Residential care homes ‘routinely’ breaching fire regulations 07 July
2011   
Care homes are routinely breaching fire safety legislation and putting
thousands of elderly and disabled residents at risk, says a report in the
Guardian.  135 care homes were the subject of enforcement action by fire and rescue  services between January 2010 and March 2011, according to responses to freedom  of information requests from 37 out of 46 fire services in England.
 Hazards included inadequate alarms, blocked escape routes, damaged and
dangerous equipment and untrained staff.  About 90% of the homes concerned are privately owned, the vast majority by  small, one-home operators, says the article.  Residential care homes are increasingly under financial pressure as a result  of the squeeze by local authorities on the fees they pay them.

Responding to the news, a spokesperson for the Alzheimer’s Society said older
people, especially those with dementia, need more time to understand what is
happening around them and to negotiate fire exits.  One manager, who took charge of a care home after it had been issued with an enforcement notice, told the newspaper that staff often do not understand the  risks involved:

"When I first took over the home, there were no risk assessments or training
in fire safety. Staff and residents often have no idea what to do in the event
of the alarm sounding and stand there looking at one another. Many aren't able
to detect from the fire alarm panel whereabouts in the building the fire is
located."


In March this year, additional guidance for
operators of residential care premises was published to enhance existing
government guidance. In April, a fatal accident enquiry in Scotland concluded
that some or all of the deaths of 14 residents at the Rosepark care home fire
in 2004 were avoidable.
 

CSM have just arranged a meeting with someone who has been dismissed for abuse, we hope to find out the root issues which caused the abuse in the first place, find out there back ground etc.
We plan to attempt to get as many interviews as possible and hopefully find a pattern which will lead us into developing a screening tool for use in interviews or perhaps mentoring and supervisions.
Will keep you posted.

We at CSM have had enough, all over the papers and news one of the main topics we hear is abuse, abuse of the elderly, abuse of children & someone with learning disabilities being abused. What the hell is going on????????????
Anyone interested in this subject can research it quite well on the internet or in books, perhaps even attend a local training session on the subject, they give you all the different types of abuse and what to look for under each heading, "brilliant" we can all become experts in abuse awareness "whilst were interested".
I remember receiving POVA training years ago, this was great, I had my thoughts on what abuse was but this really opened my eyes, I can see that training is a vital part of any carers role , after all, if you dont know what to look for you wont see it. Yes awareness is vital, so lets have our annual  2 hour training session with our peers, its a shame money is so tight because we have had this DVD and the same trainer for the past 4 years, I hope they are upto date, they must be, musnt they????
I look around the room and I see people from all walks of life. theres all ages here, some retired, some not long left school by the looks of it, I see an ex soldier and even an ex teacher, such a variety of people and experience.  We need to ask ourselves "why", why are these people hear, is it because they genually care????
I hear it so many times now days "If I cant get a job I'll go into care work, they take anybody" how sad is this, just anybody trying for a care job because they cant find anything else.

Here lies the problem, people working with vulnerable people because they have to, not because they want to.  The training is the same old same old, its delivered once a year and not heard of in between. Managers hear cases of abuse and are scared to deal with it because of the massive pressures to put bums in beds, after all they are a business arent they.

So, CSM will be looking at who abuses, why they abuse and who they abuse, yes we need to know what to look for "the signs" but we plan to delve into WHO and WHY, we plan to interview confessed abusers to see if a pattern occurs, we need to have a screen in place to filter the potential abusers out, enhansed interview techniques.

Care staff must be held accountable, lets have them registered, give them the recognition they deserve and perhaps the turn over might not be as high so we dont have to always recruit and just get people in the door.
Lets have ABUSE champions....more to come on this subj

At CSM we strive to keep you updated with the most current H&S issues within the care setting.
We are currently formulating a fire safety training programme for your clients.
Due to our extensive experience within this setting we aim to deliver a package specifically for the learning disability sector, the course will be delivered at a level of understanding that will cater for all those wishing to broaden their understanding of the importance of following your H&S procedures, what to do in the event of a fire alarm sounding or should they disvover a fire.
It is hoped that the course will give them a little ownership of their responsibilities, they will recive a certificate of attendance and some light refreshments, key workers or family welcome.

Should any of you readers have any suggestions kindly, comment on this page and I will get back to you

Summary for 2010/11

• The provisional figure for the number of workers fatally injured  in 2010/11
  is 171, and corresponds to a rate of fatal injury of 0.6 per 100 000 workers.
  


• Given that these statistics are based on a count of events that  are rare,
  they are highly subject to chance variation from one year to the  next.
  Therefore, when seeking to use the data to make inferences about changes  in the
  inherent dangerousness of work conditions, it is necessary to look at  trends
  over a number of years. The incorporation of the 2010/11 data into the  time
  series  reinforces an  underlying downward trend.


