Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults

Vulnerable adults are those who are restricted in capacity to guard themselves against harm or exploitation. All persons have the right to be safe and to live a life free from abuse and/or neglect, regardless of their circumstances of gender, age etc.  The term ‘safeguarding’ in the context of these standards means putting measures in place in services to reduce the risk of harm, to promote people’s human rights, health and wellbeing, and empowering people to protect themselves.

Elder abuse defined

Elder Abuse is defined as a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person or violates their human and civil rights. (Protecting our Future, Report of the Working Group on Elder Abuse, September 2002). Sixty five years of age is taken as the point beyond which abuse may be considered to be elder abuse.

Source – Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection 

The HSE Health Act Regulations

Health Act Regulations, 2013. This policy applies to older persons or persons with a disability that, as a result of physical or intellectual impairment, may be at risk of abuse. The person may be in receipt of a care service in his or her own home, in the community or be resident in a residential care home, nursing home or other setting. Equally, the person may not be in receipt of a care service.

Some of the principles underpinning the policy include:

• Respect for human rights
• A person centred approached to care and services
• Promotion of advocacy
• Respect for confidentially
• Empowerment of individuals
• A collaborative approach

Source – HSE 

Types of abuse

• Physical abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Psychological abuse
• Financial abuse
• Institutional abuse
• Neglect
• Discriminatory abuse

 

World Elder Abuse Day

On the 15th of this month (June 2019) it was World Elder Abuse Day. This day was first introduced back in 2006 and it was to bring attention to the issue of elder abuse in our global society and as a public health and humans rights concern.

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day provides an opportunity for all of us to focus our attention on elder abuse. It challenges each one of us to redouble efforts to promote respect and dignity for all older people and to help eradicate abuse of older people. Everybody has a role to play and the challenges posed by elder abuse cannot be met solely by any one individual, organisation, or state body, it is all our responsibilities.

 

Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults Course

We at MyElearnSafety want to be part of the solution to this type of abuse so we are created a Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults Course . This course will enable service users to understand fully what safeguarding a vulnerable adult entails: What is  a vulnerable adult? What constitutes abuse? How to respond to signs of abuse; How to respond to concerns of an elderly person who may have suffered abused.

Our ‘Safeguarding of Vulnerable Adults’ course is approved by the Irish Association of Healthcare Assistants (IAHA).

Safety Tips for Transportation Companies

We at My Elearn Safety are always looking to share valuable information with our followers. The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has a publication on Workplace Transport Safety Management.

Workplace Transport Safety Management

What is a Risk Assessment?

A risk assessment is a careful examination of what could cause harm to people as a result of a work activity. It allows you to take precautions to prevent harm occurring. What’s involved in conducting a risk assessment? There are five key steps to a risk assessment:

1. Look at the hazards
2. Decide who might be harmed and how
3. Evaluate the risks and decide whether the existing precautions are adequate or whether more should be done
4. Record your findings
5. Review your assessment on a regular basis at predetermined intervals as part of the safety management procedures

What should the Workplace Transport Safety Management System include?

Vehicle safety in the workplace must be competently managed. The size and form of the management system will vary depending on the size of the operation – however it should address the following:

1. Definition of the policy and rules for the management of vehicles at the workplace and identification of responsible person for managing vehicle safety.
2. How to carry out and record risk assessments – this means writing down the most significant hazards, identifying who is at risk and listing the safety precautions which should be in place.
3. Determine the training needs of workforce and the preventative maintenance program required for ensuring ongoing workplace vehicle safety. Any changes to vehicles, workplace or personnel which might have implications for the safety of the system must be allowed for.
4. Employees who may be affected must be kept fully informed of the system and of any changes to it.
5. Details of how acceptable standards for workplace vehicle safety are achieved and should also be included in the site specific Safety Statement.

What areas need to be considered?

The Workplace Layout of the place of work;

• Are vehicles and pedestrians kept safely apart?
• Are there suitable walkways for pedestrians?
• Are there suitable parking areas for all parking needs?
• Do the vehicle routes avoid sharp or blind bends?
• Is there scope for introducing a one-way system on vehicle routes within the workplace to reduce the risk of collisions?
• Are the lighting arrangements adequate both inside and outside?
• Where loading bays are longer than the width of five vehicles are appropriate numbers of exits or safe refuge points in place?

