Student Community Action

HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY DOCUMENT

Date: April 2023
Date Ratified by Employment Group and Exec
Revision Date: April 2023

Contents

Introduction 1

Section A – General Statement of Policy 1 Section B – Implementing the Health & Safety Policy 1

Section B – Implementing the Health & Safety Policy 1

• Health and safety relating to current premises 2
• Training 3

Section C – Hazards 4 D – Project Health & Safety Guidelines 4

Section D Project Health & Safety Guidelines 4

• Story time/ Lightbulb – NOT CURRENTLY RUNNING 5
• Craft room – 5
• Helping with English as an Additional Language (EAL) 5
• External Projects 5
• Big Siblings 6
• GOALS NOT CURRENTLY RUNNING 6
• Taskforce 6
• Bounce 6
• Minecraft Group
• Betty’s Musical Entertainment Group

Section E – Lone Worker and Home Visits Policy 7

Appendix I
Risk Assessment Review Sheets 12 Appendix II
Emergency Fire Procedure 20

Introduction

The Student Community Action (SCA) Executive Committee is committed to ensuring policies are in place to ensure the safety and welfare of their clients, staff and volunteers at all times.

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that there are adequate systems in place to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all staff and volunteers of Student Community Action, Cambridge.

This document pulls together all the Student Community Action policies regarding Health and Safety.

This document should be reviewed annually by the SCA Employment Sub Committee.

SECTION A

General Statement of Policy

Our policy is to provide and maintain working conditions, equipment and systems of work which are safe and healthy for all our clients, employees and volunteers to provide information, training and supervision sufficient to maintain safety. The SCA Executive Committee also accept our responsibility for the health and safety of other people who may be affected by our activities.

The arrangements for implementing this policy and the particular duties of committees for safety matters are specified in section B and for matters relating specifically to volunteers and/or projects in section D.

Our policy will be revised in the light of changes in the circumstances of our operation or amendments in the law. The effectiveness of this policy will be reviewed annually.

SECTION B

The SCA Health & Safety Policy as outlined in these pages is complementary to any other H&S Policy that may be in operation where SCA’s activities take place.

Implementing the Health & Safety Policy

Implementation of the Health & Safety Policy (H&SP) is the responsibility of Executive Management Committee (the Executive). The Executive will review H&SP annually. All significant health and safety issues shall be brought to the attention of the executive.

The Employment Sub Group (consisting of 1 member of staff, 2 student trustees and 2 senior members) shall have access to information that may be regarded as personal or confidential but that may still have a bearing on health and safety. The employment group is empowered to oversee the day-to-day management of health and safety and to report issues to the executive.

The employment group will also be required to meet in order to assess any complaint regarding the health and safety of SCA’s projects or external projects.

The employment group shall be responsible for arranging health and safety assessments and hazard checks and ensuring that they are carried out effectively and thoroughly.

Ultimate responsibility for health and safety rests with the Trustees as a whole, although they may appoint the SCA Manager to manage day-to-day affairs.

Health and safety relating to current premises: The University Center, Granta Place CAMBRIDGE, CB21RU

First aid equipment is located in the reception area of the Cambridge Students Union on the 3rd floor of The University Center. The University Center is responsible for provision of the equipment. Current trained/qualified first Aider with the University Center is Harriet Saunders.

At the Bounce session, the Project Leader is responsible for maintaining the first aid kit which is kept with the SCA resources.

Both an incident and an Accident register are to be kept at the University Center reception. All employees and volunteers must be made aware of the existence of the registers and their locations.

Escape Routes and assembly points : 2 doors (1 being our main point of entry to the University Center, the second up the back stairway and out onto Granta Place via the back stairwell which also has an Evac chair. A full Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) will be given to any new SCA staff member by the Cambridge Students Union receptionist.

Assembly point is: THE MILL POND – as you exit onto Granta Place turn left and go to the end of the road to the Mill Pond

Fire extinguishers:
Corridor outside the main reception

Training

Training of employees and registered volunteers in matters associated with health and safety should rest with the Employment Committee under the direction of the Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee should agree the training and qualifying of volunteer for internal projects (in line with guidelines given in Section D). Completion of the necessary training for participation in any project to which SCA refers volunteer should rest with the external project organisers.

