QQI Level Hazards in the Workplace Assignment Sample Ireland

There are several hospitals and nursing homes in Ireland. To make sure that the various medical professionals like doctors and nurses associated with a hospital or nursing homework in a safe and secure environment it is important for the hospital administration and other relevant bodies to conduct a workplace risk assessment.

The workplace risk assessment is done to identify workplace hazards. In this context, it is relevant to add that every workplace has a set of hazards, and in this regard, hospitals and nursing homes are no exceptions. Though risk assessment is performed only by nominated persons it is the responsibility of everyone to be careful about the hazards that are there in a workplace. Collective responsibility certainly helps in minimizing the harms caused by various workplace risks. 

The various hospitals and nursing homes in Ireland have workplace hazards. Protecting the nursing professionals is important and therefore it is crucial to identify the risks and hazards and make an assessment of the risks and hazards that are associated with a healthcare facility in Ireland. Some guides are available online and that helps individuals to comprehend the hazards, their categories, and the locations where they are present. The readers can take a look at those online guides. They can also check out this essay which is a comprehensive guide outlining all about hazards, their categories as well as the locations where they are present. 

Most Common Workplace Hazards 

Various hospitals and nursing homes are associated with risks and hazards. Some hazards are very common for medical professionals like nurses and doctors employed in hospitals or nursing homes in Ireland. Some professionals are entrusted with the job of managing health and security at a hospital or a medical facility. Such professionals require to understand the differences between the hazards that are there in a hospital. This section of the essay focuses on the common hazards that are there in a healthcare facilities in Ireland. It also highlights the location of the risks concerning the workplace. The essay is helpful as it offers resources to make the risk assessment process smooth and simple. 

Categories of Hazards

This section highlights the various categories of risks that are there in a workplace like a hospital or nursing home.

Biological

Biological hazards like viruses and bacteria are very common in hospitals, and nursing homes. Nurses are more exposed to such types of risks as they have to deal with patients and their infections. If bacteria or viruses enter the bloodstream of the nurses or other medical professionals then that can result in adverse health issues. It is therefore advised to the nurses and doctors working within the hospital premises to abide by certain rules, and regulations set by the hospital administration, and government so that the medical professionals can stay safe and secure from such type of hazards and at the same time the medical services to critical patients remain smooth. 

Chemical

Hospitals and nursing homes in Ireland often use various chemical substances in their day-to-day activity. These substances can cause harm if not used properly. Such types of risks can have adverse physical impacts like skin irritation, irritation caused in the respiratory system, corrosion, blindness, and even explosions. It is advised to use the various chemical substances safely. In this regard, the nurses and other medical staff need to check the guidelines published by the hospital administration. 

Physical 

There are also physical risks that are merely environmental factors that can harm a medical professionals like nurses and doctors in a medical facility within Ireland. These hazards may include noise, heights, pressure, and radiation. It is advised to the nursing staff, doctors, and other medical professionals to stay safe and secure from such types of hazards. 

Safety

There can be safety hazards within the hospital premises. These risks include damaged carpets and exposed electrical wirings. Often these types of hazards are incorporated within the category of physical risks. The nurses and other hospital staff require bringing them to the notice of the concerned authorities. They also need to act safely whenever they confront these risks.

Ergonomic

These are hazards that are caused as a result of factors that are mainly physical. Such types of risks can often result in muscular and skeletal injuries. Examples of such risks include poor posture, poor workstations within an office, and manual handling.

Psychosocial

Some risks can hurt an individual’s physical as well as mental health. Examples of such risks include sexual harassment, workplace violence, and stress. 

Workplace Hazard Management 

The best way to manage hazards that can occur in medical facilities, hospitals, and nursing homes is by imposing financial or custodial penalties on the concerned authorities like the hospital management, and nursing home management. Such types of acts help the management to appropriately manage the hazards at the workplace. However, there are other ways by which you can manage workplace risks and they are outlined in this section of the essay. 

The concerned authorities need to conduct risk assessment programs to identify the nature of the risks. There are certain protocols and procedures, and guidelines that are in place which the concerned healthcare facility needs to consider while doing this. 

The next step is by introducing proper control measures. Upon completion of the risk assessment, the hospital management needs to use effective controls to eliminate or reduce identified risks and hazards at the workplace. For instance, nurses can avoid doing such risky activities. They can inform the management about the issue. The management then acts and makes sure that the risk is eliminated facilitating the nurse to render services smoothly without hindrance. 

The other important step as far as managing risks in healthcare facilities in Ireland is to train the nurses and medical professionals adequately about their duties, hazard training as well as health and safety matters. 

This essay discusses workplace hazards in depth. It also focuses on the various steps that can be used by the management team of the healthcare facilities to control and eliminate the risks and make the working conditions smooth for the nursing professionals. For more on this visit relevant topics available online.