Hazard - A danger or risk
Danger - The possibility of suffering harm or injury: "his life was in danger". A person or thing that is likely to cause harm or injury: "drought is a danger".
Risk - A situation involving exposure to danger: "flouting the law was too much of a risk".
Potential Hazards in a nursery could be:
• Plugs that are not covered, Wires i.e. from a computer, radio, etc… This is a hazard because if the wire is exposed the child could touch it and be electrocuted.
• Cleaning products that are not locked away this links to COSHH because it states that all harmful should be locked away out of children’s reach.
• Choking hazards are toys with small parts that a child could put in their mouth and also sharp objects
• Un-sanitized equipment all objects in a nursery are to be sanitized to prevent the growth of bacteria and all members of staff should wash their hands regularly
• Preparing food/bottles this is in regards to the food safety regulation 1990 which states that all services used to prepare food are sanitized for safety to reduce cross contamination.
• Another potential hazard is poor staff training, because it means that they don’t have the right skills to help the children. This can lead to the member of staff injuring themselves or the children.
Staff training is key in all healthcare settings such as nurseries.
Potential hazards in a Hospital are:
Environmental, Mechanical/Biomechanical
Tripping hazards this could be wires trailing across the floor from different machines.
• Unsafe/unguarded equipment e.g. A storage cupboard left open the equipment could be harmful to someone's life.
• Slippery floors this should be shown by a wet floor sign so that they are alert that the floor is wet and they tread carefully.
• Cluttered or obstructed work areas/passageways this can make it difficult for people to walk around in corridors etc… and could delay treatment to a patient. •
Hospital