Health and Safety in the Social Care Settings

Health and Safety in the Social Care Settings

Introduction

People in home care setting are prone to significant risks of work related health and safety. Practices like lifting and moving patients who receive care, working alone and the level of their exposure to infections abuse, violence and extra common vulnerabilities like trips and slips which mean that it is important for them to have good health and safety practices in the social care setting (Collins, 2010). Irresistibly the majority of home care workers are women and almost 50% of them are part time workers and they play a key role in the improvement of quality of life of thousands of individuals which include sick, elderly, people with disability and those who are patient of learning disability as well as people who are mentally ill (Mason, 2012). Their job involves a great deal of looking after children and adults in a wider variety of settings ranging from extremely intensive residential settings via taking care for patients at their personal homes (Donatelle, 2009). The risk related to health and safety can be minimized in several areas however it is only possible when the employers ensure that they are properly addressing the risk related to health and safety faced by the home care providers. The aim of this paper to provide a good practice advice for home care providers safety representatives and social workers doing their jobs with members in social care sector like residential care and home care services (Quick & Tetrick, 2003).

Discussion

The Scale of the Problem

Home care workers are dependent on conducting a wider range of various duties for their patients and they may not identify several of those potential risks they are exposed to (Peter & Bradshaw, 2004).The responsibilities of home care workers may involve handling ...