THE YOUNG FARMERS’ CLUBS OF ULSTER
Health and Safety Policy
PART B
Safety in Club and County Activities
Last Reviewed June 2008
This document must be read and understood in conjunction with the Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster Health and Safety Policy Part 1
‘Health and Safety at Work’ and cannot be taken in isolation.
1. Introduction
Young Farmers’ Clubs of Ulster (YFCU) provide opportunities for personal development and activities to a wide variety of young people based around rural community life. There is not only a responsibility but also an expectation that clubs, in particular the club leaders, will organise, conduct and manage their activities in a safe and healthy manner.
2. Objectives
The objectives of this policy are:
· To establish the requirement to comply with the Health and Safety (NI) Order and the associated regulations etc. as they apply to Clubs and their activities.
· To create an awareness of the roles and responsibilities of all club members regarding Health and Safety
· To establish the need to, and the advantage of, conducting risk assessments.
· To detail the components of an effective safety management system.
· To identify the role of qualifications and practical experience.
· To detail essential considerations when establishing leader/participant ratios.
· To establish the concept of supervision at a distance.
· To identify the requirement to provide appropriate and sufficient safety information.
3. Policy Statement
3.1 It is the policy of YFCU that all Staff, Clubs, County and Central committees should comply with the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work (NI) Order and subsequent legislation, regulations and codes of practice etc. and to provide and maintain a healthy and safe environment in which they may conduct activities
3.2 All members will be provided with such equipment, information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to implement the above policy and achieve the stated objectives.
4. Roles and Responsibilities
4.1 YFCU Headquarters has a responsibility to all County Committees and registered clubs operating as part of its organisational structure. Due to the structure and dispersion of the organisation this role is one of setting policy and providing advice.
4.2 The safety of members and others, who may be affected by any activity or undertaking, is the responsibility of the organising Committee or Club. Final and overall responsibility will normally rest with the Executive Committee, while operational responsibility will sit with the County or Club Committee and ultimately the County Chairman or Club Leader. While individual areas of safety may be assigned to appropriate individuals within the club/unit, overall responsibility cannot be delegated.
4.3 If using facilities and/or equipment of another club, organisation or individual, the user/organiser assumes full responsibility for it and must assure appropriateness and worthiness for the use to which it will be used as defined by an assessment of risk in its use. The County Chairman or club leader must ensure that the above requirement is met fully.
4.4 County and Club officials must ensure that they have a systematic method of risk assessment in place and the means to meet the requirement to reduce identified risk to a minimum.
4.5 Every County Committee/club must ensure that they have in place adequate safety management systems.
4.6 Club leaders and County Chairmen should ensure that adequate insurance arrangements are in place for every activity provided by the club or county committee and that any arrangements required by the insurers are adequately met.
4.7 While the officials and leaders of each county committee or club will do all that is within their ability to ensure the health and safety of its members, it is recognised that health and safety is the responsibility of each and every individual associated with the club or county committee. It is the duty of each individual to take reasonable care of their own safety and that of other people who may be affected by their activities, and to report any situation, which may pose a threat to the well being of any person.
4.8 County, Club officials or event organisers must ensure that proper fire drills are carried out and that members are aware of what to do and the assembly points to use in the case of fire.
4.9 Club Leaders are designated as being responsible for first aid and welfare issues. These responsibilities include:
· The location or provision and maintenance of a club first aid kit.
· That a first aid kit is available at all Club meetings, activities and outings.
· Ensuring that emergency contact numbers are available including the location of the nearest A&E Department to the activity taking place.(see Appendix1)
· Appropriate parental consent/medical forms are obtained for all Club meetings, activities and outings.
· Ensuring that officials adhere to good practice when organising club outings, day trips and residentials
· Recording and reporting all incidents/accidents to Headquarters using the accident/report form (Appendix2)
4.10 Club Leaders and County Chairmen must ensure that hired or borrowed transport is roadworthy and legal including:
· That the vehicle is properly taxed and insured
· Covered by a current MOT or PSV certificate
· That the driver is competent with a responsible attitude to driving others.
5. Safety Management System
Each Club or County Committee should have an overall safety management system which should include the following:
· A policy which creates a culture of overall safety.
· Organisation to turn this policy into practice.
· Adequate planning for safety which uses systematic methods.
· Monitoring safety to ensure that the planned actions happen and work effectively.
· A means of reviewing performance and providing feedback.
5.1 The safety arrangements should be appropriate to the undertakings of the club or County Committee and the extent of activity programmes offered.
5.2 There should be a clearly defined chain of responsibility through the membership, officials and the Committee Chairman or Club Leader for management of any activity and the control measures needed to ensure or enhance safety. There will be a need for the appropriate committee level to manage, monitor and review the control measures and the risk assessment they were based on, to ensure that these are and remain effective for the current activity and subsequent occasions that activity takes place.
5.3 The assessment of risks, identification of safety measures needed and management arrangements to give effect to those measures, should be based on sound knowledge (see below) of hazards and on accepted good practice as to what is reasonably practicable to ensure safety.
5.4 The practical management of safety should be undertaken by, one or more competent persons who have sufficient knowledge of safety matters in relation to the item/s being assessed. Different people may have expertise and /or experience of different aspects of activities, equipment, venues etc. All of which can be put to good use as long as someone is able to take an overview of the total arrangements for safety.
6. Risk Assessment
Risk Assessment provides the primary means to identify and reduce any hazard (anything with the potential to cause harm) that may impinge upon people and may include activities, equipment and location/or property.
· The risk assessment should provide the means to identify who might be harmed and how. It will also provide a method of evaluating the risk and deciding whether existing measures are adequate or more should be done.
· It is essential that risk assessments are subject to a review process whereby the assessment is revised at appropriate times.
