Health and Safety Policy

General Statement of Intent

Rainbow Pooch Pride attaches the greatest importance to health and safety matters and undertakes to provide a safe and healthy working environment, in compliance with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and all other relevant regulations. To meet its responsibilities, attention will be paid to the provision and maintenance of:

Safe and healthy systems and working environments
Information, instruction, and training in safety matters
Safety procedures to follow in an emergency

This policy will be kept up to date as legislation changes and as the organisation grows and will be reviewed annually.

Organisation – Duties and Responsibilities

1. Responsibility for the Health and Safety Policy and Practice

This is a shared responsibility between the Management Committee of Rainbow Pooch Pride and any paid freelancers/contractors, volunteers, visitors, and members. Whilst Rainbow Pooch Pride’s Management Committee will have the overall responsibility to ensure that the health and safety policy and practices are implemented, any individual engaging in activity with the organisation holds personal responsibility for themselves and those they engage with. The day-to-day responsibility will be with the Project Manager who will report to the management committee at its quarterly meetings. Penalties for breaches in health and safety legislation can be severe.

2. Duties of the Management Committee

The Management Committee will meet no less than four times a year and review any changes to the health and safety policy and practices.

It will also be the responsibility of the Management Committee to oversee the work of the Project Manager who will provide a report to the meetings.

3. Duties of the Responsible Person

The duties of the Project Manager are:

To report to the management committee on all health & safety issues
To liaise with freelancers/contractors, volunteers, visitors and members on relevant health and safety issues
To implement the health and safety policy and practices and review these at least once a year
To ensure risk assessments are carried out as required
To investigate any potential hazards and dangerous occurrences
To make sure that any hazards are mitigated, or equipment replaced where necessary
To investigate any health and safety-related grievances and complaints made by the freelancers/contractors, volunteers, visitors, and members, and to forward these to the Management Committee
Where necessary to ensure freelancers/contractors are supplied with a First Aid box and that is adequately stocked and routinely checked.
To ensure that freelancers/contractors delivering activity have been briefed on any necessary fire/emergency/evacuation procedures
To organise any health and safety training requirements for freelancers/contractors and volunteers
To keep any necessary information on health and safety and make it available to any management committee member, freelancer/contractor, volunteer, visitor, or member who wishes to see it

4. Duties of First Aiders

To ensure that First Aid Certificates are current and up to date
To provide first aid as and when required
To provide advice on first aid matters as and when appropriate

5. Duty of Freelancers and Contractors

The Health and Safety at Work Act lays down certain duties for self employed people that provide a service to an organisation. In particular, they have a duty to:

Work safely, efficiently and without endangering the health and safety of themselves or anybody else working at, engaging with, or visiting Rainbow Pooch Pride’s activities/events
Adhere to all safety procedures and/or instructions laid down by the organisation
Report all accidents, ‘near-miss occurrences’ and any other hazardous situations to the Project Manager
Where necessary, wear safety and protective clothing or use protective equipment and safety devices as instructed
Meet any other statutory safety obligations including that laid down in Section 8 of the Act, which states that ‘no person shall intentionally or recklessly interfere with or misuse anything provided in the interests of health, safety or welfare’
Ensure they read and comply with the Health & Safety policy
When provided with a First Aid box, ensure that it is regularly checked and report to the Project Manager when it needs to be restocked

5. Volunteers

Work safely, efficiently and without endangering the health and safety of themselves or anybody else working at, engaging with, or visiting Rainbow Pooch Pride’s activities/events
Adhere to all safety procedures and/or instructions laid down by the organisation
Report all accidents, ‘near-miss occurrences’ and any other hazardous situations to the Project Manager
Where necessary, wear safety and protective clothing or use protective equipment and safety devices as instructed
Meet any other statutory safety obligations including that laid down in Section 8 of the Act, which states that ‘no person shall intentionally or recklessly interfere with or misuse anything provided in the interests of health, safety or welfare’
Ensure they read and comply with the Health & Safety policy
To report any injuries, strains or illnesses you suffer as a result of doing your job, your employer may need to change the way you work

6. Visitors and Members

To take responsible care of your own health and safety to take reasonable care not to put other people at risk by what you do or don’t do whilst engaging in activities with the organsiation.
Follow the organisation’s health and safety policy and any instruction related to health and safety
Not to interfere with or misuse anything that’s been provided for your health, safety or welfare
To report any injuries, strains or illnesses you suffer as a result of engaging in activities with the organisation

Arrangements

The following are general arrangements for implementation, which are set out alphabetically for ease of reference.

Accidents

Accident Reporting

All accidents, no matter how small, must be properly reported. This should be done even if it appears that no injury has been received. Additionally, individuals engaged with the organisation must report ‘near misses’ or potential hazards to the Project Manager to ensure situations are investigated and preventive action taken where required. An appropriate Accident log is kept by the Project Manager.

Under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985 (RIDDOR) the following must be reported to the Management Committee immediately:

If somebody dies or is seriously injured in an accident
If there is a ‘dangerous occurrence’

Action to be Taken in the Event of an Accident

In the event of a minor accident, assistance should be sought from a first aider/appointed person and details entered in the accident book.

If the accident is such that the resultant injury cannot be dealt with by a first aider, the casualty should immediately attend the Accident and Emergency department of the nearest hospital.

If the injury is such that assistance and/or constant attention is required, the first aider / appointed person will send for an ambulance. If the person is seriously injured and/or unconscious, the ambulance service must be called.

Accident Prevention

The prevention of accidents is essential to the efficient operation of the organisation. Risk assessments, monitoring and improving procedures, any additional training anticipated by both the Management Committee and Project Manager will be utilised to contribute to the prevention of accidents.

