Risk Assessment Policy Handbook

Risk Assessment Policy Handbook

Risk Assessment
Policy
Handbook
for Students

BA (Hons) Media, Communication & Cultural Studies
BA (Hons) Journalism, Media & Culture
BA (Hons) Film & Media
MA Media and Journalism

MA Media and Public Relations

MA International Multi Media Journalism
in the

School of Arts and Cultures

By David Baines Chris Falzon

Media Lecturer Multimedia Practitioner

With thanks to Carol Camsell, Newcastle University Assistant Safety Officer, Jim Beaman, Surrey Institute, BBC Radio Training, BBC Radio Solent, National Union of Journalists, Periodicals Training Council, Broadcast Journalism Training Council, Freedom Forum Europe, Reporters Sans Frontieres, UK Press Gazette, Reed Publishing, Chris Frost, Professor of Journalism, John Moores University.

Introduction………….………...... page 2
Safety First………….……………… ... page 3
Action………….………….………… ... page 4
General Guidelines……………..… …. page 5
Types of Activity Risk…………..... …. page 6
Particular Precautions…………..… ... page 7
The Activity Journal…………...... … ... page 13

Injuries and Accidents…………….. ... page 13
App1: Activity Record Details…...... page 14

App2: Consent & Release Form…. ... page 15

App3: Risk Assessment Form……. ... page 16

Introduction

It is the responsibility of the university and each student engaged in media content gathering to ensure they remain safe and they do not expose others to danger. No assignment is worth injury or worse and so risk assessment is a crucial part of any news gathering operation.

Later in these guidelines, activities are divided into low, medium or high risk levels and it is worth pointing out at the very beginning that YOU ARE FORBIDDEN WHILST STUDYING AT THIS UNIVERSITY TO UNDERTAKE A HIGH RISK ACTIVITIES IN ORDER TO PRODUCE MATERIAL FOR YOUR COURSE.

Ø  Any high risk work submitted for assessment will be marked at zero and potentially the whole project will be marked at zero.

Ø  Disregarding this instruction may be considered a disciplinary action.

Professional journalists and media producers who are sometimes called on to cover high risk stories and activities are working with a news desk or other professional body, and have the full support of a media organisation which is usually operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is not appropriate to take such risks while you are learning your professional practices.

This handbook and the procedures it outlines are intended to help you to take an approach to every media content gathering assignment which all the best professional journalists and media producers adopt - think ahead and plan for any risks.

These guidelines categorise assignments as low, medium and high risk and give examples of each. It is anticipated that students will, as a matter of course, cover only low risk activities. If you wish to cover a medium risk activity you must carry out a full risk assessment and obtain permission from your tutor or module leader following full discussions. It is worth repeating here that high risk assignments are not to be undertaken.

Ø  A risk assessment is simply a careful examination of what, in your work, could cause harm to you and other people, so that you can weigh up whether you have taken enough precautions or should do more to prevent harm.

The general hazards involved in a low risk assignment will be explained to you before you are allowed to go out and report. As you become more confident and occasionally cover medium risk stories, you will need to consider the slightly more unusual potential hazards you might face.

Safety First

You MUST COMPLETE a risk assessment form (Appendix 3 on page 16, also on BlackBoard) before you go out to gather information, interview, film, photograph and record audio material. Thinking about possible risks in advance of your media content gathering will help you to identify potential hazards and avoid them. Forward planning and thinking about what you are going to do and how you are going to do it is crucial.

If you are filming or recording sound, think carefully about the environment and circumstances you will be working in. If you are working in public places, be aware of the dangers of people tripping over cables, your tripod, if you are using one, and/or your kit bag. Children are particularly unpredictable.

Ø  HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENTS:

§  Unguarded roofs or other high places – NEVER work in such areas.

§  Near water – risk assess, wear flotation if deep. NEVER work alone. NEVER work near fast-flowing water unless you are behind railings. NEVER film in floods – it is too unpredictable.

§  Moving traffic – stay on the pavement, wear high visibility jackets (they are available from a storage cupboard in the Culture Lab – please ask CL Staff for further information and put back when you have finished with them) if appropriate and NEVER work alone.

If there are two or more of you on a shoot, divide responsibilities sensibly between you.

Ø  NEVER track backwards unless someone is guiding you, keeping watch, and keeping hold of your belt / waistband.

Think about the handling and transportation of your kit. Don’t overload yourself. Handheld filming is tiring so make sure you take breaks, or put the camera on a tripod for periods.

Ø  ALWAYS make sure that someone else knows where you are, and that you are contactable on location - ideally by mobile phone. (See below)

You need to know that there is someone you can call if you need to. If circumstances change while you are out filming, make sure you inform your module tutor / leader before undertaking anything potentially hazardous that you did not previously anticipate.

If you have any safety concerns about your shoot, raise them beforehand with your tutor so that you can make sure you are equipped properly and can film safely.

Ø  NEVER work alone with video / audio recording equipment if conducting interviews, vox pops or filming in the street.

Working solo should be confined to gathering material in a controlled environment - such as a public / university library or archive, or a canteen where you and your subjects are seated.

But when you are working solo your awareness, both physical and mental, is severely reduced, so you must be sensible about what you can achieve. Because of the potential hazards and problems there are restrictions on what you should to do when out filming solo.

Ø  If you are filming, keep your shoot to static general views, and simple pieces to camera or interviews.

Ø  Never track backwards while filming on your own.