· The significant findings should be set out in an appropriate form along with the measures and arrangements relating to it.
· The scope of risk assessment should be sufficient to identify the significant risk (not trivial) arising from the activity. It should be suitable to enable the activity provider to identify and prioritise the measures that need to be taken to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety of members or others who may be affected by the County/club or individual members activity.
7. Qualifications and Experience
7.1 The purpose of qualifications and experience is to provide the means whereby the leader/s can or have been able to demonstrate competence. Qualifications may not available or compulsory for every activity, nor is there a definitive list of qualifications that YFC Leaders and officials should hold. If however, qualifications for a particular activity are compulsory, a list of suitably qualified members should be kept and updated as required by any relevant re-accreditation schemes or as new qualifications become available and old ones become redundant.
7.2 Experience is also important, a person who holds the right qualifications but has little practical experience may be less able to advise on matters of safety than someone with extensive relevant experience who does not hold one of the recognised qualifications. In such circumstance it will be necessary to decide who is the most competent to provide the best advice.
7.3 Holders of the specified qualifications should be technically competent to take charge of and be responsible for the safety of a group during an activity without being directly supervised. This does not mean that they must conduct the session without the necessary assistance or support for the activity or the level of hazard but must be able to take charge and have overall control and responsibility. The level of hazard will be dependent on the prevailing conditions and the nature of the activity. Higher levels of experience or qualification might be required for example if the activity involves novice club members. Conversely there may be cases where lower levels of competence would be sufficient and acceptable, for example where the activity is at the lower margins of hazard level, where an activity is at a level not catered for by a nationally available qualification or where a well-controlled limited site or route is used frequently.
7.4 Some qualifications require periodic re-accreditation, are site specific or have other endorsements. Clubs/County Committees should ensure that the qualifications of members or others offering themselves as ‘qualified instructors or assessors, are valid at all times and that appropriate records are kept
7.5 Where in-house training, rather than an externally assessed qualification is used in order to provide the evidence of competence required, the syllabus/programme should be specified by someone holding the equivalent national qualification, furthermore the trainers and assessors should be approved by a similarly qualified person. The assessor should, preferably not be the same person as the trainer.
8. Instructor/participant ratios
8.1 When planning an activity or event, the leader/s should specify number of participants they will accept per group. The leader/instructor retains the authority to reduce this number in light of differing conditions and/or capabilities of the members. The guidance of relevant national governing bodies should be taken into account. Instructor/participant ratios should cater for factors identified through risk assessment and take account of:
· The hazard level of the undertaking.
· The ages, abilities and competence of members.
· The experience and competence of the leader/s and any assistants.
8.2 Accompanying leaders or adults may be taken into account provided that they can demonstrate the necessary competencies.
Groups of younger members should be directly supervised by a group leader and, where necessary, sufficient assistants to achieve a suitable leader/member ratio.
9. Supervision From a Distance
9.1 Where older or more experienced members are sufficiently competent to take a higher level of responsibility or a leadership role within group, procedures must be in place to ensure that the instructor/leader responsible for the group has personal knowledge
that the members are sufficiently trained and experienced and have the necessary competence to undertake the activity. The leader should also define the level of individual responsibilities, and ensure that this information is disseminated and understood.
10. Safety Information
10.1 Clubs must have in place sufficient means to ensure that leaders and participating members are given, in a comprehensible and relevant form, the information they need about the safety measures and arrangements.
10.2 All leaders and members must be suitably briefed on the correct use of any personal safety equipment or procedures. For trips, visits and off site activities, everyone participating should be briefed on all relevant safety issues. This is especially important for activities where machinery, equipment or livestock are involved. The arrangements should provide a means to ensure the information has been clearly understood. Additional special arrangements may be needed for members with special needs. For visits, expeditions, off site activities, trips away from home etc. and/or any other occasion deemed necessary, a documented emergency/contingency plan should be produced and a copy left with someone who has the authority to initiate it if necessary.
11. Summary
As a membership organisation YFCU places great importance on the safety and well being of all its members, associates, staff and the numerous individuals who help to provide the programme of activities. The duty of care placed on all levels of the organisation provides a platform from which a proactive and positive attitude to health and safety can be promoted. The continued safety of individual members is a realistic objective, which YFCU sees as an integral part of the philosophy of the organisation.
Appendix1
List of Northern Ireland Hospitals with Accident and Emergency facilities.
Please note this list is current as of November 2004 and is subject to closures etc.
Clubs are advised to use this list as guidance only and should check out the nearest A & E to remove any possibility for confusion in the event of an incident.
Clubs are also encouraged to check out the location and telephone number of any “out of hours” Doctor service available in their area and have this available at club events and activities should an incident arise.
It is recommended that the information for your area is posted on the club notice board for all members to see along with the person in your club who is responsible for looking after and maintaining the first aid kit.
Please remember in the event of a serious accident members should phone 999 and ask for an ambulance.
Altnagelvin Area Hospital, Londonderry / 028 7134 5171Antrim Area Hospital / 028 9442 4000
Belfast City Hospital / 028 9032 9241
Causway Hospital, Coleraine / 028 7032 7032
Craigavon Area Hospital / 028 3833 4444
Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry / 028 3083 5000
Downe Hospital, Downpatrick / 028 4461 3311
Erne Hospital, Enniskillen / 028 6638 2000
Lagan Valley Hospital, Lisburn / 028 9266 5141
Mater Hospital, North Belfast / 028 9074 1211
Mid Ulster Hospital, Magherafelt / 028 7963 1031
Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast / 028 9024 0503
Tyrone County Hospital, Omagh / 028 8283 3100
Ulster Hospital, Dundonald, Belfast / 028 9048 4511
Appendix 2