HEALTH AND SAFETY

1. HEALTH AND SAFETY For Rotary District 1220 and its Member Clubs

2. HEALTH AND SAFETY Oh No! I hear you say

3. HEALTH AND SAFETY Has received a bad press recently, unjustly. It is too often used as a scapegoat to justify unpopular, and sometime bizarre, decisions made, usually, by public bodies.

4. Me Tony Petitt BA CEngFIStructECMIOSH Chartered Safety & Health Practitioner [Rotary Club of Bretby] District 1220 Health & Safety Officer

5. My Job • To ensure that you are aware of the Law and of the requirements of RIBI and District 1220. • To provide advice to your Club, on Health & Safety matters. • To provide your Club with the tools to enable you to comply with the Law, the advice and best practice.

6. My Job The District Website contains a Health and Safety page [look under ‘District’]

7. My Job You can access the following: • The District H&S Policy • District Risk Assessments [for Conference, Assembly etc.] • Draft Club H&S Policy for download and use by your H&S Officer • Club Risk Assessment form for download and use by your Club H&S Officer or designated member(s) • Topical advice for you and your H&S Officer • A copy of this presentation

8. Mr President!

9. Have you appointed a Club H&S Officer?

10. Has Council approved a H&S Policy? Have you appointed a Club H&S Officer?

11. Has Council approved a H&S Policy this year? Have you appointed a Club H&S Officer this year? Does the Club carry out Risk Assessments for Club Activities?

12. Yes to all – good

13. Mr President! Your Duties:

14. Your duties As President of your Club, is to ensure that you comply with the requirements of RIBI and with the advice provided by RIBI and District 1220 by having in place. A Health & Safety Policy Risk Assessments covering each activity that could present a risk to your members or others affected.

15. Your duties You must also appoint a Club H&S Officer, or take on that role yourself, to head the Club’s H&S activities.

16. Your duties Through me: • you must notify District of the name of your Club H&S Officer. • you must send District a copy of your Club Health & Safety Policy.

17. The purpose of it all, benefits to the Club:

18. protection Benefits

19. protection Benefits Protects District, Protects Club and Officers, Protects Club Members, Protects the Public. Protects against: Injuries from our activities, Insurance claims, Bad publicity for Club, District and RIBI.

20. The Law:

21. The Law The main piece of Health & Safety legislation is: The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act - 1974 This sets out the general duties that employers andothers have towards employees and those affected by their work activities.

22. The Law You may say that my Club is not an employer, our members are not employees and we do not participate in ‘work’ And you would be quite right, but: consider the words ‘and others’ and ‘those affected by activities’

23. The Law The Health & Safety Executive [HSE] with the Charities Safety Group have published a guidance document that sets out HSE advice that is applicable to us and to the activities that we undertake. It states:

24. The Law “In general, the same health and safety standards should be applied to voluntary workers as they would to employees exposed to the same risks…. HSE considers it good practice for a volunteer user to provide the same level of health and safety protection as they would in an employer/employee relationship, irrespective of whether there are strict legal duties.”

25. The Law There is still a grey area, where organisations such as ours are concerned, but it seems unlikely, in my opinion, that a Rotary Club and/or its Officers would be prosecuted by the HSE under the Act in the case of an accident causing injury or death to a member of a Rotary Club or to a member of the public. But see later! HOWEVER:

26. The Law In this litigious world, there is still the possibility that we could be faced with a claim for damages, or at worst a prosecution brought by an individual or their family. HOWEVER:

27. The Law There is good news. If we organise our Clubs’ Health & Safety in line with “Charity and Voluntary Workers” we would be held to have taken all possible precautions to avoid injury or death to our members and others affected by our activities.

28. RIBI Requirements

29. RIBI Health and Safety Policies Risk Assessments covering Rotary Activities It is a requirement of RIBI that Districts and Clubs have in place:

30. Club H&S Policy A H&S Policy is a statement of a Club’s intention with regard to the Health & Safety of its Members and those affected by its activities. What is a Health & Safety Policy?

31. Club H&S Policy This is the ‘model’ form available on the web-site What is a Health & Safety Policy?

32. Club Risk Assessments A Risk Assessment is a careful examination of all aspects of an activity, as they affect the health & safety of those taking part. • What are the potential hazards? • Have we taken enough precautions to control the risk from those hazards? • Could we do more to prevent harm from happening? What is a Risk Assessment?

33. Club Risk Assessments

34. Hazards and Risks

35. WHAT IS A HAZARD? Something or someone with the potential to cause harm Working at height

36. WHAT IS A RISK? The likelihood that a particular hazard will give rise to harm. Risk reflects both the likelihood and severity of the harm Injury/death after fall – very likely!

37. WHAT IS A HAZARD? Something or someone with the potential to cause harm Working at height

38. Same hazard as before Injury/death after fall – very unlikely! WHAT IS A RISK? The likelihood that a particular hazard will give rise to harm. Risk reflects both the likelihood and severity of the harm

39. WHAT IS A HAZARD? Something or someone with the potential to cause harm Heathrow, Terminal 3, 1st floor Not very apparent

40. WHAT IS A RISK? The likelihood that a particular hazard will give rise to harm. Risk reflectsboth the likelihood and severity of the harm Heathrow, Terminal 3, 1st floor Still not very apparent!

41. In fact: a man was killed here WHAT IS A RISK? The likelihood that a particular hazard will give rise to harm. Risk reflectsboth the likelihood and severity of the harm Heathrow, Terminal 3, 1st floor

42. WHAT IS A HAZARD? in the UK: 3 die each year testing if a 9v battery works on their tongue. 142 were injured in 1999 by not removing all pins from new shirts. 58 are injured each year by using sharp knives instead of screwdrivers. 31 have died since 1996 by watering their Christmas tree while the fairy lights were plugged in. 19 have died in the last 3 years believing that Christmas decorations were chocolate.

43. WHAT IS A HAZARD? in the UK: 101 people since 1999 have had broken parts of plastic toys pulled out of the soles of their feet. 18 had serious burns in 2000 trying on a new jumper with a lit cigarette in their mouth. A massive 543 were admitted to A&E in the last two years after opening bottles of beer with their teeth – Rotarians? In 2000 eight people cracked their skull whilst throwing up into the toilet.

44. Examples for your Risk Assessments You must look at: Hazards Risks Control Measures

45. Hazards Risks Control Measures Examples for your Risk Assessments 1 Trailing Electrical leads Trips and falls Cover them Move them Do away with them altogether

46. Hazards Risks Control Measures Examples for your Risk Assessments 2 Access Routes in rain Slips, Trips and falls Cover them Apply sand Provide non-slip walkways Provide warning signs

47. Hazards Risks Control Measures Examples for your Risk Assessments 3 Minor injuries Untreated, become major Provide Trained First-aiders Provide St Johns – Red Cross cover Ensure phones available for 999 calls

48. Hazards Risks Control Measures Examples for your Risk Assessments 4 Illness Untreated, becomes serious Provide Trained First-aiders Provide St Johns – Red Cross cover Ensure phones available for 999 calls

49. and finally

50. remember HAZARD I can’t be bothered with this Health & Safety business – too many more important things to do.