Any individual who works with SCA – employees and volunteers – will be made aware of the health and safety policy, their obligations under it and the safety information it contains.

Section C

Hazards
The RISK ASSESSMENT REPORT for projects is kept updated on the SCA Dropbox under

Policy – Health & Safety Document – Appendix 1

This report contains a Risk Assessment on all our internal projects, one off events and our main office.

These should be regularly viewed and reviewed by members of staff and volunteers who the risk assessment affects.

The Manager is responsible for the for regular hazard review checks including.

• Safe stacking and storage
• Electrical safety
• Keeping exits clear

Electrical Safety

Safety checks are to be carried out at least once every three years by a suitably qualified person. Any equipment not meeting the standard required by the safety check or that is discovered to be faulty is not be used until fully repaired.

Section D

Project Health & Safety Guidelines for the Internal Projects of Student Community Action

Points relating to every project

• Please ensure that you are familiar with the current Health and Safety policy and what it means for you. Copies of the full policy are always available upon request from the SCA office. They are also on our website.
• Any hazards or faulty equipment relating to a project should be reported to a staff member of SCA.
• SCA staff visit the home of each prospective family / school / elderly people home to ensure that basic health and safety requirements are met and that there are no potential hazards to the volunteers.
• Volunteers are asked to note particularly that while inside the family home they are not covered by SCA’s Health & Safety policy but their wellbeing is the concern of the home owner as is the case with any visitor.
• SCA Clients and parents of our young clients are made aware that although police checks and references are taken up for each and every volunteer on the project, these do not constitute any kind of guarantee of safety of the child.
• Appropriate training will be made available to you. We recommend that if you take part in a project that you undertake any appropriate training provided for that project. Training papers are available from the SCA office and from the SCA web site.
• Familiarise yourself with any safety equipment (such as fire fighting equipment, emergency exits, life-aids as appropriate).
•  If your project has a volunteer to clients ratio then it must be adhered to.
• Although you will never be referred to an external project that does not have an adequate health and safety policy, the onus is upon you to familiarise yourself with the policy and other guidelines as provided by that project.
• You are responsible for your own safety while traveling to and from SCA projects.
• If a client becomes separated from the volunteer during a one to one visit the volunteer must immediately contact the safeguarding officer and parent who will advise on a course of action and if calling the police on 101 is appropriate.
• Only volunteers registered with SCA who have a current DBS Disclosure and at least one satisfactory reference may take part in these projects.
• SCA expects that it’s staff and volunteers will be treated with respect. The Executive Committee reserve the right to withdraw support to any client if this is breached.

Points relating to specified projects.

Story time / Lightbulb / Craft Room Project

• There must always be a paid worker on duty at the WA centre during our projects. They must be made aware of the volunteer’s presence.
• For children aged 6 – 13 there should be no more than 2 children for every 1 volunteer. For children under 6 there must be 1 volunteer (or adult) for each child.
• Volunteers should be aware that they should avoid isolation with their children whenever possible.
• Volunteers need to be aware of the In House health and safety policy and must adhere to it at all times.
• Only female volunteers may be admitted to this project. No male volunteer may know the whereabouts of, or visit the WA Center.
• If the project is to take place outside of the regular venue, the WA Center must provide a register of children who are to take part in the project for each outing / session if a parent is not present.
• Only volunteers expressly referred by SCA to the project, or those SCA volunteers who have a current DBS Disclosure and at least 1 satisfactory reference may take part in this project. These volunteers will meet with the WA centre staff ahead of their first visit.

Helping English as an Additional Language (EAL) / Homework Help / Language Mentoring

•  Volunteers should avoid being isolated with the child that they are mentoring.
• Only volunteers expressly referred by SCA to the project, or those SCA volunteers who have a current DBS Disclosure and at least 1 satisfactory reference may take part in this project.

External Projects (including Gardening and Decorating Projects)

• It is the responsibility of the external project to ensure adequate policies are in place to protect any students referred to it.
• SCA must check that all projects that it refers students to have adequate policies in place.

