The first legislation I am going to talk about is the COSHH one, COSHH stands for Control of substances hazardous to health regulations. The ‘COSHH’ regulation is to help us protect the people in our work places, and from the hazardous substances. This can be used directly in the work, such as cleaning chemicals and chemical reagents. This can arise from the work activities, like dust, fumes and waste fumes. These can happen in any work setting, in care home this could happen because of the chemicals, or anything. For example keeping all chemicals and other cleaning products in a locked cupboard.
COSHH ensures that all the employers can have protection against hazardous substances that employees and others may expose to at work. A hazardous substance is something that in which can be a harmful risk towards the employer/employee without being controlled. This can include the paint, glues and bacteria. All these products should come with a label that is marked at the bottom, for example ‘flammable’ or ‘explosive’. This will be able to show whoever is going to use it, that it can be highly dangerous to the people around them and their selves.
The Reporting of injuries diseases and dangerous occurrences regulations (RIDDOR) is all about the health and safety executives and local authorities identify how the risks arise, if they has been an accident or done on purpose. They do this by giving you advice on how to reduce an injury, illness and all the accidents that happen while at work. These accidents can happen inside the work place, or outside. All the accidents that happen inside the work place need to be reported by the employee or employer, and they should always keep the record of this, they have to keep up for about 3 years or more.
Things have got to be reported because if you are doing an art and crafts activity and someone gets cut, but they don’t think it’s been cut into that deep, and then next day it’s still bleeding and they then may need to go to hospital to get it checked out. It’s for the company’s cover, and they need to make sure that you are safe. It also needs to be reported so that it does not happen to anyone else. It must also be reported if any first aid treatment was given and what treatment it was because a person could have an allergic reaction.
The manual handling operations regulations are in place so that it ensures that if or when you have to pick up heavy things in the job that you are carrying or lifting that you are doing it in the correct way so you don’t bruise or damage your back. Even though, they don’t set any weight limits. As with the health and safety act 1995, both of the employers, and employees have some sort of duty to ensure that