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Nottinghamshire Healthcare Branch 

 Telephone (0115) 969-1300 Ext (10654) 

hns

Health & Safety

Related resources:

www.hse.gov.uk/risk/index.htm www.unison.org.uk/safety/campaigns.asp  http://www.hazards.org/index.htm

Hi, my name is Perry Woodhouse, I work on your behalf as your Unison branch Health & Safety Officer.

I work in Adult Mental Health at Bassetlaw Hospital. The role can be a demanding role at times. The role demands at times much travelling and out of hours working.

  • On your behalf I sit on the Adult Mental Health & Safety Committee, this committee has been set up fairly recently over the past year.
  • It has brought some interesting discussions and debates, I am sure it will bring more.
  • I see the separate directorate committees working to ensure that selected issue’s which pertain to their area’s being addressed, though sometimes not always in agreeance but nevertheless being discussed.
  • I work to bring attention to your issues, to look seriously and respond to your concerns; working with our employer on your behalf in your interest’s.
  • As the Unison Health & Safety Officer my role is also to sit on the Corporate Health & Safety Committee. This role allows me to take the relevant concerns of all directorates within the Trust forward.

The reason I got Involved in Health & Safety was that I felt the issues that faced people working in mental health needed to be addressed (staffing, risk assessments, workplace stress ect). I therefore stand to provided the means for your Health & Safety concerns to be taken to whatever level to get them addressed.

If you wish to become a Health & Safety Representative or have an enquiry about Health & Safety-contact the Unison
office on 0115 9691300 ext; 10654 where we will be only to pleased to deal with your enquiry.

So ,what is a Risk Assessment

The European Agency for Safety & Health at work have made risk Assessments the main theme for their Health & safety Campaign for 2008 & 2009.

  • The campaign is to ensure that everyone has an understanding of the crucial role risk assessments play in keeping us safe at work.
  • The campaign aims to demystify the process for those who find it difficult to apply it.
  • The Health & Safety Executive and Unison fully supports the campaign.

Risk Assessment, for the experts or commonsense?

When we walk across the road, when we drive a car or when we walk into a room, we automatically look for potential dangers. We do this in everyday life.

It allows us to risk assess the situation we are about to get involved in.
This natural procedure helps us to engage in activities in a safe way. Disregard these safe procedures/habits and we can be soon endangering our own & others lives. So we risk assess situations naturally.

We also put into effect control measures. For example;

  • If the road we intend to cross is very busy we may opt for a more safer place to cross.
  • We may decide to wait for the volume of traffic to subside making the road safer to cross.
  • Whilst crossing the road we may check the road surface for potential slips & trips & we may decide to look left & right as we cross.

These are all control measures which for us will make crossing the roads safer. So Risk Assessment is based on common sense, we all do it, it helps preserve us as individuals and us as a species.

Risk Assessments at work.

The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 gives clear guidance on the fact that everyone in the working environment has a right to be safe at work. The Management of Health & Safety at work regulation impose a Duty of Care upon managers to manage risk in a recorded systematic way.

Fundamental to that provision is the Risk Assessment.

  • Risk Assessment at work is applying that commonsense rule & ensuring it is written down.
  • At work a systematic approach is used to apply the risk assessment process the establishment of a safe system of work is achieved by looking at the way in we work towards achieving a given goal, then critically analyzing it.
  • Looking to improve the process by reducing potential risks, that is to introduce control measures.
  • Safe Systems of work must be written down and be accessible to anyone who requests them.
  • These in turn must be risked assessed, control measures introduced and
    these must also be written down & be available on request.
  • This will establish, who is a risk & what the risks are.

A good Safe System of Work will incorporate a cyclical review of Risk Assessments, it will also impose a means to adopt the Safe System to a changing work environment.

To note: The use of generic risk assessment can be seen as unacceptable and in breach of Management of Health & Safety Regulations.

Risk Assessment must be relevant to the working environment that has been assessed.

The five steps Approach to a Risk Assessment Cycle.

  1. Identify the hazards & those at risk.
  2. Evaluate & prioritise the risk.
  3. Decide on preventative actions.
  4. take action.
  5. Monitor & review the situation.

So, What do risk assessment do?

  • An effectively enforced Risk Assessment can, Prevent Occupational Risks
    Provide Information, training & Identify training needs.
  • Establish the organisation & means to implement the necessary measures.

EMPLOYERS HAVE A LEGAL MORAL DUTY TO ENSURE THE HEALTH & SAFETY OF WORKERS IN EVERY ASPECT RELATED TO THEIR WORK.

Remember workplaces where Union Health & Safety Reps are active reduces overall the accident rates by up to 50% as opposed to non-Union worksites.

Further information:

www.hse.gov.uk/risk/index.htm
www.unison.org.uk/safety/campaigns.asp

Or simply access your Trust’s Health & safety Intranet site.