Suitability of traffic routes;

• Are they wide enough?
• Are they well constructed and maintained?
• Are they free from obstructions and other hazards?

Suitability / provision of safety features;

• Are roadways marked where necessary e.g. to indicate the right of way at road junctions?
• Is there a need for direction signs, speed limit signs, and, where applicable, signs such as ‘Give Way’, ‘No Entry’ etc.?
• Is there a need for features such as fixed mirrors to provide greater vision at blind bends, road humps to reduce vehicle-speeds, or barriers to keep vehicles and pedestrians apart?
• Is there adequate warning at the interface of the site with public areas?

 

The publication goes on to include:

• Vehicles
• Employee Selection, Training & Supervision
• Loading & Unloading Operations
• Legislation

….. Continue reading publication here.

Check out our Transport and Tourism sector specific online Safety Courses here.

Food Labelling in Ireland

Food labelling contains information provided by food businesses about their products . It covers all food that is sold to the consumer directly as well as food sold to cafés, restaurants and other catering establishments.

If you are a food provider it is vital that you are up to date with labelling regulations. Currently in Ireland more and more food is bought pre-packaged from shops and supermarkets so accurate and useful labelling on food products is now more essential then ever. Food labels have two purposes: to meet legal obligations by providing information such as the name of food, ingredients, use-by dates and storage conditions, and nutritional information on calorie content and key components such as sugar, fat and protein.

Ireland’s food labelling laws arise almost exclusively from our EU membership. The rules are complex, but based entirely on the principle that consumers have the right to know.

Why is food labelling important?

Use by and best before by dates

Guidance so consumers are informed on the safety of the food. For example the ‘Use by date’ and the ‘best before date’. Perishable foods, judged from a microbiological point of view (such as cooked meat products, prepared foods and salads), display a ‘use by’ date on the package and should not be eaten after this date, as this could present a health risk. In addition, many foods display a ‘best before’ date, which gives an indication of the “minimum durability”, or the period during which the food retains its specific properties when properly stored.

Storage and preparation

Certain products require this information for the consumer. Storage instructions are required on certain food products in combination with the expiry date to ensure proper handling by consumers. Food poisoning bacteria such as Salmonella and Listeria can grow to levels that may cause illness if food is not stored correctly. These instructions may also indicate how to store the food once the package is opened (e.g., ‘Refrigerate after opening’).

Source – eufic

Allergy warnings

Checkout out our blog on Food Allergens and Your Food Business and Do you know what “The Big 8” food allergies are? where we discuss what the big 8 are and also the 14 allergens that must be declared under Irish legislation.

Do you work with Food? Our Management of Food Allergens course is a an excellent addition to either Food Safety HACCP Level 1 or 2.

Other Mandatory Information

(a) The energy value  and
(b) The amounts of fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt

The content of the mandatory nutrition declaration may be supplemented with an indication of the amounts of one or more of the following:

(a) Monounsaturates
(b) Polyunsaturates
(c) Polyols
(d) Starch
(e) Fibre
(f) Any of the vitamins or minerals listed in point 1 of Part A of Annex XIII to FIC, and present in significant amounts as defined in point 2 of Part A of Annex XIII to FI. Source – FSAI

 

If you have any furhter questions or are interested in learning more about food safety, please contact us on+353 1 693 1421 and we will be happy to help you!

Management of Vehicle Risks

Health and Safety Authority campaign to target transport operations and vehicles at work

We at My Elearn Safety are always looking to share valuable information with our followers. The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) had a campaign in February of this year focusing on the management of vehicle risks in the workplace.

Management of Vehicle Risks

The Health and Safety Authority will begin a two week nationwide inspection and awareness campaign on Monday 18th February focusing on the management of vehicle risks in the workplace. Over the last six years, almost half (45%) of all reported work related fatalities involved vehicles. Last year, 18 people were killed in vehicle related incidents at work.

Inspectors from the HSA will be targeting transport and logistics companies, manufacturing premises, waste and recycling facilities and distribution and warehousing centres. Specific issues such as vehicle operations, particularly low speed manoeuvres, load securing and driving for work will be targeted.

