B2 The pharmacist's role in health and safety

Question 1

state things put in place in domestic environments to prevent harm

Answer 1

• safe design (of buildings, cars, roads, appliances)
• predictions to identify safety threats (weather forecasts)
• warnings when some things could be unsafe (COSHH, road signs)
• emergency services to respond to incidents
• legal enforcement of laws (police, inspectorates)
• penalties if laws are broken (prison, fine, dismissal)
• education from an early age (eg. don’t run across roads)

Question 2

how is harm prevented internationally?

Answer 2

armed forces
treaties
trade agreements

Question 3

state the responsibilities of a pharmacist as a healthcare professional and a manager / individual

Answer 3

healthcare professional
- safety of the public and patients
- eg. responsible for providing safe and effective pharmaceutical care

manager / individual
- safety of everyone in the workplace and as a member of society
- including yourself

Question 4

describe legal obligations in laws and professional standards

Answer 4

• prosecutions for negligence
• indemnity insurance can help fight some, but not all prosecutions

Question 5

describe professional standards in laws and professional standards

Answer 5

expectations of behaviours set by the GPhC for Pharmacy Professionals, Registered Pharmacies

Question 6

what is human safety regulated by?

Answer 6

• hundreds of laws
• eg. Medicines Act 1968 / Human Medicines Regulations 2012 / Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 / Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001

Question 7

regulations surrounding the disposal of clinical waste and medicines

Answer 7

• Environmental Protection Act / Regulations
• Controlled Waste Regulations
• Hazardous Waste Regulations
• Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulations
• Radioactive Substances Act

Question 8

why must the disposal of medicines be controlled?

Answer 8

must control disposal of medicines so that they don’t end up in nature for animals / children to consume

Question 9

regulation that is specific to the maintenance of machines and equipment

Answer 9

Provision and use of work equipment Regulations 1998

Question 10

laws and regulations specific to responsibilities towards staff and users of your services

Answer 10

• Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
• Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
• Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992

plus many others

Question 11

principles of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

Answer 11

• employer is responsible for employees and anyone else legally in the workplace
• employer is responsible for anyone affected by the work activities, including the outside environment
• work premises, access and exits must be safe
• harms must be identified and precautions put in place
• toilets, washing facilities, drinking water and first aid facilities must be provided

Question 12

what is the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 enforced by? give an example

Answer 12

• Inspectors
• eg. radiopharmaceutical must be given out correctly and correct counselling given

Question 13

what does the HSE inspect?

Answer 13

Health and Safety Executive inspects:
- Pharmaceutical Industry, Hospitals, Universities
- Factories, Rail Network, Nuclear facilities, Offshore

Question 14

what does the Local Authority inspect?

Answer 14

• community pharmacies
• shops
• offices

Question 15

what do inspectors have powers to do?

Answer 15

• enter premises
• investigate cases of non-compliance and accidents
• issue ‘improvement notices’, ‘prohibition notices’ and prosecute in a Magistrates or (higher) Crown Court

Question 16

define pharmaceutical waste

Answer 16

medicines that can’t be returned or reused

• out of date
• damaged
• no longer required
• unsuitable for their intended use
• part-used or empty containers

Question 17

what are healthcare settings legally required to do regarding pharmaceutical waste?

Answer 17

• dispose of / destroy
• must be done in a safe and secure manner

Question 18

what kind of service is medicine disposal in the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework?

Answer 18

essential service

Question 19

what is the concept of pharmaceutical waste underpinned by?

Answer 19

many pieces of waste and environmental legislation

Question 20

what should be done when handling pharmaceutical waste?

Answer 20

• wear appropriate PPE
• separate hazardous and non-hazardous waste
• some waste contractors may require further separation
• place in approved container supplied by waste contractor
• see when full and store securely until collected by licensed waste contractor
• deal with waste promptly to avoid large accumulations

Question 21

what PPE may be needed when handling pharmaceutical waste?

Answer 21

gloves and an apron (as per the local risk assessment)

Question 22

what may need separating when handling pharmaceutical waste?

Answer 22

• sharps, cytotoxics
• solids, liquids, aerosols
• may need to remove outer packaging

Question 23

what is DOOP? what is it more commonly known as now?

Answer 23

• disposal of old pharmaceuticals
• now known as disposal of unwanted medicines

Question 24

how are unwanted medicines disposed of?

Answer 24

by incineration at high temperatures

Question 25

where must community pharmacies accept unwanted medicines from and why?

Answer 25

- from households and individuals - to reduce unwanted medicines in homes - to reduce risks like accidents, exposure or environmental damage

Question 26

what should be removed from medicines that are unwanted and to be disposed of?

Answer 26

dispensing labels (or names should be obscured)

Question 27

for what kinds of drugs are there additional procedures for disposal?

Answer 27

schedule 2 and 3 controlled drugs

Question 28

organisations summarise and simplify the legislation for staff by having what?

Answer 28

- policies that incorporate legislation - written procedures on tasks (SOPs) - systems for safety and quality management (audit, risk assessments, incident reporting) - training and supervision of staff - monitoring of implementation and compliance

Question 29

how is a safety culture created at work?

Answer 29

by everyone taking responsibility - can't be achieved by one person alone

Question 30

what general principles should be followed at work to create a safety culture?

Answer 30

- if you don't know how to do something safely, don't do it! - find out how from a reliable source - never put yourself or anyone else at unnecessary risk - implement and follow control measures to reduce risk

Question 31

define the term hazard in relation to risk assessments

Answer 31

something with the potential to cause harm

Question 32

define the term risk in relation to risk assessments

Answer 32

the chance of harm occurring

Question 33

define the term consequences in relation to risk assessments

Answer 33

the level of harm that will occur following an incident

Question 34

state some examples of control measures

Answer 34

- restrictions on activities for certain groups of staff - regular testing of equipment - staff training and supervision (eg. manual handling, SOPs, responsible pharmacist)

Question 35

state the steps for conducting risk assessment

Answer 35

1. identify all significant hazards and record them 2. identify what control measures are in place 3. calculate a risk score to assess level of risk 4. review whether additional controls are needed 5. assess if risk is at an acceptable level 6. implement risk assessment into daily practice