Big Siblings Project

• Volunteers must be aware that Health & Safety policy protection only covers them for the time that they meet their sibling during SCA time and then only in public areas. Private areas (including the sibling’s home) do not come under the auspices of the SCA Health & Safety policy.
• A representative of SCA must visit the home to complete a Home Visit form before a volunteer can go alone to the home to ensure there are no hazards and everyone is aware of SCA’s policies.
• Parents and volunteers must be given a copy of the project guidelines.
• Each volunteer that is working at a clients home as part any SCA project must be able to contact a trained person in the event of an emergency. The current emergency contact and Child Welfare officer is Nicky Massey 07833049179.

GOALS Project

• The project leader or Volunteers and Projects officer to provide basic training before the volunteer starts volunteering to ensure the project guidelines are understood and the environment deemed safe for the volunteer.
• Volunteers must be aware that Health & Safety policy protection only covers them for the time that they meet their GOALS client during SCA time and then only in public areas. Private areas (including the sibling’s home) do not come under the auspices of the SCA Health & Safety policy.
• Volunteers must as far as possible stay in public places where there are other people around.
• Volunteers must not be left alone with the young person in the family home or take them to their college room. A parent / guardian should always be present as well.

Taskforce

• Volunteers should make themselves aware of and should adhere to the health and safety policy of Care Home they are visiting
• Volunteers should only provide assistance in ways that have been discussed with the V& P Officer. Any additional requests must be filtered and approved by the SCA Office.
• Each volunteer that is working at a clients home as part any SCA project must be able to contact a trained person in the event of an emergency. The current emergency contact and Safeguarding lead is Nicky Massey 07833049179.

Bounce

• New volunteers must familiarise themselves with the emergency exits before the start of the session.
• New clients must meet the current criteria of eligibility before the parent is allowed to leave for the first time
• The Project Leader is responsible for having a First Aid kit available at each session and informing the SCA Manager if anything needs replenishing. Where possible we will use qualified instructors to run specific sporting activities supported by volunteers.
• All sports activities should only take place in a designated sports hall / area that is covered by it’s own insurance.

Minecraft Project

• All volunteers must adhere to the Code of Conduct for the project at all times

•   Only designated people can have access to the Minecraft server and supervise the sessions

Bettys

• Volunteers should make themselves aware of and should adhere to the health and safety policy of Care Home they are visiting

Definitions

Section E

Lone Worker And Home Visits Policy

Lone Worker – A lone worker is anyone who works in isolation from their colleagues without close or direct supervision.

Examples include:
A worker or volunteer doing a Home Visit alone A worker in the office alone
Scope

Own Employees – This Policy applies to all volunteers and staff permanent or temporary of Student Community Action and includes any agency, or visiting professionals employed to provide services on their behalf.

Personal responsibility

Section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 requires employees to take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and of other persons who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work.

This policy and supporting training should ensure that such persons do not take short cuts or employ dangerous practices but that they are instructed to consider and identify potential hazards and to implement a form of risk assessment to ensure the safety of themselves and any of other persons they may be working with.

Policy Aims

The aim of this policy is to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that staff who work alone are not exposed to risks to their Health and Safety and to outline the steps to reduce and improve personal safety to staff who work alone.

Objectives

The objectives of this policy are to ensure:

1. Lone workers are identified.
2. That risks inherent in lone worker situations are assessed and suitable precautionary measures taken

Organisational responsibilities

Responsibilities for the health and safety of lone workers are allocated as follows: Employment Sub Group

1. Ensure the management of Lone Working within the Organisation is adhered to under the Health and Safety Policy and is reviewed annually

SCA Manager

1. Maintain contact with staff that work alone, both internally and externally by ensuring they have a contact number they can call if they need to.
2. Implement systems to identify those staff/ Volunteers who do not report or return at the expected time.
3. Ensure systems are in place to take action to contact / locate staff / volunteers that have failed to make contact or return at the expected time.
4. Raise the appropriate level of alert / alarm and inform the manager on call if staff / volunteers cannot be contacted / located within [a defined period] after the expected time of contact or return.
5. If staff / volunteers cannot be located, then contact the police.
6. Monitoring feedback from the organisation on lone worker risk and seeking to improve processes.
7. Monitor and update this policy as appropriate.
8. Having assessed the risks, to decide whether lone working is reasonable or not in these situations. If lone working is considered reasonable, then the manager must ensure that suitable precautions are in place, such as: Mobile telephones and contact numbers, Giving information on known risks, Reporting in procedures
9. To ensure all staff that work alone are made aware of this policy.
10. To support staff who are victims of violence and aggression through the staff counseling service and in line with the organisational policy.