Deirdre Sinnott, Senior Inspector with the HSA said, “Accident statistics show that the majority of vehicle related deaths at work occurred during low speed manoeuvring, reversing or coupling and uncoupling of vehicles. It is vital that procedures are developed and put in place to eliminate and control known risks associated with workplace vehicles. Once these written procedures are in place they should be communicated to all employees, contractors and visiting drivers in the workplace.”

Throughout the two week campaign, HSA inspectors will focus on:

• Pedestrian management near moving vehicles
• Reversing and slow speed manoeuvres
• Loading and unloading
• Vehicle maintenance
• Certification and safety of fork lifts, tail lifts and lorry loader cranes

… continue reading article here. 

 

Transport Safety Courses

We have a range of courses and bespoke courses available to the Transport and Tourism Sector here.

Transport Safety Case Study

Take a look at our case study on Dualway here.

Dualway Transport has grown over four decades to become one of the largest, family run, transport operations in Ireland.Myelearnsafety.ie worked with Dualway to develop a bespoke induction training program for new and existing staff members to ensure were properly inducted in the Health & Safety policies and procedures for the company.

Hospitality – Lets Talk Reputation

Lets Talk Reputation

A food business reputation can mean the difference between a packed house or a slow Friday night with empty tables and no one on the waitlist. All food business need to ask them selves, how much does their reputation truly weight in the eyes of the consumers and does it really impact the decision of going or not going to a restaurant? According to this Small Business Trends report survey, 94% of diners will choose your restaurant based on online reviews. Bad reviews can spread like wildfire, especially in this digital age.

This is a trend that isn’t likely to go away any time soon, if ever. Another study conducted by TripAdvisor revealed the same information, that the vast majority of diners consider online reviews before choosing a restaurant. The market is highly competitive nowadays.

Trip Advisor report

This report also revealed that more consumers than ever use and trust online review sites and social media for recommendations on where to eat – both at home and while traveling. Tripadvisor’s latest survey examines the impact of today’s most popular digital marketing channels and what factors influence diner decision making.

Closures

In April of this year, the FSAI closed down 6 premises in Monkstown and Booterstown for breaches of food safety legislation. This was announced by several news outlets including this Irish Times article and the Journal. This information will forever be on the internet , it will be difficult to restore their reputation.

Avoiding closures should be top priority for food businesses, one way to make sure you are compliant is to make sure your staff are up to date with courses under legalisation. From these courses your staff will know what is expected by law and the best practices for health and safety over a wide variety of topics.

Responding

Do you respond to your reviews? Responding to both positive and negative diner reviews can help you improve your restaurant’s service and reputation which will ultimately attract new customers to your business.

In fact, up to 94% of respondents to this survey indicated that they have read a Management Response to reviews, with the majority noting that they found it helpful and that it encouraged them to try a restaurant, despite a bad review as they saw the management taking constructive feedback on board and showing that they care about their customers and are always striving to improve themselves.

Let Us Help You

It has never been more important to make sure you are compliant with legislation. Let us help you. Not sure what you need to be compliant? We can help you with a FREE Training Needs Assessment.

 

New Course Packages

At the request of our clients, we have created Food Safety course packages at a cost savings if you bought them separately.

1. Food Safety (HACCP) 1 & Food Safety (HACCP) 2  Save €17 

2. Food Safety (HACCP) 1 & Management of Food Allergens Save €10

3. Food Safety (HACCP) 2 & Management of Food Allergens Save €11

4. Food Safety (HACCP) 1 & 2 & Management of Food Allergens Save €29

 

Food safety for hotels and restaurants

We at My Elearn Safety are always looking to share valuable information with our followers. The people over at Rentokil have written a great blog on Food preparation businesses in hotels and restaurants sector.

Food safety for hotels and restaurants

Food preparation businesses in the hospitality sector include hotels, restaurants, cafes, bars, sandwich shops and similar businesses that prepare food for customers to eat on premises or for takeaway. A key requirement for these businesses is to show that food handling and preparation processes are safe and to keep documentation to show this.

