Health and social care unit 3

• Environmental hazards such as crowded areas and wet floors that can cause slip and trip hazards or setting surrondings.

  • Worn vinyl flooring in the shower room in a hospital
  • A wet bathroom floor in a residential care home
  • Frayed carpet in the hallway entrance of a childrens centre
• Biological hazards such as waste and bodily fluids that can cause the spread of infections and affect peoples health.

  • A used bandage left on a bed in a clinic.
  • Soiled laundry left on the floor in a bathroom of a nursing home.
  • Vomit on the floor of a childrens play area that has not been cleared up.
• Chemical hazards such as cleaning agents and medications that can cause harm if not stored properly.

  • An unlocked medicine trolley in a hospital ward.
  • An unlabelled cleaning fluid in the cupboard of an individuals home.
  • The cooking left unattended in the kitchen of a school club.
• Psychological hazards such as stress and violence that can affect peoples wellbeing and emotional wellbeing.

  • Stress caused by people in a dental waiting room behaving in a challenging way.
  • Tiredness caused by high workload due to staff absence in a supported living scheme.
  • Stressed caused by children not wanting to participate in the activities that have been planned for them.
• Working conditions such as poor lighting and environments that are too hot or too cold that can cause harm and ill health.

  • Noise and disruption to the reception area of an optician due to maintenance works.
  • A senior homecare worker that travels long distances inbetween individuals home.
  • A childs bedroom that is very cold and has poor lighting.
• Working practices that are unsafe, such as the lack of fire training or long work hours that can cause injuries and illnesses.

  • Long working hours due to staff absence in mental health community staff.
  • Lack of supervision for new volunteers working in a support group for adults who have dementia.
  • Lack of training for staff in a childrens residential home on the procedures to follow when a faulty hoist is identified.
• Lack of security systems such as window locks and alarm systems that can cause security and fire risks.

  • Faulty smoke alarm systems inside of a clinic.
  • A broken security chain on the individuals front door.
  • A lack of interlocking doors in a school.
• Groups impacted by hazards in a care setting

  • Employees
  • Employer
• Employees


  • Individuals who work in care setting, such as nurses in a hospital or teachers inside of a primary school
• If staff workload is excessive

  They may develop mental illnesses such as depression or stress and physical effects such as high blood pressure
• If staff do not receive training such as for manual handling

  They may sustain back injuries
• Employer


  • A manager or an owner of a care setting who employs staff, such as a head teacher of a school or the owner of a residential care home
• If a person is injured due to a hoist being worn out/poorly maintained

  The employer could face serious consequences such as being taken to court
• Serious consequences for the employer

  Can result in a care setting developing a poor reputation or failing an inspection
• Individuals who require care and support

  The people who access the service, for example, hospital patients, people who attend a day care centre or children attending a nursery
• Staff do not receive adequate levels of care


  Individuals who require care and support may not receive adequate levels of care
• Staff shortages or lack of staff training

  Staff do not have enough time to do their jobs properly
• Staff do not maintain high standards of hygiene


  Can cause infections to spread among individuals such as coughs and colds but also serious infections like MRSA
• Belongings are stolen or damaged while using a care service


  Individual requiring care and support might suffer financial loss
• The impacts of hazards for individuals who require care and support, for employees and employers could be service users
• • The impacts of hazards are: Injury and harm. Financial loss. Poor standards of care. Illness.
• Impacts of hazards can result in injury or harm:

  • Back injuries such as slipped disc, injured muscles and musculoskeletal damage.
  • Chemical burns
  • Cuts and bruises.
• All individuals in care environments can be at risk of harm and abuse or may themselves be the perpetrators of harm and abuse.

  • Intentional abuse - this type of abuse is deliberate. Examples include theft, verbal abuse, financial abuse, sexual abuse and also physical.
• Unintentional abuse


  Abuse caused by a careless approach to tasks, such as a lack of training to do a task properly or a result of neglect
• Examples of unintentional abuse

  • Pressure sores
  • A nurse home resident suffering from dehydration due to their fluid not being monitored
  • A catering assistant in a primary school forgetting to wash their hands before preparing food, causing cross contamination and leading to outbreak of food poisoning
• Possible effects for abusers of abuse in care environments

  • Having to attend training or be retrained
  • Disciplinary action
  • Suspension
  • Dismissal
  • Being sued for negligence - financial loss
  • Criminal prosecution
  • Imprisonment
  • Loss of professional status - nurses, teachers, doctors, social workers
• School could be placed in special measures by Ofsted
• Care or health environment could be fined or closed down by CQC
• Possible effects of abuse in care environments for individuals who have experienced abuse.

  • Anger
  • Anxiety
  • Death
  • Denial
  • Depression
  • Disempowerment
  • Embarrassment
  • Fear
  • Feeling betrayal
  • Financial hardship
  • Illness, health deterioration
  • Injury
  • Lack of sleep
  • Loss of confidence
  • Loss of trust
  • Low self esteem
  • Self blame
  • Self harm
  • Suicidal feelings
  • Becoming withdrawn.
• Hazards and abuse can occur in any care environment. As well as in public environments that individuals require care and support may visit. Examples of the different types of environments where care takes place is given below:

  • Clinic
  • Dental practice
  • Drop-in centre
  • GP surgery
  • Health centre
  • Hospital
  • Medical centre
  • Nursing home
  • Optician
  • Pharmacy

  Care environments:

  • Community centres
  • Day centre
  • Individuals own home
  • Lunch club
  • Residential care home
  • Retirement home
  • Social services department
  • Support group
• Types of settings for hazard occurs in a care environment:

  Child care environments:

  • Breakfast club
  • Child minder
  • Childrens centre
  • Childrens home
  • Creche
  • Foster home
  • Kindergarten
  • Nursery
  • Playgroup
  • Pre-school
  • Primary school

  Transport:

  • Ambulance
  • Boat
  • Car
  • Caravan
  • Coach
  • Ferry
  • Minibus
  • Taxi
  • Train

  Public environments

  • Cinema
  • Leisure centre
  • Park
  • Recreation ground
  • Religious setting
  • Resteraunt or cafe
  • Riding stables
  • Shopping centre
  • Supermarket
  • Theatre
  • Theme park
• Individuals who require care and support may be harmed if environmental hazards have not been identified. For example, an individual attending an appointment at their local GP may have fall if there are uneven steps at the front entrance are not repaired. A support worker providing support to individuals in their own home may be prone to injuries or harm, if large items on top are not in a safer location.
• Chemical hazards can cause injuries and harm to both individuals who require care and support and employees of organisations. For example, not using cleaning agents in line with what the manufacturer said to use it. Not wearing protective equipment such as aprons and gloves, this may lead employers sustaining skin rashes, and burns. Not storing medicines securely in a locked cabinet, this could lead children to eat it. Not storing the medicine appropriately may lead tol children swallowing them thinking they are sweets or them being accessed by unathorized employees.
• Biological and psychological hazards if not identified and managed can cause long term illnesses. For example, used dressings need to be safely disposed of, dirty laundry needs to be washed seperately and body fluid spillages need to be cleaned quickly using the correct protective equipment and cleaning agents. Not doing so may increase the spread of infections and cause serious diseases such as clostridium difficile that can be fatal.
• Psychological hazards

  Stress and tiredness
• Psychological hazards


  Have the potential to impact everybody
• Employees are tired and stressed


  More likely to make mistakes when carrying out day to day working practices
• Employees have no interactions with others


  May become strained
• Individuals requiring care and support

  May receive poor or unsafe level of care
• Biological and psychological hazards


  Can have an impact on employers