Lone Volunteering/ Working in Community Libraries: Enfield Library Service Risk Assessment This Risk Assessment has been carried out if on certain occasions Enfield’s Library Service needs to keep branches open for short periods of time with only one volunteer or one paid member of staff on the premises. Lone working in Enfield’s Library Service is NOT standard practice. Volunteers and occasional paid members of staff should contact the Team Leader Community Libraries in the first instance as well as the Volunteering and Standards Officer to find relief from other branches depending on the situation.
At all our community libraries on occasion due to certain circumstances where there may be a single available volunteer volunteering in the community library for a limited period of time. If a volunteer calls in sick and it leaves only one volunteer on site, we should look to open the community library if:
a. hub library and access centre Team Leaders and the Volunteering and Standards Officer have implemented these Lone Working RA instructions to their branch; b. volunteers and hub library staff and access centre staff have been made aware of this Lone Working Risk Assessment; c. volunteers have been instructed that relief help will be there within 30 minutes; d. volunteers and hub library and access centre staff follow this Lone Working Risk Assessment.
At all our community libraries there may be times that we would look to single “staff” branches or service points in certain circumstances. This would happen only if:
a. hub library and access centres Team Leaders and the Volunteering and Standards Officer have implemented these Lone Working Risk Assessments instructions at their hub libraries and access centres; b. volunteers and hub library and access centre staff have been made aware and follow these Lone Working Risk Assessment instructions.
In the event of the absence of a co-locator partner closing a community library at closing time or on occasion when it is the recognised duty of Gateway Services – Assisted Delivery staff to close a community library, it is not standard practice that ANY branch is locked and secured by only one volunteer or paid member of staff
Dept FRCS Team Gateway Services – Assisted Delivery Premises All Enfield Library and Museum Service Community Libraries including Angel Raynham, Bowes Road, Bullsmoor, Enfield Highway, Enfield Island Village, Fore Street, John Jackson, Millfield House, Oakwood, Ponders End, Ridge Avenue, Southgate Circus, Winchmore Hill Date & Time of Assessment February 2016 Manager (Name & Contact Details) Collette Rose 020 8379 3133 Identify persons compiling Collette Rose – Team Leader Community Libraries Number of 8 assessments pages
1 Risk / Who could be Steps taken to Eliminate or Deficiencies noted Action (By who / Assessed Risk Hazard harmed Reduce the risk When) Low / Med / High Lone Verbal / Physical Lone volunteer/occasional Team Leader Team Leaders at hub A & B & C & D working Abuse: paid member of staff to be Community Libraries libraries and access All Potential risk of verbal / cautious and alert when and Volunteering and centres, Team Leader LOW- relatively community physical abuse from working alone. Standards Officer to Community Libraries and few ANTs/ VARs libraries members of the public Volunteers/occasional paid make sure printed list Volunteering and recorded compared member of staff should make of emergency & Standards Officer to to visitors each sure they are familiar with nearest hub library ensure all these steps are year locations of light switches and telephone numbers are explained to volunteers panic alarms. by pod telephone and and staff and then carried after steps are Volunteer and occasional paid all volunteers and out taken to eliminate / member of staff to follow lone occasional paid reduced the risk, it worker ‘golden rules’: members of staff are should result in follow your instincts – if aware of them LOW Risk a situation does not feel safe it probably is not therefore begin an exit strategy Volunteer/occasional paid If you are ever in a member of staff situation where you are under direct threat, leave the area immediately and seek help Volunteer/occasional paid If you are attacked in a member of staff public place – make lots of noise. Team leaders at nearest If the Team Leader in hub library/access centre, hub library or access Team Leader Community centre or the Team Libraries and Volunteering Leader for Community and Standards Officer Libraries or the Volunteering and Standards Officer cannot make contact with the lone volunteer or paid staff member they should try and make contact with the library
2 land-line. If no contact is made after several attempts someone should be dispatched to the premises asap from the nearest hub library or access centre and report back If the lone working Volunteer/occasional volunteer or occasional paid member of staff member of staff feels ill or has an accident then if possible they should telephone 999 (police or ambulance immediately) and relay the fact they are alone. If the library is open then seek assistance from a member of the public to call for aid. Lone and other risky activities should be avoided until cover arrives (e.g. manual handling large items etc)
