Working in a social care role, you will find many similar risks to those in your own home.

But…there will also be different risks. Plus you will have responsibilities at work which are legal requirements.

Each working environment will be different. There are lots of different situations, hazardous substances, risks and controls to reduce the risk of harm. You can make choices in your own home about how you work with hazardous substances but, in the workplace, you need to comply with Regulations.

You will need to consider, plan and practice coping with accidents, incidents and emergencies. Flip the pictures below to identify what this means:

You should seek further guidance from your organisation’s local policies and procedures.

Your organisation may also have a safety representative who can provide information and guidance. Your manager will be able to support you in providing information now and support in the event of an incident or emergency.  

With the knowledge you have gained from this course, if you are asked to use a product or do something hazardous in any type of social care work environment that has not been covered by a risk assessment and you have concerns, you must contact your manager to seek support.  Do not put yourself or others at the risk of harm!

If a serious incident occurs that involves a hazardous substance, you should contact the emergency services immediately for support.

• The European CLP Regulation provides more information about the classification and labelling of chemicals.
• You can download a free copy of the Workplace Explosure Limits.
• The HSE provide information about cleaning up body fluids.