• The figure of 171 worker deaths in 2010/11 is 17% lower than the  average
  for the past five years (205). In terms of the rate of fatal injuries,  the
  latest figure of 0.6 per 100 000 workers is 14% lower  than the five-year
  average rate of 0.7.


• The finalised figure for the number of workers fatally injured in 2009/10 is
  147, and corresponds to a rate of 0.5 deaths per 100 000 workers.


• Eurostat have made a comparison of the fatal injury rates  across EU
  countries. This reveals that the fatal injury rate for Great Britain is
  consistently one of the lowest  in Europe, These data can be found on the Eurostat
    website  [3]. From the 'Data  Navigation Tree' select
  'Population and social conditions'; then 'Health';  'Health and safety at work';
  'Accidents at work’.)


• There were 68 members of the public fatally injured in accidents  connected
  to work in 2010/11 (excluding railways-related incidents).

Worker fatalities by main industry *

• In agriculture there were 34 fatal injuries in 2010/11 with
  a corresponding rate of 8.0 deaths  per 100 000 workers. This compares to a rate
  of 9.6 when an average of the  previous five years is examined.


• In construction there were 50 fatal injuries, with a rate
  of 2.4 deaths per 100 000 workers.  This compares to an average rate of 2.8 for
  the previous five years.


• In manufacturing there were 27 fatal injuries, with a rate
  of 1.1 deaths per 100 000 workers  (the same rate as the average for the
  previous five years).


• In the services sector  there were 47 fatal injuries, with
  a rate of 0.2 deaths per 100 000 workers. (the  same rate as the average for the
  previous five years).


• In the waste and  recycling industry (categorised using SIC
  divisions 38 and 39) there were nine  fatal injuries, with a rate of 8.7 deaths
  per 100 000 workers. This compares to  an average rate of 7.0 for the previous
  five years.

* Statistics presented by industry use the Standard Industrial
Classification (SIC) system, which has recently changed from 'SIC 2003' to 'SIC
2007'. These statistics are presented on the new basis, with data for previous
years converted to the new classification.  Changes of this nature occur
periodically, to reflect how the industrial composition of the economy changes
over time. More detail and the implications for these statistics can be found in
the   full-year details[4] page.

Friday 08 July 2011

Business owners and companies contracted to provide Fire Risk Assessments to  businesses are being advised to pay greater attention to Fire Safety legislation  following the sentencing of two Mansfield men at Nottingham Crown Court  today.
David Liu, who runs The Dial Hotel and Market Inn, both in Market Place,
Mansfield, was jailed for 8 months and ordered to pay £15,000 costs after
pleading guilty to 15 Fire Safety offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire
Safety) Order 2005.  
John O’Rourke, who runs Mansfield Fire Protection Services, Mansfield, was
also jailed for 8 months and was ordered to pay £5,862.38 after he pleaded
guilty to two breaches of Fire Safety requirements in relation to the inadequacy
of Fire Risk Assessments he provided for Mr Liu’s hotels. 
The Judge said that the time had come to send out a message to those who
conduct Fire Risk Assessments and to hoteliers who are prepared to put profit
before safety.  
Fire Protection Officers from Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service had
visited both premises and found that the fire precautions which should have been provided to protect residents and employees in the event of a fire were
inadequate. This presented a serious risk to the lives to Mr Liu’s customers and
staff, so they issued prohibition notices preventing any further use of both
premises as hotels until suitable improvements had been made.
Mr Liu was prosecuted because he was the responsible person for both
premises, and failed to make sure they were safe for customers staying there. Mr O’Rourke was prosecuted because he carried out Fire Risk Assessments at both hotels, but those assessments were wholly inadequate.
Today Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service is reminding all owners and
occupiers of buildings of their legal responsibility to protect their customers
and staff against the risk of fire and warning them that, where necessary,
action will be taken against anyone found to be in breach of Fire Safety
regulations.
Ian Taylor, Fire Protection Group Manager at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue  Service, said: “It is a legal requirement for places of work to have a Fire Risk  Assessment. Guidance on Fire Risk Assessment and Fire Safety measures
appropriate for different types of premises are available on the Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service  website and also on that of the Department for Communities and  Local Government. The guides are to assist employers to undertake a Fire Risk  Assessment. 
“If employers are unsure about their own ability to undertake a Fire Risk
Assessment within their premises they should seek advice from a competent
person. Further Fire Safety advice and guidance upon all types of premises is
available at http://www.communities.gov.uk/fire/firesafety/firesafetylaw/
Help regarding Fire Safety in non-domestic premises is available from
Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service Fire Safety advice line on 0115 957 5231  or email fireprotection@notts-fire.gov.uk
.

Hi to any of you reading my first blog.
I will endeaver to post any interestings news and any updates relevent to my services in here for your perusal.
Thank you for taking the time to look through my site.
Martin