Care happens in people's homes and care settings where health and safety protects both the people you support and you. Getting the basics right is a legal duty and a daily responsibility — and employers always check you understand it.
Your health & safety responsibilities
Under health and safety law (e.g. the Health and Safety at Work Act), both employer and worker have duties. Yours include: following training and procedures, using equipment and PPE correctly, reporting hazards, and never doing tasks you're not trained for.
Infection Prevention and Control (IPC)
Preventing the spread of infection is critical when supporting vulnerable people:
- Hand hygiene — the single most important measure: wash/sanitise before and after care, before food, after using the toilet, after removing gloves.
- PPE — gloves, aprons, masks as appropriate; put on and remove correctly and dispose of safely.
- Cleaning and waste — clean equipment/surfaces, handle clinical waste and laundry safely.
- Standard precautions — treat all blood/body fluids as potentially infectious.
Safe moving and handling
Poor moving and handling injures workers and people you support:
- Never lift a person manually where equipment (hoists, slide sheets) should be used.
- Follow the person's moving & handling plan and your training.
- Use good technique, check equipment, and get help — plan the move.
Risk assessment
Care balances safety with people's rights and independence (positive risk-taking). A risk assessment identifies hazards, who could be harmed, and sensible controls — enabling people to live their lives as safely as possible, not wrapping them in cotton wool.
Reporting accidents and incidents
- Report and record all accidents, incidents and near misses accurately and promptly.
- Certain serious events must be reported under RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations).
- Reporting isn't about blame — it keeps everyone safer.
Put it to work
List the moments hand hygiene is essential during a care visit, and one thing you'd never do without training. Then read medication awareness.