Good food hygiene ensures that food prepared for customers is safe to eat. It prevents harmful microorganisms that can cause serious illness from contaminating food, prevents cross contamination, enables businesses to comply with the law, and protects the reputation of the business.

The US FDA has analysed epidemiological data on food poisoning outbreaks and found that five major risk factors occur repeatedly:

• Improper food-holding temperatures
• Inadequate cooking
• Contaminated equipment
• Food from unsafe sources
• Poor personal hygiene

Food hygiene authorities can visit business premises to inspect them to check for compliance with legal requirements. It can include taking samples for scientific analysis and inspecting records. This can result in:

• A formal request to improve any failings
• A legal notice stating what actions must be taken, or what processes, equipment or premises must not be used
• Prosecution for serious failings to comply with the law

In some countries, such as the UK, authorities issue hygiene ratings that are made public or even displayed on the front of the premises, which can improve or damage business reputations, and provides added incentive to produce food of high quality.

In the EU the main legislation controlling food safety practices is Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs, which is the basis for each member country’s local regulations….

The blog goes on to include information on:

• Food safety requirements
• HACCP
• Premises
• Equipment
• Water Supply

To continue reading this blog please click here

Courses

• Food Safety  HACCP 1 
• Food Safety HACCP 2 
• Management of Food Allergens 

Fire Safety in Hospitality

Section 11 of the 2005 Act states that employers are required to prepare and revise adequate emergency plans and procedures and provide the necessary measures for fire fighting and the evacuation of the workplace. Consideration for all employees and anyone connected with the workplace must form part of how an employer addresses the area of safety health and welfare and specifically the provision of emergency access and egress.

Soure – HSA 

Fire safety equipment and systems

All hotels, bars, restaurants, catering etc..  should be equipped with suitable fire safety equipment.

Smoke Detectors

When you have a bigger property, most jurisdictions require that you have an automated centralized smoke detector that integrates all smoke detectors in each location with a master panel. This alerts the staff to immediately identify where a smoke detector has activated and take steps of action without delay.

Fire Extinguishers

ABC fire extinguishers are multi-purpose and are the most commonly sold fire extinguishers for businesses and commercial properties. What does the ABC stand for? They are classes of what type of fires that fire extinguisher can put out:

• Class A – fires from wood, cloth, paper, plastic, etc.
• Class B – fires from flammable liquids like gasoline
• Class C – electrical fires from wiring and appliances

Sprinkler Systems

According to Engineers Ireland comprehensive report, Systems designed to BS 9251 are primarily for the protection of life and not intended for the protection of property or commercial risks. Sprinkler Systems are usually required as a means of demonstrating compliance with Building Regulations. However, there may also be occasions where a Sprinkler System is installed to compensate where a building is unable to achieve compliance with building regulations, for example;

• New / Older buildings where the minimum fire resistance cannot be achieved
• Buildings that cannot meet the access requirements for fire appliances
• Attic conversions where adequate secure escape is not practical or possible

Evacuation plan

All hospitality sectors need to have an emergency evacuation plan. A route must be laid out and that route must never at any stage be blocked or obstructed. Regardless of the location of a fire, once people are aware of it, they should be able to proceed safely along a recognisable escape route, to a place of safety.

If the premises is small and has a simple layout, the normal entrances and exits may be sufficient. There should be no possibility of anyone being cut off by smoke or flames before they can make their escape.

Competent Person

All premises need to have an assigned fire warden or a competent person to maintain all the fire safety equipment  – Smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems & evacuation paths. They are in charge of;

• How the system works
• When is maintenance carried out, and provisions for arranging access
• Who should be contacted for immediate repair if the system goes wrong
• In addition details of what was agreed for the sprinkler system at fire safety certificate stage should be kept available for consultation

Take a look at our Fire Safety Awareness course overview here.

If you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.

First Aid in Hospitality

We at My Elearn Safety are always looking to share valuable information with our followers. The people over at Research Gate have written a great publication on First Aid Responsibilities for Hotels and Resorts. ResearchGate is the professional network for scientists and researchers. Over 15 million members from all over the world use it to share, discover, and discuss research.