Employees / Volunteers

1. Identify any activity carried out by them which will involve them working alone for more than one hour.
2. Comply with any precautionary measures including:-
3. i) Informing the manager if they intend to be in the office alone outside of normal office hours.
4. ii) Informing a friend or college porter where they are going and when they should be back

iii) If they are in the office alone, locking the internal door. Only unlocking the door if they know the person or they are a genuine volunteer.

4. Report to their managers any unsafe or potentially unsafe situations, and to report incidents in which violence or aggression or threats using the incident reporting procedure.
5. Take reasonable care for their own safety and not expose themselves to unnecessary risk. 6. To attend any training provided.

Working outside normal hours in the SCA office

Student Community Actions normal opening hours are between 9am – 4pm, Monday to Friday

Where a person is required or requested to work outside normal opening hours and are alone in the building, it is necessary to inform the Cambridge Students Union of their intention and check who they need to report to when leaving the building.

Lone Working Whilst Visiting a Clients Home

Home visits are an essential part of matching volunteers with families who need help and support. Normally these visit are a very positive experience and a great introduction for both the volunteer and client. However, the safety of our staff and volunteers are paramount so therefore the following guidelines should be considered.

It is up to the SCA manager to determine if a home visit is appropriate or not.

Volunteers will not be permitted to work in a home that has not received approval from a SCA representative.

To ensure the maximum security of staff and volunteers the following guidelines should be followed and common sense should be used at all times

1. Prior to visiting a clients home :
2. Confirm the visit with the family you are visiting and make sure they have the number of the SCA office or manager mobile phone number and stress that they should call as soon as possible if they have to change the arrangements.
3. Check to see if there is a dog in the house and if there is, ask that the dog be restrained in another part of the house during the visit if applicable.
4. Assess the case record information and other information sources, as appropriate, to determine whether there are any risk factors associated with the family, home, or neighbourhood. If SCA staff or Project Leader believes that the home visit cannot be safely made alone, he or she should consult with the Manager to determine how to proceed. If a visit cannot be made safely even with two staff the manager should call the family or agency who made the referral to see if alternative arrangements can be made outside the family home.

Specific items to consider when making a decision include:

1.Is there a history of violence, either reported or unreported to law enforcement, in the home? Are any family members using illegal drugs or drinking alcohol in excess?
Are any family members mentally ill?
Are firearms present in the home?

2. Are vicious dogs or other animals present in the home?
3. Are there any known safety hazards in the home or on the property? Does anyone in the home have a criminal history?
4. When possible make the initial home visit during normal business hours, and make a note of it in the clients file. Make sure you have a map and good directions for finding the house required. If possible take the mobile phone number of the family to ensure you can get directions if you need them.
5. Keep a mobile phone with you at all times when on a home visit.
6. Tell a friend exactly where you are going and when you are expected back.
7. If you are doing the initial Home Visit make sure the SCA office get the feedback from it as soon as possible.

 

When parking and exiting the vehicle you should:

1. Park in a well-lit area.
2. Locate the client’s house prior to exiting the vehicle if possible.
3. Scan the area for potential safety risks prior to exiting the vehicle,
4. Take only the items necessary to complete the home visit. Purses or wallets should be concealed if they are left in the vehicle,
5. Keep keys in a place where they are easily accessible.

When approaching a home:

Visually inspect the outside of the home and surrounding residences to become aware of people, animals, or unfamiliar vehicles. If animals are present and unsecured, do not attempt to approach the home until someone in the home can secure the animal or assure you that it is not dangerous; do not walk around the residence looking in windows if no one answers the door; look and listen for signs of disturbance involving or affecting people inside or outside of the residence. For example, is there fighting, crying, dog barking, etc?

When entering a home:

Seek entrance through a door that is in plain sight of the street, when possible.

Complete a cursory visual inspection when the door is opened to assess any potential hazards which may be present,

Do not enter the home if summoned into the residence by an unseen person but rather wait for the person to present himself or herself,

Complete a cursory evaluation of the client’s attitude, demeanor, and behavior to assess for signs of aggression, violence, substance use, or unusual or suspicious behavior,

Do not enter the residence if no adult is present. Contact SCA if children requiring adult supervision are unattended in the home.

