Health and social care work places have what is called a duty of care towards the people they look after that means they must do everything possible that they can to keep the people they care for safe from harm. It is not only the work place that needs to prioritise the safety, welfare and interests of the people using this service but also the care workers, care workers must also have a duty of care towards other staff members to ensure that all working conditions are safe and suitable to deliver the best service they can.
It also means being a responsible care giver for other people maybe someone who is too old, ill or mentally unfit to care for him of herself and requires another person to assist them on a daily basis, this could include helping the persons hygiene, safety, meals or other medical and physical needs until they are met to the high standards the person is happy with.
Duty of care affects the way people work as the employer provides the policies, procedures and ways of being aware of any dangers by carrying out risk assessments. Social care workers and care organisations must do as much as possible to keep individuals safe from harm, we do these risk assessments by looking for either a hazard which is an actual or potential danger such as a chemical or process that may lead to an accident, also risks which is a situation that exposes to a hazard and carrying the possibilities that something unpleasant will occur.
Anyway hope this helps.