First Aid – Implications for Hotels and Resorts

Like other workplaces, hotels and resorts have health and safety duties in relation to first aid under the new code, which provides:

 

“A person conducting a business or undertaking has the primary duty under the
WHS Act to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that workers
persons are not exposed to health and safety risks arising from the business or
undertaking.”

 

The WHS Regulations place specific obligations on a person conducting a business or under- taking in relation to first aid, including requirements to:

• Provide first aid equipment and ensure each worker at the workplace has access to the equipment
• Ensure access to facilities for the administration of first aid
• Ensure that an adequate number of workers are trained to administer this aid at the workplace or that workers have access to an adequate number of other people who have been trained to administer first aid.

While the focus of the new Code is on protecting workers and ensuring workplaces are safe, compliance also offers a wide safety net for visitors and guests. Indeed, in planning first aid resources the Code specifically recommends consideration of other people at the workplace who are not workers, for example, students in workplaces such as schools, members of the public in places of entertainment, fairgrounds and shopping centres.

 

The publication goes on to include:

• Example lawsuits
• Changing Status of First Aid and the Law

Continue reading publication here.

Have a look at our course here.

 

Construction Site Safety Best Practices

Construction Site Safety

Assess the risks

Slip, trips and falls

According to OSHA, falls are the leading cause of death in construction. Think about the exposed high-rise buildings or buildings with scaffolding around them. Even falls from ladders cause a significant amount of on-the-job industries. Injuries occur when workers do not install scaffolds securely or use ladders incorrectly which is the leading cause of accidents.

 

Hazardous materials/ Chemicals

A concerning rising safety hazard in the construction industry is the mishandling and misuse of hazardous materials.

The use of hazardous materials and chemicals is commonly identified as a key hazard in manufacturing industries but can often be overlooked in construction. Perhaps unknowingly, construction workers are handling, using and emitting hazardous materials every day on site.

Access all hazardous materials and Chemicals that will be on the construction site before the work begins and make sure the workers know the safety procedures around them.  For more information on how you can educate your employees on hazardous materials and chemicals please click here.

 

Electrocution

Electricity is one of the great inventions of the past century, but there’s no getting around the fact that it can be extremely dangerous if it’s not handled properly. Any construction site has the potential to expose construction workers to electricity. Many tools and pieces of equipment require electricity to operate. This is why it’s so critical for any type of construction worker to receive appropriate safety training for the use of electricity on a job site.

It’s also important for construction workers to have access to appropriate safety gear and equipment if they are required to work with or around electricity.

 

Heavy and/or powerful tools

The greatest hazards posed by hand tools result from misuse and improper maintenance. The employer is responsible for the safe condition of tools and equipment used by employees. Employers shall not issue or permit the use of unsafe hand tools. Employees should be trained in the proper use and handling of tools and equipment.

These tools also often cause hand-arm vibration. According to the HSE; By law, as an employer, you must assess and identify measures to eliminate or reduce risks from exposure to hand-arm vibration so that you can protect your employees from risks to their health.

 

Mental Heath

Dermot Carey, Director Safety and Training, Construction Industry Federation (CIF) said;

“Research shows that 10 people a week in Ireland take their own lives – 8 out of these ten are men. The construction sector is 96% male. We know from feedback we have received that workers in the construction sector are part of these statistics. As an industry we have focussed a lot of our effort in the past at managing safety issues – recently we have realised that we need to give time to managing people’s wellbeing…. the slogan for the day is “ Mind Your Head”. 

For more information on how you can educate your employees on Mental Health please click here.

 

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

The fundamental principle is that personal protective equipment (PPE) should only be used as a last resort. The safety and health of employees must be first safeguarded by measures to eliminate workplace risks at source, through technical or organisational means (e.g by substituting hazardous chemical ) or by providing protection on a collective basis (e.g providing scaffolding instead of harnesses).

The employer has to make an assessment of the hazards in the workplace in order to identify the correct type of PPE to be provided and to ensure that PPE is appropriate to the risk. Care must be taken in selecting PPE as certain types give reasonably high levels of protection while others,  that may appear almost the same, give relatively low levels of protection. Source – Health and Safety Authority

 

If you would any further information on how you can be more safe or have questions please don’t hesitate to get in contact with us either by mailing info@elearn.ie or calling Tel +353 1 693 1421.