Workplace Safety And Health Assessment Essay Task.

Fire Safety Check

This activity requires you to answer the following questions. These may be in short answer, true or false, or dot point responses. The question should be answered in brief responses.

Question 1

1. List at least (1) example of the following types of hazards:

• Biological hazard
• Physical hazard
• Chemical hazard
• Ergonomic hazard
• Psychosocial hazard

1. What could be the consequence, to yourself and the person you support, if you did not correctly follow your workplace’s policies and procedures in the following areas? Provide one consequence for each.

• Hazard management
• Care plans
• Manual handling
• Using mobility equipment
• Using personal protecting equipment
• Duress alarm system
• Emergency procedures
• Incident procedures
• Infection control
  

Question 2

List six (6) things you would check if you were completing a fire safety check on a person you are supporting’s home.

Question 3

List three (3) things you can do to remain up to date with safe work practices.

Based on the information provided in the case study below, answer the questions that follow. The questions in this activity require you to provide in depth answers. A case study aims to mimic and reflect a workplace situation, and how you then respond to that situation.

You notice that a box of rubbish has been left in the corridor again.

You nearly tripped over a similar box last week and you moved it outside to the rubbish bin – where it should have been placed.

Now someone has done the same thing again!

1. Why is it important that you report this particular hazard, rather than just moving it out to the bin like you did last time?
   

The residents at the nursing home have put in a complaint that the dining room is too cold.   Management has now forbidden the use of the air conditioners in the dining room.

Jenny is concerned that this makes the environment unsafe for the workers. The staff all get extremely hot while serving the meals. It is always a very busy time and they are running around getting the residents in place, serving meals, assisting with feeding, packing up the dishes and so on.

Jenny notices that some of the staff are getting uncomfortable. Ian had sweat pouring off him yesterday and Rebecca was bright red in the face.

By the end of mealtimes they are all hot and bothered.  

1. Should Jenny report this as a WHS issue to management? Explain your answer.
2. What possible solution could Jenny could suggest?
3. Jenny’s solution (see your response above) has been approved. She has been asked to assist with putting her solution into effect. Suggest at least three ways that she can do this.

While you are on a home visit, a person you’re supporting tells you that she is feeling unwell. She has stomach cramps, feels very nauseous and has bad diarrhea.

She tells you she must have picked it up off her grandson who visited yesterday, as he was unwell when he was visiting and had to rush off to use her toilet.

1. What responsibility does the person being supported have to the worker?
2. What infectious disease do you think it is likely the person you are supporting has?
3. What are three things that should be done to minimise the risk of this spreading to other people?
4. Why is this a risk for workers – even though the person you are supporting is in her own home?

Omar works in Home and Community Care in a rural location. His job is to visit the person he is supporting in their homes.  Due to the large area he services, Omar spends many hours of the day driving to different properties to see people he is supporting.

1. List a control measure for each risk identified below:

• Muscular skeletal strain
• Collision, which could involve other drivers or wildlife
• Fatigue

Kellie works transporting disabled clients to appointments or to the shops and other locations.

1. List two (2) risks (at least one risk must include damage to musculoskeletal system)
2. List a control measure for each risk you have identified.

Remaining up to date with Safe Work Practices

Jenny was injured at work when using a portable hoist to transfer a person she is supporting with a disability.  

The injury occurred because Jenny was not given any training in how to use the equipment.

Jenny’s supervisor had told her to follow the instructions in the manual – Jenny couldn’t find the manual so she decided to figure it out herself.

1. Did the employer show a duty of care to Jenny? Explain your answer.
2. Did Jenny fulfil her duty of care? Explain your answer.
3. Jenny works in Victoria. She would like to find out more about her WHS responsibilities. What is the name of the WHS authority that Jenny should contact? What other organisations could Jenny contact to find out more information about her situation?

Richard is an 82-year-old person with onset of dementia. He lives at home with his wife. You are required to visit Richard in his home to assist with his care.  