Ø  While you are concentrating on what you are filming / recording (such as wearing headphones, using a viewfinder or focused on a monitor screen) – think carefully about your surroundings, and make sure you are in as controlled an environment as possible

Action

The actions you must take for every activity are as follows:

·  Enter details of the story/activity, who you are to see, where and when, (full recordable details are in Appendix 1 on page 14) in the Activity Journal on Blackboard. (To access this and for more information on its use, see the ‘Activity Journal’ section on page 13).

·  Use the consent and release form (see Appendix 2 on page 15) if you are producing recorded content of any identifiable individuals.

·  If there are particular hazards, or if the activity is of medium risk, fill out a risk assessment form (see Appendix 3 on page 16) and discuss these with the module leader.

·  Checking in: Before going out on the story/shoot – even if you are working in pairs - you must:

Ø  Notify a colleague on the course to act as your ‘safety contact’.

Ø  Give this person a sheet of paper / email / text (SMS) stating:

§ Where you are going, what you will be doing, who you will be meeting and an agreed time at which you will check in to tell them that you are safe.
(See Appendix 1 on page 14.)

§ Names and contact details of module tutors to call if, having failed to check in, you cannot be contacted.

Ø  If no-one can be contacted, they should inform the police - telephone 999.

General guidelines

·  Always make sure that someone knows when you are due to return from a story.

·  Always agree to meet in a public place where there is certain to be plenty of people around.

·  NEVER arrange to meet at a private address.

·  Plan your route carefully, ensuring that you stick to well-populated, busy areas. Try not to show that you have recording or video equipment, etc. on you until you need to use it – put kit in a bag and place something on top of it.

·  Do not use mains electricity supplies outside the university – you should make sure your equipment has fully charged battery packs before setting out.

·  If any attempt is made to rob you of the equipment do not put up a fight: equipment can be replaced.

·  It may be wise to send a delayed SMS text message warning to a friend that you have been delayed past your return time. This can then be cancelled before sending if you return as planned. (See http://www.safetytext.com/).

·  Ensure you are wearing the right clothes for the circumstances and the weather. This may include safety, protective or high visibility clothing.

·  Do not use ladders or scaffolding to provide a vantage point.

·  Always ensure you know where the escape routes are in any building you visit so that you may exit safely in an emergency.

·  Use the Consent and Release Form (Appendix 2 on page 15) when recording audio / video interviews which will be used in a manner which identifies the interviewee.

Types of Activity Risk

Low risk stories/activities

·  Stories done by phone or e-mail from home or the university.

Ø  If you are using your PRIVATE phone, ALWAYS take precautions to prevent the person you called being able discover your phone number.
When dialling them:

o  From a landline phone - dial 141, followed by the phone number. If the person you called then dials 1571 to find your number, they will receive a recorded message stating: ‘The caller has withheld their number.’

o  From a university phone - the 1571 function will give the university switchboard number.

o  From a mobile phone – you can subscribe to a ‘Smart Call’ service that provides you with a second, secure, phone number which diverts straight to your phone without ever giving away your real number.
(See: http://www.safetytext.co.uk/Smart.shtml )

·  Stories gathered from council buildings, courts or other public buildings during working hours;

·  Stories involving travel by car, bike or public transport;

·  Vox pops or street interviews carried out with another student.

Medium risk stories/activities

·  NEVER meet someone at a private address. If you are meeting in another non-public place you MUST carry out a risk assessment and if the meeting is agreed to by your tutor you must set up a check-in arrangement (see above).

·  Stories about unlawful behaviour and criminality - solely or predominantly involving police or other authorities;

·  Stories about homelessness;

·  Stories involving protest marches or demonstrations;

·  Covering emergency services stories on site, provided you follow advice and instructions given by the police or other authorised agencies as given to the general public. You should not use your press card, if you have one, or other means to seek special access. You can obtain a National Union of Journalists Student Press Card by joining the union as a student member. This costs £25 GBP and you can join online at: http://www.nujtraining.org.uk/studentreg.phtml

High risk – not allowed

High risk activities involve those that extend beyond everyday risks to include activities that clearly carry specific risks of injury, disablement or death, or even the possibility of some future retribution. These will normally involve activities that are generally identified as dangerous by the very nature of their circumstances. Examples would include:

·  Any activity involving engaging with people involved in criminal activity - (drug dealing, prostitution etc.);

·  Activities involving interviews with psychiatric patients or people with other mental health problems;

·  Media content gathered at night except for major public events held in places open to the public;

·  Activities involving travel in small plane, helicopter, balloon or other forms of flight;

·  Activities involving climbing high objects;

·  Working abroad;

·  ‘Doorstepping’ – knocking on doors of private addresses unannounced to seek information or on-the-spot interviews.

Particular Precautions

Low risk stories/activities

Stories done by phone or e-mail from home or the university

·  Do not use equipment which has not been properly installed and checked by university technicians.

·  A responsible adult should always accompany any animals or children featuring in a report.

·  To avoid damage to ears, check levels of audio output from headphones and speakers before you start listening.

·  Do not take food or drink into the media suite because it might cause a risk of electrocution if spilled.

Media content gathered from council buildings, courts, university buildings or other public buildings during working hours.

Schools

·  Get permission from the head-teacher.

·  Arrange to be accompanied by a school representative (to alert reporter to hazards).

·  Ensure that the interviews requested have been agreed in advance (children and teachers should not be distracted).

·  Observe the class - do not direct the children or the teachers.

·  Remember that the children will be under the direction of the school.

·  The school should have given you information on any hazards in the classroom.

·  Will protective equipment be required? (e.g. overalls, goggles) What can the school provide and what will have to be taken?

Hospitals

·  Obtain permission from the hospital authorities to be on site.

·  Report to reception and always be accompanied by a hospital representative.

·  Be prepared to leave your mobile phone with security.