A3.4 How to deal with situations that can occur in a health or science environment that could cause harm to self or others (for example, spillage of hazardous material)

Qualification: T Level Technical Qualification in Health
Unit: Core
Learning outcome: A3: Health, safety and environmental regulations in the health and science sector
Assessment criteria: A3.4 How to deal with situations that can occur in a health or science environment that could cause harm to self or others (for example, spillage of hazardous material)

• There may be situations in your workplace where harm could be caused to yourself or others, so it is essential that you know what to do should this arise
• Your employer should have agreed ways of working (e.g. policies, procedures, risk assessments etc.) that describe what should be done – these should be followed
• The safety of yourself and others should take priority (e.g. evacuating individuals from a burning building should take priority over tackling the blaze)
• It may be necessary to secure the area to prevent people from accessing it. The method of security should be proportional to the situation – for example, if someone vomits in the toilet, a ‘do not enter’ sign may be appropriate until it is cleaned but if there is a chemical spill, it may require that doors are locked to prevent people entering
• All harmful situations should be recorded and reported to the appropriate person(s). If you feel that the person you initially reported the concern to is not addressing it appropriately, it may be escalated to higher management. In extreme cases of negligent management, concerns may be reported the environment agency (whistleblowing).