He has recently cut himself and his dressings need to be changed. When you arrive his wife tells you that he hasn’t been himself today and is quite angry. You find this unusual – he is usually a gentle person.

You go inside and say hello to Richard. You explain who you are and that you are there to change his dressings.  

Richard tells you to go away because he doesn’t want any milk today. You explain again that you are there to change his dressings. You get prepared to do this.  

Richard becomes very angry and throws all your equipment on the ground. He yells at you to not touch him.

1. How will you report this incident?
2. How will the recording of your observations assist in Richard’s future care?
3. What were the warning signs that all was not well with Richard on this day?
4. What was the risk to yourself in this incident? What was the level of risk?
5. How does the service setting (that is, the person’s home) contribute to the risk involved?
6. What risk controls do you think could be put in place to reduce the risk of future visits to Richard’s house?
7. What could you do to address your levels of stress following this incident?

Written Response 1

1. What is infection control and when should it be used?
2. Provide three (3) examples of standard precautions used in infection control.

Written Response 2

Look at the diagram below.

Why does this method of lifting produce less strain on the musculoskeletal system than bending at the waist?

This task is a larger assessment that requires you to provide a product that simulates particular tasks performed in an actual workplace. Carefully read and complete all instructions below before submitting your assessment.

Project 1

Students are required to complete a WHS risk assessment using the forms provided.

Read your work placement service’s hazard identification and risk assessment policies and procedures to prepare for this task.

Choose a task you are familiar with at your work or placement service. For example, you may choose the task of transferring a person you are supporting to the dining room; providing a personal care activity; providing a person you are supporting with a hot beverage or assisting people in wheelchairs.

You will need to undertake a hazard identification and risk assessment for this task.

1. Use the risk assessment control form and identify at least 5 potential hazardsfor your chosen work activity or task.
2. Now use the risk assessment rating matrix and the consequence table to:
   • consider the consequences of the hazard
   • consider the likelihood of those consequences occurring
   • calculate the risk rating.
3. Enter your risk assessment data in the Risk Assessment Control form and the Hierarchy of Control table.

• Think about the following questions when completing the documents:
• What type of harm or injury could the hazard potentially cause?
• What is the likelihood of that harm occurring?
• Are there current controls in place?
• How effective are these controls?
• Are workplace procedures being followed?
• What further controls might be required?
• How would you put these controls in place?

1. Now add each of your recommendations into the Hierarchy of Control table. You may double up on some of the hierarchy levels.  An example has been completed for you as a guide.

You will be observed in the workplace or a simulated workplace environment. The practical assessment activities may be undertaken over time. If your performance in the activity is deemed not satisfactory, the assessor will provide you with feedback regarding what was not satisfactory and why. Should additional support, assistance or training be required, this is to be conducted prior to the next attempt of demonstrating performance. Reassessment will then be scheduled and conducted.

You are permitted two (2) reassessment attempts if required. If you are unable to satisfactorily demonstrate the required task after two reassessments, you are required to undertake further training and will be deemed not yet competent on the unit until you are able to satisfactorily complete all required assessment tasks.

This task requires you to locate the following policies and procedures:

• Infection control – this must include standard and additional precautions, clean/contaminated areas, hand washing, hygiene and personal protective clothing
• Emergency management
• Manual handling
• Incident reporting

1. Describe each of the policies and procedures listed above, explaining the main points of each. You must also provide an example of how each policy and/or procedure is relevant to your workplace.
2. Locate five (5) different workplace safety signs relevant to your industry on the internet. Add the image to your assessment and explain what each safety sign means.
3. On the following page you will find a workplace supervisor sign off. Discuss the above workplace policies and procedures, and identify WHS equipment with your supervisor. Following the discussion your supervisor will need to comment on this discussion and complete the supervisor d

Fire Safety Check

Response One

Professional practice ideally refers to the work that an individual performs as well as the conduct that they maintain while carrying out their duties in relation to their profession. Profession in this cases comprises the occupations that mandates lengthy periods of education and training. For example, nurses are required to perform or rather utilized the evidence based education and apply it within the healthcare practice.

