NG Healthcare Staff Handbook

Your safety – staying safe

Yellow Bags with black stripes – Incontinence pads. Plain Orange – Soiled or infected dressings, blood specimens / swabs. Red sluice bags – Foul laundry. Sharps boxes – Needles, razor blades. Laundry staff should place the red sluice bags unopened, directly into the washing machine, as they are designed to break up during the washing process. Please ensure soiled pads are kept from the Laundry.

Good housekeeping should be prevalent at all times.

CHEMICAL SAFETY - COSHH

Chemicals are ubiquitous and are used in an enormous range of applications throughout the company.

Many chemical exposures are potentially harmful to your health and may jeopardise your safety. Depending upon the toxicity and concentration, the effects of chemical exposures may be immediate (e.g. Acid Burn) or long term (e.g. occupational cancer). Therefore, controlling your exposure to hazardous substances is paramount. The main bodies of legislation associated with chemicals are, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH), which place a duty on employers to assess the risks to health arising from exposure to hazardous substances at work and to prevent or control exposure. As with all types of safety management, the over-riding goal in managing chemicals and all aspects of chemical safety is for Units to develop systems that effectively control the risks of harm to the health and safety of employees and others, who may be affected by Unit undertakings. Advice, appropriate guidance and support is available on all aspects of chemical safety.

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