Legislation and Health and Safety

Question 1

What are the duties of the employer?

Answer 1

Employers have an obligation to ensure, as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of ANYONE likely to be effected by their activities.

Question 2

Who is responsible for staff training?

Answer 2

Employers must ensure that staff have relevant training, which is periodically updated. A record of the training must be held, and information on instructions of safe practice, including information on legal requirements must be provided.

Question 3

What are the duties of the employee?

Answer 3

Employees have Health and Safety obligations, and they too can be held liable if, by their actions, they put others at risk

Question 4

What regulations control the disposal of clinical waste?

Answer 4

The Controlled Waste Regulations, 1992

Question 5

What act makes it unlawful to dispose, deposit or recover clinical waste without a licence?

Answer 5

Under the Environmental Protection Act, 1990

Question 6

What is the weight limit for clinical waste bag?

Answer 6

8kg

Question 7

What method is used to tie clinical waste bags?

Answer 7

Swan neck tie

Question 8

What information is placed on each bag once tied?

Answer 8

Practice name and code

Question 9

Which regulation controls the disposal of chemotherapy contaminated waste?

Answer 9

The Hazardous Waste Regulations, 2005

Question 10

What does COSHH stand for?
What date is associated with this act?

Answer 10

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health, (COSHH)

The regulations were originally brought out in 1999 and were amended in 2002.

Question 11

Provide examples of substances included in COSHH?

Answer 11

All pharmaceuticals

Chemical disinfectants

Chemicals used in laboratory work, for example, Stains

X-ray developer

Question 12

What regulation covers accidents or injuries, diseases or dangerous occurrences at work?

Answer 12

The Reporting of Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1980, (RIDDOR)

Question 13

What is defined as clinical waste?

Answer 13

Any waste which consists wholly or partly of: -

Human or animal tissue

Blood or body fluids

Excretions

Drugs or other pharmaceutical products

Swabs or dressings

Syringes, needles or other sharp instruments

In addition it includes any other waste that results from completing work in the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary, pharmaceuticals, treatment, care, teaching, research, or the collection of blood for research, or the collection of blood for transfusion. To conclude it is any waste which unless rendered safe may prove hazardous to any person coming into contact with it.

Question 14

What bin should a limb be disposed in?

Answer 14

Clinical waste- segregated from other waste and identified accordingly

Question 15

What bin should an uncomtaminated cardboard box be disposed in?

Answer 15

Recycling

Question 16

What bin should a swab containing blood be disposed in?

Answer 16

Clinical waste

Question 17

What bin should litter from a non-infectious feline patient be disposed in?

Answer 17

Domestic or tiger bag

Question 18

What bin should faeces from a patient with parvo virus be disposed in?

Answer 18

Infectious Clinical waste

Question 19

What bin should a empty bottle of dexamethasonebe disposed in?

Answer 19

pharmaceutical sharps bin

Question 20

What bin should chemotherapy waste be disposed in?

Answer 20

Hazardous waste (Purple top)

Question 21

Provide examples of notifiable incidents that require reporting under RIDDOR

Answer 21

Fracture, other than to fingers, thumbs or toes

Amputation

Dislocation of shoulder, hip, knee or spine

Loss of sight