Accident Investigation

All accidents should be preventable. The Project Manager will investigate the circumstances of any accident, or near miss, whereupon a full report will be given. Where possible, steps will be taken to reduce the possibility of a similar accident/incident occurring.

Fire/Emergency/Evacuation Procedures

A detailed Risk Assessment will be undertaken for each activity/event. In the cases of an emergency situation, any person at the scene should dial 999 and request the appropriate emergency service(s). Where one has been communicated, assemble at the designated area. Do not leave this area until given permission to do so. Visitors are the responsibility of the individual they have come to see. Only when the ‘all clear’ has been given should anyone return to the activity/event. The Project Manager should be informed as soon as possible, so that an early investigation may be undertaken. Where an accident has occurred and is reportable under RIDDOR, no alteration to the site of the accident/emergency other than in the interests of safety should be made until

advised to do so by the Project Manager as a Health and Safety Executive may need to be involved.

First Aid

First Aid Boxes

First aid boxes will be provided where necessary and maintained by a nominated First aider. It will be the responsibility of the First aider who uses the box to ensure that it is re-stocked. The Project Manager will check the contents of the boxes twice a year.

First Aid Training

A nucleus of individuals will be trained in first aid. It is essential for anyone providing first aid to observe hygiene guidelines. Gloves are provided in all first aid boxes, and these must be worn at all times when dealing with accidents involving contact with body fluids.

Hazard Reporting

The management committee, freelancers/contractors, volunteers, visitors and members are encouraged to be vigilant and report any hazards to the Project Manager. Where possible steps will be taken to eliminate the hazard, where this is not possible it should be reduced to the lowest level.

Induction

All individuals engaged with the organisation will be made aware of the Health and Safety policy and given role-appropriate inductions.

Manual Handling

Rainbow Pooch Pride will meet its obligations under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 which places duties upon employers in respect of their own employees. Identical duties are placed on the self-employed in

respect of their own safety. If it is established through the risk assessment process that manual handling will be an issue for any individual, voluntary or paid, then the Project Manager should give basic awareness training in relation to manual handling.

Personal Safety

Rainbow Pooch Pride has a legal duty to minimise peoples’ exposure to harm whilst delivering the activities of Rainbow Pooch Pride. Personal safety includes more than just the risk of physical violence. Freelancers/contractors, volunteers, visitors, and members may face verbal and/or mental abuse, discrimination, threatening behaviour, bullying, even ostracism. Anyone who has concerns regarding their personal safety should discuss this with the Project Manager immediately.

Pregnancy

Under the Management of Health and Safety Regulations Regulation 16 Rainbow Pooch Pride is required to carry out a specific risk assessment of for pregnant individual engaged with the organisation. Taking appropriate measures as a result. There is a duty on the new or expectant pregnant person to notify Rainbow Pooch Pride in writing of their condition.

Records

Information relating to accidents must be recorded in the accident books. Information relating to fire safety must be kept in the fire safety logbooks. Information relating to training and occupational health issues will be kept on individual personal files. Personal files will be kept confidential at all times and in a locked filing cabinet.

Risk Management

The following guidelines have been provided for information and advice only.

Principles

The purpose of a risk assessment is to identify the measures needed to protect freelancers/contractors, volunteers, visitors, and members who may be affected by the risk.

All individuals engaged with the delivery of Rainbow Pooch Pride activities are encouraged to be vigilant and report any hazards to the Project Manager. They are encouraged to adopt the following protective and preventive measures:

Where possible, avoid risk altogether
Reduce unavoidable risk to a minimum
Adapt work practices to minimise adverse effects on health and safety
Give priority to measures which protect everyone engaged with the organisation.
Encourage and promote an active health and safety culture within Rainbow Pooch Pride

Scope

All events/activities organised by Rainbow Pooch Pride require a risk assessment, as does any Rainbow Pooch Pride physical contribution to an event organised by a third party. All risk assessments are to be sent to the Project Manager who will maintain a register.

Training

The Project Manager will arrange for any individual engaged with the delivery of Rainbow Pooch Pride activities, to undertake any health and safety training which may be specific to an individual’s work activity. The responsibility for implementing this programme will be the Project Manager.

Security

The importance of building security cannot be overstated. Anyone engaging with Rainbow Pooch Pride activities/events are to take care of personal belongings, particularly handbags, wallets, and purses. Rainbow Pooch Pride cannot accept responsibility for these items.

All visitors must be authorised by the Project Manager, who will identify a responsible person always deemed responsible for the visitor’s safety during their visit. All individuals should be made aware of visitors engaging with Rainbow Pooch Pride activities/events. Where the Project Manager deems a situation to be a risk, appropriate action may be taken.

Smoking

Under the Smoke free premises legislation 2006 (England) and 2007 (Wales) smoking is not permitted on premises or property, including car parks, yards and the like. Individuals engaged with Rainbow Pooch Pride activities/events are required to adhere to this legislation.

Summary

It is Rainbow Pooch Pride’s policy to consult all individuals engaged with the delivery of Rainbow Pooch Pride activities on health and safety matters. Any individual engaged with the organisation disregarding the health and safety policy, procedures, or requirements, or found to be encouraging others to do so, will be dealt with under the Rainbow Pooch Pride disciplinary procedures.

Further Information

Environmental Health Offices

Can be contacted for advice if they are your enforcing body. Their telephone number is in your telephone directory under the Local Authority section.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

Tel: 0845 345 0055

www.hse.gov.uk

This site gives you an overview about the HSE, its activities and the information it can provide to you.