About This Sector
Care homes face a regulatory burden that few other sectors match. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspects both the quality of care and the safety of the environment. Health and safety failures in care homes do not just result in fines; they result in enforcement notices, rating downgrades, and in the worst cases, closure. Arinite provides Chartered health and safety consultants who understand both the health and safety legislation and the CQC framework, ensuring your care home is compliant under both regimes.
Sector-Specific Regulations
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 apply to all care homes. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires a fire risk assessment for all care home premises, with particular attention to sleeping risk (residents who may not be able to evacuate independently). The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) apply to cleaning chemicals, medications, and clinical waste. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 are critical given the frequency of patient handling. The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) require reporting of specified incidents. CQC Regulation 12 (Safe Care and Treatment) and Regulation 15 (Premises and Equipment) overlay additional requirements.
Common Compliance Failures We Find
These are the health and safety failures Arinite's consultants find most frequently in this sector:
Fire risk assessments that do not account for sleeping risk or residents with reduced mobility.
Manual handling risk assessments that are generic rather than resident-specific. Each resident with mobility needs requires an individual handling plan.
COSHH assessments missing for cleaning products, laundry chemicals, or medication handling.
No legionella risk assessment or water management plan despite hot and cold water systems serving vulnerable residents.
Accident and incident records that are incomplete or not analysed for trends, which CQC inspectors specifically review.
Staff training records that cannot demonstrate competence in manual handling, fire evacuation, infection control, or first aid.
Our Services for This Sector
Arinite's care home health and safety services include comprehensive risk assessments covering all care home activities, fire risk assessments with sleeping risk considerations, manual handling assessments and resident-specific handling plans, COSHH assessments for all hazardous substances, legionella risk assessments and water management plans, health and safety audits aligned with CQC Regulation 12 and 15 requirements, staff training for fire marshals, first aiders, manual handling, and health and safety awareness, and health and safety software for managing compliance documentation across multiple care home sites.
Book a Free Care Homes Gap Analysis Call
Book a free gap analysis call with one of our Chartered health and safety consultants. In 30 minutes, we will assess your current care homes health and safety arrangements and identify the compliance gaps that matter most.
