Health and safety

Question 1

What is the health and safety at work act 1974 (5)

Answer 1

1. Emphasises that health and safety is everybody’s responsibility, promotes safety awareness and helps people work together to keep each other safe, and protect people in the workplace.
2. The regulations that make up the Act are law and are approved by Parliament to identify risks and set out actions that need to be taken to reduce those risks
3. The Act also covers the provision of information, training and instructions on health and safety to all employees.
4. Employers must ensure they have health and safety policies in the workplace that are specific to that workplace.
5. They must also provide safe machinery and equipment to use and safe methods to handle, store and transport materials and substances.

Question 2

What items can lead to fire (3)

Answer 2

1. Paper (invoices, prescriptions, bags, books, magazines)
2. Heat sources (radiators, heaters)
3. Electricity (overloaded sockets)

Question 3

How can you prevent fires (6)

Answer 3

1. Keep areas free of rubbish
2. Do not block fire escapes, exits or corridors with stock or anything else
3. Keep fire doors shut at all times (do not prop open), as they are there to stop fires from spreading from one room to another
4. In every place of work there should be a person who has been appointed to call the fire brigade if there is a fire or other emergency.
5. While the designated person is calling the fire brigade, you, and the other members of staff should be telling the customers to leave the store, and if necessary ushering them out of the door.
6. No one should stop or go back to collect personal belongings.

Question 4

What are fire blankets for (3)

Answer 4

1. Fire blankets are used for small fires or for wrapping around people whose clothes or hair may have caught fire.
2. If you have to use one, you need to lower the blanket over and on top of the burning object to smother the fire.
3. Do not use it to fan the flames out, as this actually increases the oxygen supply to the fire, which will make it worse.

Question 5

What are each of the fire extinguishers used for (4)

Answer 5

1. Water (red signal) - organic solids, wood, cloth, paper, plastics
2. Carbon dioxide (red signal) - live electrical equipment
3. Foam (red signal) - solids, burning liquids, paint, petrol
4. Powder (red signal) - organic solids/liquids, paint, petrol, oil, electrical equipment

Question 6

How can you do to prevent falls and trips (10)

Answer 6

1. Corridors should not be used to store things, they are to be used as access from one area to another, and as an escape route.
2. Once you have unpacked your order and put the stock away, do not forget to discard the rubbish.
3. Fold boxes and store them tidily to prevent falls.
4. even floor
5. no raised carpet tiles
6. no wires across the walkway
7. dry floors
8. Areas should be kept free of dust and debris- a vacuum is the best way to do this
9. The easiest way to spot and deal with things that could cause a trip or fall is to do a risk assessment.
10. Your manager/pharmacist/supervisor has to do a risk assessment but it is also your responsibility to look around the pharmacy every day and deal with anything you can see there and then.

Question 7

What is COSHH (4)

Answer 7

1. COSHH stands forControl of Substances Hazardous to Healthand it applies to any substance that is hazardous to health.
2. All of these must be identified by your employer and assessed so that the health and safety risks to you, your colleagues and anyone that comes into your pharmacy is made as small as possible.
3. Every pharmacy should have a formal written COSHH assessment to cover the regulations.
4. Asbestos, lead and radioactive substances are not covered by COSHH as they have their own specified regulations.

Question 8

What hazardous substances are covered by COSHH regulations (15)

Answer 8

1. Cleaning fluids
2. Hydrogen peroxide
3. Methylated spirits
4. Solvents and adhesives
5. Body fluids
6. Nail varnish remover
7. Bacteria
8. Viruses
9. Chemicals
10. Fumes
11. Dust
12. Vapours
13. Mists
14. Gases
15. Biological agents

Question 9

How do you deal with spills (5)

Answer 9

1. Most pharmacies have a spill kit, something that can help you clear up a spillage more easily.
2. You should also ask if there is a procedure that the pharmacist wants you to follow if someone breaks something.
3. Some spillages may need to be dealt with differently, for example methylated spirits are very volatile, you might have to open the doors and windows to allow fresh air to circulate before you get down to clearing it up.
4. Smooth, wet floors can result in slips and injuries. Wet floor signs, which are usually bright yellow, should be placed over the wet area - these are easy to see and alert people that they should be aware of their surroundings.
5. You will, however, have to be on the look out for people who can not see so well, and make sure that they are directed away from the hazardous area.

Question 10

How do you deal with glass breakages (5)

Answer 10

1. Glass tends to shatter into sharp, jagged pieces when it is broken, and the greater distance it has to fall, the larger the area it will spread to.
2. To clear it up you need to cordon off the area as soon as possible, and only re-open when the area has been cleaned and swept up
3. preferably by someone wearing thick protective gloves.
4. If the contents of the bottle is liquid, sprinkle some absorbent material (from your spill kit) over the spillage first and give it time to soak up, before sweeping it up and putting it into something safe that will not allow the small shards to pierce through.
5. If possible, broken glass and empty bottles should be disposed of safely.

Question 11

What does the health and safety (first-aid) regulations 2013 require (4)

Answer 11

1. At least one appointed person in a workplace, however large or small, who is responsible for the first aid arrangements.
2. This individual is also responsible for looking after the equipment you have for first aid, and calling the emergency services if needed.
3. The appointed person does not have to have advanced first aid training, and should not try to give any first aid if they are not trained to do so
4. it is highly recommended by the Health and Safety Executive that anyone who is the appointed person should have been on a first aid training course, even if it is a basic one.

Question 12

What are the first aid requirements (6)

Answer 12

1. HSE suggests that companies with over 50 employees need to have at least one first-aider trained for every 100 employees with low-hazard work activities.
2. Lots of items in the first aid kit will be sterile, so it is really important to check their expiry dates regularly. Any out of date items must be replaced as they may no longer be sterile once it expires.
3. Every workplace must have a first aid kit with enough supplies to cover all the employees, based on the level of risk in that workplace.
4. Qualified first aiders are people who have gone through the full first aid at work course.
5. The training should be conducted over a minimum of three days and maximum of ten weeks.
6. They must successfully complete the assessments during training and hold a valid first aid at work certificate which is no more than three years old.

Question 13

What you may find in a first aid kit will include (6)

Answer 13

1. assorted sterile plasters
2. eye pads
3. triangular bandages
4. safety pins
5. medicated/un-medicated wound dressings
6. disposable gloves.

Question 14

What is required for health and safety record keeping (5)

Answer 14

1. The law about health and safety requires that certain injuries resulting from accidents at work are to be reported to the appropriate authorities.
2. To keep within the law it is best that all accidents that happen at work are reported in the accident book, however insignificant you think they are.
3. Major injury accidents are where they have had to seek immediate medical attention
4. A three-day injury is not an accident that has lasted for three days, it is an injury that occurred at work that renders the victim unable to do his or her job for three days or more.
5. The reporting of workplace accidents is detailed in RIDDOR (the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995).

Question 15

What is included in a health and safety report (4)

Answer 15

1. the date and time of the accident
2. the injured person’s name, occupation, and nature of injury or condition
3. the place where the accident happened
4. a brief description of the circumstances.