Health and safety
Making sure everyone within your organisation is safe is vital to offering the best service.

Health and Safety is another topic which most groups worry about, as it seems a lot scarier than it is. All groups need to think about some basics, but this shouldn’t stop you from doing extraordinary things.

All activities involve an element of risk and your role is to reduce the risk (associated with your group’s activities) to an acceptable level. It is advisable to have a health and safety policy in place which includes a risk assessment. A risk assessment is simply a form that helps you plan how you minimise risk.

Public liability Insurance is something most groups are advised to put in place if there is any chance someone could be harmed through their activities.

Top tips and things to remember

• If you have five or more employees you will need a written Health and Safety policy.
• You should undertake a risk assessment for each type of activity, participant group or venue your group engages with. For example, a quiz night for adults poses different risks to an after-school activity for children.  Check your insurance covers your activities and your participants.  For example, some insurance policies may not cover children or offer cover for outdoor activities such as litter picking. As with safeguarding, make sure any other groups you are partnering with to run events or activities have health and safety guidelines in place and the appropriate insurance.
• If your group has affiliation to a larger umbrella organisation, you may come under their insurance. If so it is worth getting in contact to establish what that covers and if you need anything else for the activity your group is carrying out.

Need more support?

If you need more support or one-to-one advice on this topic, get in touch with either Hunts Forum or CCVS. We have knowledgeable staff who can advise and offer more support suitable for your organisation. If you are not sure which organisation to contact email us at info@supportcambridgeshire.org.uk, and we will pass you on to the right person.