Response Two

Self-evaluation involves the process of critically and systematically observing and analyzing one’s own professional actions and the consequential results in an aim to mitigate the unwanted outcomes as well as improve on them. In other words, self-evaluation is the evaluation of an individual’s professional work by themselves. This process is therefore important in my professional practices since it primarily enables me to evaluate my actions and their repercussions. In such cases, I can be able to identify any mistakes and be able to prepare for them in the future or rather improve on them. It is also important since it entails a lifelong learning journey where I am encourage to review and evaluate the practices in place and as such be able to incorporate the best practices in my profession.

Response Three

Values, beliefs and behaviors are held different and as such prioritized differently within the workforce. For instance, values such as respect, trust, creativity and perfection can be critical in energizing the workplace in such a way that they promote cohesion and collaboration among workmates. Nonetheless, this can primarily be achieved if such values are aligned with the values of the organization. Alternatively, cultural beliefs or ideologies can significantly impact on how an individual interacts with other workers within a workplace since the workplace is comprised with individuals from different cultural backgrounds. Additionally, some behaviors such as workforce bullying can impact negatively on a workplace since it would be difficult for other workers to co-exist with the worker is a bully.

Response Four

Response Five

The internal support network that enhances my work comprises internal informal learning activities which involve frequent and mandatory training programs that are provided by supervisors. I have realized that through these programs, I can be able to retain the knowledge and skills that are cascaded by these supervisors and also incorporate them within my specific unit of practice. Hence, I get to learn from the experiences, skills and expertise from my superiors.  The external support network that enhances my work practice entails the external informal networks education and training activities that are conducted by talent development professionals. These education activities are majorly important since they directly contribute to my performance improvement. Through the training, I can be able to intersect the work related activities with the best practices that have been taught.

Remaining up to date with Safe Work Practices

Response Six

Maintain self-care has been important in fostering the patient-nurse relationship since by encouraging self-care, the patient builds trust on the nurse and as such, the patient becomes more willing to work with the nurse in executing the treatment plan or rather complying with medication that has been allocated to the patient. Also, self-care, makes the patient feel important, valued and confident. I have realized that these factors are essential in promoting better patient outcomes and also improving patient satisfaction.

There are a number of signs and symptoms that may indicate that one’s wellbeing is out of balance including; dissatisfaction with the work being done (career/area of practice), experiencing trouble while concentrating, reduced network of friends and difficulty while socializing, contradicting beliefs between one’s own beliefs and that of the area of practice, and increased exposure to risks of diseases.

To address the above mentioned signs and symptoms, the following are some of the strategies to do so;

• Be engaged in a happy relationship
• Conduct an evaluation to understand whether the area of practice is satisfactory
• Alter the nutrition diet
• Exercise regularly
• Ensure that cultural and religious beliefs are aligned with those of the workplace and also strive to get my cultural ideologies understood within the workplace

In my workplace, I have tend to seek specialist advice when I am presented with the opportunity to change the roles that I perform. I seek support so that I can understand whether the new roles that I am allocated will coincide with my values, beliefs and most importantly, my area of expertise. Another notable opportunity occurs when I am entrusted with handling a relatively new concept. In such cases, I seek advice in order to be able to fully address the issue at hand and ensure patient safety and provision of care that is equitable to my profession and which doesn’t jeopardize my practice.

Part A: Own practice

Among the three learning styles, I have identified myself as having a visual learning style. This type of learning entails the utilization of charts, graphs, maps and diagrams by learners in order to gain comprehension. In the future, I will be able to channel my focus on reading so as to understand better and faster instead of focusing on other types of learning. In addition, I think that in the workplace, people have different learning styles and as such, they need to be reflective of each other’s learning styles in order to collaborate and work together.

