards which makes it easier to keep track of the activities . Moreover, they
make sure that all staff are trained in every possible aspect so that all staff know what
precautions to take.
NHS - Derriford Hospital
The NHS is the UK’s biggest leading national health organisation. The NHS was founded in
1948 and it continues to strive hard in treating patients. As a hospital they would have many
labs which means they also have a system of rules and procedures that require them to
follow legal health and safety regulations of the UK government in order for this organisation
to keep ongoing. Since the NHS is not an educational facility, they’re likely to have bigger
hazards and risks in contrast to City College. Therefore, they would most likely have similar
but further advanced and stricter procedures.
COSHH Regulations:
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health is an important regulation that employers and
employees must be taught and trained to make sure that they and everyone else in the work
environment is adhering to the rules and regulations. The main 3 things to look out for with
COSHH regulations is how well risks such as chemicals, fumes and dust are managed and
handled.
, In City College, the COSHH regulations are complied with. It is the responsibility of the
departmental managers to ensure that all substances hazardous to health are correctly
transported, handled, used, mixed, processed and stored. This is achieved because staff are
expected to go through COSHH training and complete COSHH Assessments. Since
substances can take various forms including chemicals, fumes, dust, vapours, mist, gases
and even pathogens; all items must be recorded, itemised and have the appropriate COSHH
Assessment available to staff that could potentially be affected by the present hazard.
City College also has a ventilation system that takes care of any harmful mists, vapours,
fumes or gases that become present in the air. It is also known that chemicals are stored in
the necessary locations such as cabinets or fridges. It is guaranteed that all of their
chemicals are labelled with the correct symbols in line with the regulations. Furthermore,
work inspections are scheduled annually so that risk assessments can be carried out and
identified.
The NHS COSHH regulations are complied with as I have discovered by looking through the
NHS handbook on the NHS website. Similarly to City College, the NHS also has a large
ventilation system to prevent the spreading and inhalation of harmful air particles or fumes.
The NHS also has a 24 hour health surveillance system. This is especially useful for when
they have a substance that is known to cause an illness or disease that may impact staff
members or other people on site.
Another similarity with City College is that the NHS makes sure that their product deliveries
are labelled thoroughly with the different hazard symbols as well as the name of the
substances in question. This means that either an employee or a group of employees must
be in charge of checking through and labelling all of the products. This task is seriously
crucial as there could be very dangerous chemicals or living organisms that can perform
harmful effects.
Personal Protective Equipment:
This regulation is set in place for the safety of all staff in a lab environment. It is a regulation
that states personal protective equipment must be worn at all times during the handling of
any substances, micro-organisms or any harmful fumes. Workplaces must provide and
strongly encourage the usage of this gear so that wearing it becomes a habit. In City College
the PPE worn consists of gloves, goggles and lab coats. Hair is also advised to be tied back
to minimise the risk of it catching on fire. PPE is included in every lab on the science floor of
City College. This means that City College does indeed follow the PPE regulation.
As a health service, the NHS is legally bound to wearing full body suits and face masks as
PPE to meet the regulation guidelines. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the PPE
regulations became much more stricter. PPE is bought by the Department of Health and
Social Care and is then distributed to the NHS. This means that the NHS has access to a
large range of PPE which allows members of staff to reduce the risk of spreading or
transmitting harmful consequences to others. The NHS also puts up many signs and posters
to alert and inform everyone of their safety measures. Furthermore, hand washing is not
optional as it is critical that it is done regularly after handling anything or anyone.
Manual Handling Operations