While in the home:

Sit in an area near or with easy access to an exit.

Be aware of where you sit, taking care not to sit on sharp items ; remain alert and observant of the environment and the behaviors of those present.

Leave immediately if there is a perceived safety risk.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS CALL NICKY ON 07833049179

 

 

 

APPENDIX I
STUDENT COMMUNITY ACTION RISK ASSESSMENT REPORT 2023

Contents

Big Siblings Project                                                                                                                                                                                 2

Bounce                                                                                                                                                                                                         3

Betty Stubbins Musical Entertainment Group                                                                                                                           4

Homework Help / Helping with English as a Second Language / Language Mentoring IN SCHOOLS                5

Homework Help / Language Mentoring AT HOME Craft Room / Story Time                                                              6

Parklife / Lightbulb                                                                                                                                                                                 7

Task Force                                                                                                                                                                                                  8

Elderly Befriending Service SCA Office                                                                                                                                          9

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Big Siblings Project

Potential Hazards	RISK	ACTION TO BE TAKEN
Trips / falls inside the family home	Medium	Volunteer to supervise the child and participate in low risk activities
Trips / falls when outside the family home	Medium	Volunteer to supervise the child and participate in low risk activities
Crossing roads	High	Volunteer to only cross road in a safe area – preferably official pedestrian crossings and remain within reach of the child at all times.
Accidents in playgrounds	Medium	Volunteer to supervise the child and participate in low risk activities
Volunteer not suitable to be working with children	Low	An enhanced DBS check and at least one suitable reference will be completed for every volunteer. Where the reference is not fully conclusive of the volunteer’s suitability, a second reference will be sought
Volunteer becomes separated from the client	Low	Volunteer must phone the safeguarding officer immediately who will then call the parent and other agencies if necessary while the volunteer continues to find the client and gets help around them. Once reunited, the volunteer will inform the safeguarding officer who will hold a follow up meeting with them to see if any lessons or additional safeguards need to be put in place.

Additional Measures in place:

• The project leader/ SCA representative or manager will do a home visit before a volunteer starts volunteering in a private home to ensure the project guidelines are understood and the environment deemed safe for the volunteer.
• Volunteers must be aware that Health & Safety policy protection only covers them for the time that they meet their sibling during the agreed SCA time and then only in public areas. Private areas (including the sibling’s home) do not come under the auspices of the SCA Health & Safety policy.
•  Parents and volunteers must be given a copy of the project guidelines
•  Volunteers must as far as possible stay in public places where there are other people around.
•  Volunteers must not be left alone with the child in the family home. A parent / guardian should always be present at the house as well.
• Volunteers should always carry emergency contact numbers with them. We recommend that they have the parent / guardian number if they are leaving the house, the SCA office and the Managers emergency contact number.
• Volunteers should only go to places / visit people agreed in advance with the parent and contact the parent immediately if the plans change.

Bounce / Community Sport Activities

Hazards	Risk	Action to be taken
General: jewellery, watches, piercing	Medium	Children are asked to remove all items of jewellery before participating
General: fire in the building	Low	Supervisor of the session must be aware of the fire procedures of the building before session commences.
General: tripping on equipment, coats and bags etc	Low	Volunteers must be vigilant on checking for hazards during the session
General: long hair	Medium	All long hair tied back
General: Volunteers not suitable to work with children	Low	An enhanced DBS check and at least one suitable reference will be completed for every volunteer. Where the reference is not fully conclusive of the volunteer’s suitability, a second reference will be sought.
Ball Games: falling over equipment/each other, running into the wall, being hit by ball	Medium	Games must be supervised by a volunteer at all times and only age appropriate games to be played.
Table tennis: hit by balls / bats, falling and hitting head on table.	Low	Maximum of 4 players per table, supervised by a volunteer at all times.

Additional Measures in place:

• Unruly behaviour will not be tolerated and children who misbehave will be given a warning. If the bad behaviour continues, they will be asked to sit out for 10 minutes and the behaviour reported to their parent.
• At least four volunteers will be present for each session.
• Trampolining, Archery and Climbing are only ever booked with a qualified instructor.

