Health and safety is a complex topic but is fundamental in terms of CLD duty of care towards protecting constituents against the likelihood of harm or injury. Actions to create a safe environment focus on prevention. There are a number of tools, processes and procedures that are used to support and plan for safe events and activities.

In this section we highlight ….

• CLD Code of Ethics and Values… what do they say about health and safety
• Health and Safety: policy and procedure
• Risk assessment
• Self assessment checklist – How well do I/we …Resource links

CLD Code of Ethics and Values… what do they say about health and safety

The legal requirements of health and safety are largely the responsibility of organisations, but within these requirements are the individual responsibilities relating to duty of care. For example: youth organisations’ approach to safety for supervising activities with children or young people is known as in "loco parentis". This means that they (all adults and leaders) must take "reasonable care of those in their charge as careful parents would take of their own children, having regard to all the circumstances". Accordingly, any activity a young person has been involved in should come as no surprise to their parents.

Health and Safety: policy and procedure

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the national independent watchdog for work related health, safety and illness. They provide advice and guidance for organisations and individuals about legal requirements and responsibilities, and practical information about how to protect individuals in your care. Health and safety is tackled through the policy and procedures set out by an organisation.

Policy: Organisations set out legal requirements in their health and safety policy and ensure that any procedures are in place to enforce these requirements. CLD organisations and groups may also be subject to other organisations health and safety requirements for example: groups working in council premises.

Issues to consider within a health and safety policy include:

• Identifying and implementing legal requirements.
• Identifying designated staff to designated roles for example: a health and safety officer, first aid staff, staff trained to use particular equipment.
• Identifying the particular safety issues relevant to your organisation for example: child protection, adventurous activities, working with vulnerable people, and the safe use of social media.
• Identifying the insurance arrangements that are in place to protect people.

Procedures are the mechanics of health and safety or the regular activities that maintain the ability of an organisation and its staff to ensure the safety of its people. These include:

• Checking fire safety regulations, equipment, alarms and exists.
• Updating first aid training and first aid boxes.
• Ensuring that the accident book is easily available.
• Ensuring that information is conveyed to staff and volunteers through an induction process.
• Ensuring that risk assessment is used as an element of good practice.

Risk Assessment

Risk assessment involves a careful examination of what, in your organisation’s activities, could cause harm to people, so that you can weigh up whether you have taken enough precautions or should do more to prevent harm.

The Health and Safety Executive advise that risk assessments should not be over complicated. In most activities, the potential problems or hazards will be few and can be dealt with by a few simple measurers. Checking them is common sense, but a necessary requirement. It is all about minimising hazards and risks.

Hazard and risk are two terms, frequently used during a risk assessment:

• A hazard is anything that could cause harm. For example, in adventurous activities, a hazard could be extreme cold, a fall from a height or hypothermia.

• A risk is the chance – high or low – that someone will be harmed by a hazard.

A risk assessment can be used for specific events and activities that you are planning. It can also be used for reviewing the safety of the premises where you meet or the journey that people have to make to get to your premises. For example: do people have to cross a car park or a dangerous road?

How to carry out a risk assessment

The Health and Safety Executive describe Five Stages of risk assessment:

1 Identify the hazards.

Take a particular task, activity or place and list all the potential hazards. For example: abseiling might lead to loose stones being dislodged on participants.

2 Decide who might be harmed and how.

Consider all the people who may be involved and how they could be harmed. For example: all those participating in the abseiling might be at risk of head injuries, cuts and bruises.

3 Evaluate the risks and decide on precaution.

Make a judgement about the level of risk, and decide what factors will help to reduce or control the risk so that harm is unlikely. Levels of risk might be judged as low, medium and high. For example: the level of risk in abseiling might be judged as medium and be controlled through the use of appropriate equipment and qualified instructors.

4 Record your findings and implement them.

Use a risk assessment form to make a record of your plans and communicate this to the relevant people. Ensure that everyone is clear about their role and responsibilities and they know what to do if required.

5 Review your assessment and update if necessary.

Consolidate learning by evaluating the effectiveness of actions after the event. For example: hold a review meeting after the event to discuss how the risk assessment affected the abseiling activity.

Self assessment checklist – How well do I/we …

• Understand my responsibilities for the safety of people in my care as a CLD practitioner?

• Use the procedures set out in my organisation’s health and safety policy?

• Implement health and safety as a part of my day to day practice?

• Know how to carry out and implement a risk assessment?

• Know where to find guidance and information about health and safety issues?