An Introduction to Health and Safety for Events London National Council 2015

Purpose of Training An introduction to some health and safety considerations for organising events. Share best practice examples of risk management Signpost you to further resources Answer any questions Encourage you to think about how to apply learnings to your own events

What do you need to think about to make an event safe? Introduction

Health and Safety Considerations Risk Assessments Insurance First Aid Qualifications Parental consent Medical conditions Photo consent Using external providers

Risk Assessments

Why is it important? Under the common law, voluntary organisations have a duty of care to each other and those who are affected by their activities. If something goes wrong, individuals could sue for damages using civil law. A risk assessment demonstrates that safety is paramount in the work that you do. Helps you know what to put in place to make the activity safer. Allows you to evaluate the overall risk of a specific activity or event and decide if it is OK to go ahead.

Risk Assessment Terminology Hazard Risk Control Measure Something with potential to cause harm E.g. Injury from fire The likelihood of harm occurring A way of reducing risk E.g. Keep fire exits clear, check smoke detectors are working

5 steps to Risk Assessment 1)Identify Hazards 2) Identify who may be harmed by the hazard and how 3) What controls can you put in place to limit exposure to the hazard 4) Evaluate the risk of exposure to hazard with the controls in place 5) Implement necessary actions if risk remains high

Now have a go at writing your own risk assessment!

Other considerations.. Do a site visit Ask someone to check your risk assessment Remember that a risk assessment is a live document Make sure you include who is responsible for actioning the controls Remember to do a dynamic risk assessment on the day

First Aid It is good practice to consider the following: Do any attendees have high levels of need Where is the nearest A & E Are there any first aiders on site Is there a first aid box Record all accidents and keep parents informed

Insurance All active local groups are insured by Arthur J Gallagher You can find out what is covered by this insurance scheme in the ‘Insurance for Local Groups’ document.Insurance for Local Groups’ Contact AJG if you want to do an activity that isn’t covered by the scheme.

What activities are you covered for? Coffee mornings Gymnastics Mountain Biking Christmas Party Bowling Residentials Crèche Youth Club Day Trips

Working with Partners Ensure that partners are insured by asking for their public liability Check to see if activity they provide is covered by local groups insurance It’s good practice to ask for a company’s risk assessment, however make sure that you still do your own If external partners are going to be working with children or young people for their DBS certificate

Consent Forms If children or young people attend an event without their parent or guardians you must use a consent form to collect the following information: Emergency contact number Additional Medical/behavioural information Photo consent Confirmation that there is no medical reason to prevent child from taking part in activity. If parents are present at event, it is important to communicate to them who is responsible for the children during the event.

Your action plan Following on from this training what 3 things are you going to implement to improve how you manage risk in your local group ?

Useful Resources A guide to planning a Youth Event

For further information Safe Network – Running safe events for children Safe Network – Toolbox resources for avoiding accidents, running safe activities and events Charity and Voluntary Organisations- A health and safety guideCharity and Voluntary Organisations- A health and safety guide (specific to NI) Catering Advice for Charity and community groups – Food standards agency Managing low risk for voluntary organisations – Health and safety Executive Health and Safety – Volunteering England

Any questions?