During all Lone working scenarios: Team Leader Telephone at pod must Community Libraries have a printed list on and Volunteering and counter of 999 Standards Officer emergency contact number and nearest hub library and Team Leader contact details Volunteering and and 2222 Standards Officer All volunteers shown how to use telephone for outside number Volunteering and 3 Standards Officer to have volunteers mobile number Paid staff at hub Team Leaders at hub It will be compulsory for libraries and access libraries and access all staff at hub libraries centres centres to monitor and access centres that could potentially need to open single staffed to pass the council’s Online Lone Lone Working assessment module as Senior staff should Team Leaders at hub well as all of the core attend a course on libraries and access H&S modules dealing with difficult / centres to ensure this is If staff at hub libraries aggressive customers explained to all staff and and access centres feel and cascade training monitor they need some to other staff if required development in dealing with aggressive customers their Team Volunteering and Leaders will look to this Standards Officer to move training need this forward if necessary If volunteers feel that they would like guidance on dealing with aggressive customers, Volunteering and Standards Officer to Team Leader Community move this forward Libraries to ensure testing programme continues and Panic buttons in to inform co-locator community libraries to partners and their be located at pod or associates of panic button near to pod and should locations be tested periodically Volunteering and by contractor Standards Officer to inform volunteers of this as well Volunteers and as Team Leaders at hub occasional paid libraries and access members of staff centres 4 should also be also aware they can use staff room as refuge (if Team Leaders at hub digi lock / inside lock) libraries and access centres to monitor Paid staff encouraged to report all incidents of intimidation ANTs / Volunteering and VARs Standards Officer and Team Leaders at hub libraries and access Reporting procedures centres to monitor. in place for incidents of Senior management have verbal / racial abuse authority to ban persistently abusive customers Volunteering and Volunteering and Standards Officer and Standards Officer and Team Leaders at hub Team Leaders at hub libraries and access libraries and access centres centres to make sure volunteers and paid staff are aware that in an absolute emergency they can lock themselves into the staff room and phone for emergency services from inside the staff room Trips and falls: C. -Safe working practices to LOW- Relatively Lone Potential risk of be adopted few ANTs/ VARs working volunteers / members Adequate lighting Team Leader Community recorded compared All of the public slipping, Walkways are kept clear Libraries to check during to visitors each community tripping and falling of obstacles weekly health and safety year libraries Spillages cleared check and Volunteering immediately by and Standards Officer to After steps are volunteers be inform volunteers taken to eliminate / Volunteer to dial 99 for reduced the risk, it an ambulance if a should result in 5 serious accident does LOW Risk happen Volunteers are reminded Volunteering and to be extra careful when Standards Officer and lifting and carrying when Team Leader single staffed. These type of potentially hazardous activities should be kept to a minimum when working alone Incident / accident Volunteering and reported online by Standards Officer Volunteering and Standards Officer Reporting procedures for Team Leader Community required repair and Libraries maintenance to Team Leader Community Libraries Volunteers encouraged Volunteering and to wear appropriate Standards Officer and footware by V & SO and Team Leader Community TLCL Libraries Maintenance regime of TLCL floors by TLCL Health and safety induction for new Team Leader Community volunteers Libraries Volunteer areas are either well away from public view or have digi lock doors or able to be locked from inside.
Lone Fire / Building D -Safe working practices Team Leader Community LOW- Relatively working Evacuation: adopted Libraries, Volunteering and few ANTs/ VARs All Potential risk of Ensure Team Leader Standards Officer and recorded compared community volunteers/ members Community Libraries, Fire / and that Building Team Leaders at hub to visitors each libraries of the public not Volunteering and Evacuation procedure libraries and access year knowing what to do in Standards Officer and printout to be produced centres 6 the event of a fire or Team Leaders at hub and kept by after steps are emergency needing to libraries and access emergency number taken to eliminate / evacuate the building centres are aware and and nearest hub library reduced the risk, it following safe working number at pod should result in practices regarding LOW Risk Fire / Building evacuation and monitor that this is fed back to all volunteers/occasional paid members of staff at community libraries
Lone Stress: E -Safe working practices LOW- If all safe working Potential risk of adopted Volunteering and working practices All volunteers/occasional Standards Officer and are implemented it community paid members of staff Volunteers and Team Leaders in hub should eliminate / libraries feeling stressed at occasional paid libraries and access reduce the risk and having to work alone members of staff to be centres should result in consulted, trained and LOW Risk given advance warning that they will be expected to single staff in community libraries for limited periods of time, so that they will feel confident in their new situation All volunteers and paid Volunteering and staff to be emailed a Standards Officer and copy of this RA by the Team Leaders in hub Volunteering and libraries and access Standards Officer and centres Team Leaders in hub libraries and access centres Volunteers to discuss this with the Volunteering and Volunteering and Standards Officer Standards Officer during 1:1s 7 Paid staff the same with Team Leaders in hub their Team Leader libraries and access during 1:1s with offer of centres free staff counselling service available if required
Assessors Signature Collette Rose Date of Next Review February 2017 Page nos 8
Team Leader Community Libraries
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