If running our own sporting events :-

• ❑  – We will make sure the venue is insured
• ❑  – We will make sure we used qualified and police checked instructors

Betty Stubbins Musical Entertainment Group

Hazard	Risks	Action to be taken
Getting volunteers to sessions in mini bus / taxi	Low	Only people qualified to drive a mini bus are allowed to drive the volunteers there and only registered Panther or Uber Taxis.
Injuries sustained while lifting equipment	Medium	Volunteers should not lift heavy items by themselves but ask for help.
People tripping over instruments and leads	Medium	Volunteers should be vigilant to such hazards and keep equipment in organised way. Audience should not be allowed to move among the equipment.

Additional Measures in place

All volunteers should adhere to the Health and Safety rules of the care homes they visit.

Homework Help / Helping with English as a Second Language / Language Mentoring IN SCHOOLS

HAZARD	RISK	Action to be taken
Volunteers not suitable to work with children	Low	An enhanced DBS check and at least one suitable reference will be completed for every volunteer. Where the reference is not fully conclusive of the volunteer’s suitability, a second reference will be sought
Inappropriate contact outside of school	Medium	Volunteers and students should only contact each other during the set sessions of the activity and through the approved means eg school email only. No mobile phone numbers are to be given out. If students need to contact volunteers they can do so through the Student Community Action office.

 

 

Additional Measures in place:

• Volunteers should make themselves aware of and should adhere to the health and safety policy of the school.

Homework Help / Helping with English as a Second Language / Language Mentoring AT HOME

		Action to be taken
Volunteers not suitable to work with children	Low	An enhanced DBS check and at least one suitable reference will be completed for every volunteer. Where the reference is not fully conclusive of the volunteer’s suitability, a second reference will be sought
Inappropriate contact outside of school	Medium	Volunteers and students should only contact each other during the set sessions of the activity and through the approved means eg school email only. No mobile phone numbers are to be given out. If students need to contact volunteers they can do so through the Student Community Action office.

Additional Measures in place

∙ Volunteers should always carry SCA emergency contact numbers with them.

Craft Room / Story time

HAZARD	RISK	Action to be taken
Injury from scissors		Volunteers must not allow children to walk or run around with scissors or pointed objects.
Putting art materials such as glue in mouths		Non-toxic materials are purchased whenever possible.
Volunteers not suitable to work with children		An enhanced DBS check and at least one suitable reference will be completed for every volunteer. Where the reference is not fully conclusive of the volunteer’s suitability, a second reference will be sought

Additional Measures in place:

•  Volunteers should make themselves aware of and should adhere to the health and safety policy of the refuge.
• At least three volunteers present at each session and children are never left unsupervised.

Parklife project

Hazards	RISK	Action to be taken
Crossing the main road to get to the park	Medium	Young children to stay in pushchairs until the park is reached and older children to hold hands with volunteer or be within reach.
Risk of falling in the water when feeding ducks	Medium	Children kept well away from the water when feeding ducks and constantly supervised.
Trips and falls in playground	Medium	Volunteers to remain vigilant and check the surface of the playing ground when they enter for signs of spills or broken glass.
Getting hit by the swing	Medium	Volunteers to remain vigilant and monitor use of swing.
Being approached / followed back to refuge by fathers /relatives	Medium	Any suspicious behaviour by other people in the park or surrounding areas should be reported to project leader. If they feel it is appropriate they should end the session immediately, the children returned to the refuge and the incident be reported to the refuge.

Additional Measures in place:

• The Refuge must provide a register of children who are to take part in the project for each outing.
• Only children listed on the register for that day may take part in the project.
• For children aged 6 – 13 there should be no more than 2 children for every 1 volunteer. For children under 6 there must be 1 volunteer (or adult) for each child.
• Volunteers should be aware that they should NOT be alone with the children. If a child needs the toilet 2 volunteers should always take the child. If this is not possible the whole group should return to the refuge.
• To comply with the In House health and safety policy, no male volunteer may know the whereabouts of, or visit the Home.
• Only volunteers expressly referred by SCA to the project, and who have a current Enhanced DBS Disclosure and at least 1 satisfactory reference may take part in this project, and who are known to the refuge staff.