Part B: Reflective practices

One notable situation in the workplace concerns an occasion where one colleague was insistent on handshakes and hugs with other colleagues as a way of showing his friendliness and communicating better with the other employees. However, another colleague of mine found this behavior to be irritating and uncomfortable and so, she made a point of avoiding the handshakes and the hugs. When the former colleague insisted on these practices, the latter accused the former of sexual harassment unknowingly. It took a confrontation between the two colleagues and the supervisor to sort out the issue and it was realized that the colleague who filed an accusation regarding sexual harassment was deterred by her culture from handshakes and hugs especially from individuals of the opposite sex.

Case Study

In this situation, legal aspects that could be raised may comprise the rights of women and the need to protect equality between both men and women. These aspects may arise because it might be taken that the male colleague was invading the privacy of the other colleague and that he was disrespectful to her because of her gender. Alternatively, ethical considerations concerning whether the behaviors were acceptable or not may also arise. For instance, it needs to be determined whether the handshakes and the hugs were appropriate or not for both parties involved.

My involvement in this situation was somewhat minimal since I was asked by the supervisor to give an outside opinion regarding the incidences. Nonetheless, my advice was that the two had not communicated properly to be able to understand the cultural differences that coexisted between the two colleagues.

Even though I did not seek additional support from others, I have come to notice that it would have been worthwhile to identify another colleague with similar cultural affiliations so that they can give their opinion regarding the issue as well.

Personally, I have developed my communication skills from this situation. Before I engage in any form of communication with my colleagues, my first priority is to identify any cultural differences that might arise and which might also act as a communication barrier. After this identification, I tend to devise the best possible way to eradicate the cultural barrier so that effective and smooth communication can commence.

In regards to my own values, beliefs and behaviors, I have come to understand that I need to readjust the cultural rigidities that may be prevalent within my values and beliefs. For instance, I have accepted that what I value and believe to be true might not be valued and believed by another individual and so I have to respect their values and beliefs too.

In the future, in the event that I am involved in such a situation, I would ensure that I make a prompt intervention into the matter before it escalates to certain levels where for example, one colleague accuses the other for sexual harassment. Had this miscommunication been addressed timely, then there wouldn’t be any complaints from the female colleague. Additionally, there is need to incorporate training in the workplace regarding the cultural differences that might be existent among the colleagues in the workplace.

My work role involves working directly with the patients where I can diagnose and manage common and chronic illnesses in different patient populations including children, adults and the acutely ill. Also, I perform physical examinations and, order and interpret diagnostic tests. Most importantly, I strive to maintain formidable relationships with the patients in order to assist them in the recovery process. In this process, I encourage and incline them to give their personal views regarding their well-being thereby ensuring that they are involved in the treatment plans that have been formulated for them.

Personal Development Plan

One method to improve professional performance is by focusing on communication and connection. In this light, one needs to improve their clinical skills as well as interpersonal skills. These improvements will ensure that clients are approached in a friendly and welcoming manner which will further be reflected on the services being accorded to the patient or rather the client. Another method to improve professional performance is by gaining a clear understanding of the patient’s background. While dealing with patients, nurses as professionals need to approach patients and attempt to comprehend their views and ideologies or alternatively get their perceptions regarding their health.

My goals are related to the current and emerging developments especially when the issues of patient autonomy and nurse practitioner shortages are taken into consideration. Patient autonomy emphasizes on the need to take into consideration the views of the patient regarding their own health and hence, by ensuring that I obtain timely consent of the patient prior to any assessments or treatments, I will therefore ensure that I foster patient autonomy. Also, with the increase in shortages of nurses, there has been work load and related fatigue that have negatively impacted on the productivity of nurses. Therefore, my objective to improve productivity and support my reports with clinical evidence will be essential in reducing the work load as well as improving productivity.eclaration.