Every profession has Health and Safety laws that must be followed, and care is no exception. Personal assistants are required to assess the risks associated with their work and take steps to control any hazards that could lead to injury or illness to you as the carer or your client.
If you notice any potential safety hazards in a client’s home, you have a responsibility to politely inform them of the issue and offer solutions to help mitigate the risk.
By working collaboratively with your client, you can help create a safer home environment and prevent accidents or injuries. The goal should be open communication and teamwork between you and the client to identify risks and find ways to reduce them.
Contents
- Health Safety
- Risk Assessment Template
- Risk Assessment Booklet
- Basic First Aid
- Fire Awareness Emergency Action
- Food Hygiene
Health Safety
This workbook from UKQCS covers the laws and regulations surrounding health and safety, and ways to minimise risks and accidents. It covers the controlled use of substances, when to record incidents, environmental factors and occupational factors and the use of P.P.E.
At the end of the end of the workbook, there are a series of scenarios for you to assess the risk and come up with a solution to move forward safely.
Download Health and Safety Workbook Access this file via Skills for Care
Risk Assessment Template
This risk assessment template is designed for you as the personal assistant or your client to complete in the home. It has handy columns with prompts to allow you to create a record of all the risks within the home and how you will minimise them.
Risk Assessment Booklet
This booklet will assist you when filling out the risk assessment template as it explains the degrees of risk and how to differentiate between a hazard, risk and an accident.
When conducting a risk assessment, it is vital to evaluate the potential severity and consequences of each identified hazard. Once you have highlighted these you then need to decide on the severity and assign an appropriate risk ranking. This involves analysing factors such as the likelihood of the risk occurring, the potential damage if it did occur, and the number of people that could be affected.
This booklet will develop your understanding and quiz you with a questionnaire to finish off.
Download Risk Assessment Booklet Access this file via Skills for Care
Basic First Aid
Every carer should have an understanding of basic first aid but there is no harm in refreshing your memory.
The booklet is broken down into different sections that relate to incidents where first aid may be required. Lastly, there is a questionnaire as well as some scenarios you may face and how you should deal with them.
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Fire Awareness Emergency Action
This booklet talks about fire safety that you as a carer must be aware of. It includes fire safety laws, different extinction methods and the four main causes of fire.
There is also a section on preventing fire within the home which can be applied to every home. Much like the other workbooks, it finishes off with a questionnaire.
Fire Awareness Emergency Action Access this file via Skills for Care
Food Hygiene
Food hygiene is important for both the service user and the personal assistant to be aware of. A lot of the booklet you may already know, however refreshing your memory on the dangers some bacteria in food may cause is important.
To assess your understanding of the concepts covered, UKQCS includes a quiz at the end of the material to help you evaluate what you have learnt.
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Disclaimer
The information and files provided are intended for signposting purposes. We strive to keep them up-to-date, but it’s the user’s responsibility to double-check the latest versions and information directly on the referenced websites.
Websites used include: Skills for Care, Acas, Gov.uk.