Taskforce

HAZARD	RISK	Action to be taken
GARDENING – Injuries on equipment, falling from ladders, back injuries from over exhaustion, hand injuries from bushes and brambles.	Medium	Volunteers asked to assess each job they are asked to do and will only attempt the job if they have sufficient training and equipment. Only simple gardening activities to be undertaken e.g grass cutting, pruning and weeding. No power tools to be used. If volunteer required to use a ladder they must only do so once they have inspected the ladder to ensure it is safe and they have someone strong enough to hold and steady the bottom of the ladder. A ladder should only be put up on solid, stable and straight ground.
BEFRIENDING – Volunteer asked to do too much and client becomes too reliant on the volunteer.	Medium	Volunteers will only make visits that have been agreed through the SCA office when the referral is made, and will contact the office if they feel pressured to do more or if they feel the client could use an extra volunteer.
Referrals from Male clients		Male volunteers or two female volunteers will be matched with a male client, unless there are reasons why this is not required. A lone female volunteer will only be matched if the referral has come from a professional body and potential risks to the female volunteer have been discussed and assessed as very low risk. Mitigating risk such as visits in a public place rather than home should be scoped. A SCA worker will always go to the first home visit with the lone female worker and will ensure the volunteer is happy with the arrangement before they leave them alone.
MOBILITYASSISTANCE– Over exhaustion and injury from pushing a wheelchair too far.	Medium	The volunteer should agree beforehand where they are going to be required to take the client and should only agree if they are happy it is not too far for them.
Injuries from attempting to lift the client	High	Volunteers should NEVER attempt to lift a client.

Additional Measures in place:

• For one off events the project leader should always do a risk assessment or ensure that the organiser has one.
• When taking a referral the project leader will ask if the client requests that the volunteer is police checked.
• When a referral is for a child or a vulnerable adult the volunteer will always have an enhanced DBS check and at least one satisfactory references.

Befriending the Elderly

HAZARD	RISK	Action to be taken
Volunteers not suitable to be working with elderly people	Low	An enhanced DBS check and at least one suitable reference will be completed for every volunteer. Where the reference is not fully conclusive of the volunteer’s suitability, a second reference will be sought
Volunteers have accusations made against them	Medium	Volunteers should not be alone with the elderly people. If they visit in a room then the door should be left open and staff asked to pop in every so often.
Trips Out:- Volunteer becomes separated from the client	Low	Volunteer must phone the safeguarding officer immediately who will then call the main carer and other agencies if necessary while the volunteer continues to find the client and gets help around them. Once reunited, the volunteer will inform the safeguarding officer who will hold a follow up meeting with them to see if any lessons or additional safeguards need to be put in place.

Additional Measures in place:

• If visiting a client in a care home, volunteers should make themselves aware of and should adhere to the health and safety policy of that care home

 

 

SCA office

HAZARD	RISK	Action to be taken
Fire Procedures	Medium	Fire exits should be kept clear at all times. Signs are displayed at all exits as a reminder. Emergency fire procedures are displayed in the office. There are extinguishers in the corridor outside the main office door. Fire alarms tested weekly on Wednesdays by estate management.
Tripping on bags or coats	Low	Floor should be kept as clear as possible, all coats to be stored on pegs provided
Scalds from kettle / hot drinks	Medium	Kettle should be checked regularly and any faults reported. Care
Electric shock from faulty equipment	Low	All electrical items are PAT tested annually. Everything is turned off when the office is unoccupied.
Items falling from shelving	Low	Heavy items put on lower shelves and shelves not overloaded.
Items touching heaters	Medium	No items should be placed on or by the heaters.
Broken glass	Low	Any broken glass should be cleared away immediately and wrapped and disposed of safely.

EMERGENCY FIRE PROCEDURE

IN THE EVENT OF A FIRE

When the Fire alarm sounds continuously you must:

• Stop work immediately and leave the building without delay by the nearest available Fire Exit
• Ensure everyone evacuates the room
• DO NOT STOP TO COLLECT BELONGINGS

• Do NOT use the elevator

• Go to the assembly area which is AT THE MILL POND
• Do not re-enter the building unless authorised by the Fire Brigade
• Remain in the assembly area until instructed by an authorised person

IF YOU DISCOVER A FIRE

• Operate the nearest alarm
• Telephone the Fire Brigade (999) giving the fires exact location
• Switch off equipment if safe to do so
• If trained and competent attack the fire with the appropriate extinguisher.
• DO NOT TAKE ANY RISKS