Rules and Safety Handbook

Rules and Safety Handbook Those running a society or committee have however it would only pay out if negligence a duty of care in law to ensure the safety can be proved against your society or the of its members and any other people who Students’ Union. Successful claims may be affected by its activities and increase the cost of premiums and events. Therefore, if you organise an potentially damage the reputation of the activity for people, you need to take the Students' Union. necessary precautions to keep the activity safe - otherwise the society could be liable Negligence means the failure to use reasonable for any accidents and injuries which occur care, which results in damage or injury to another. as a result. You must also report any accidents/incidents to the Students’ Union. This insurance is essential for your society At the beginning of the year, all committee or committee in case: members are asked to read and accept this . There is an accident or injury in Rules & Safety Handbook (this is a tick box your society/committee, and on your online committee details form). Your society/committee is blamed, This is to agree that you’ve read through and this guide and you understand the . The person involved is seeking necessary steps you need to take to compensation. ensure that your activities are safe and sound! There are key staff members to IMPORTANT: This insurance only help you – please email covers your society or committee for its [email protected] for ‘usual activities’ - these are the advice and help. activities that were detailed in the original ‘new society application form’ Society and Committee Insurance and in your Constitution, as well as any Your society or committee is covered for its other conditions that were applied at the 'usual activities' under the Students’ time of approval/registration. Union’s public liability insurance. Member- to-member cover is included (e.g. one You can find your Constitution on the ballroom dancer crashes into another, Society Support Hub or contact causing injury) but Members are not [email protected] if you need insured against accidental injury or loss, help finding this information. nor for loss or damage to personal effects. (Members can obtain their own personal accident insurance if they wish.) Public liability insurance provides cover for injury or damage to people or property, Equipment It is your responsibility and legal duty of precautions have been care to ensure the any equipment that your taken to protect the equipment). The society or committee owns and/or uses is excess the society or committee would pay safe and regularly inspected. If you fail to is £100. However, equipment is not regularly inspect your equipment or if your covered if: equipment is not safe for use, you're It is damaged during use. putting your participants at risk. It is left overnight (7pm-8am) in an Remember that: unattended vehicle. 1) You should visually check/inspect It is left in a locked vehicle during your equipment regularly (e.g. the day but not covered up. every 3-12 months depending on It is not locked away (e.g. in a the type of equipment) house/locker/cupboard). 2) If you are using electrical It does not belong to the Students’ equipment as part of your activities, Union, even if it belongs to society it must be PAT-tested (Portable or committee members. Appliance Testing). PAT-tests certify that your electrical External Equipment: If you wish to hire or equipment isn’t faulty and is safe to borrow equipment externally, contact use. You can [email protected] to arrange [email protected] to extra insurance cover. arrange PAT-testing; Items from outside the EU that don’t carry 3) The people using your equipment the CE symbol must not be used. should be adequately experienced All ladders, scaffold towers, step-ladders, or trained to do so. step-stools must be registered and tagged. 4) http://bit.ly/COSHHsymbols: if you If your society have one of these items have anything with one of the first please let us know and we will help to six symbols on the packaging then arrange this. you need to let us know so we can ensure they are stored correctly, Safety Fund whether here or in the University. If This pot of money exists to help societies you see the EXPLOSIVE symbol on and committees run activities and that a substance you want to use then it relate to their core aims and objectives in is mandatory that you let us know the safest way possible. The money can before you purchase or use it. help fund things like equipment, training or If you have any concerns about the safety specific first aid/safety supplies that you of your equipment, or training needed to may need for your activities. Applications use it, please contact for this fund are reviewed by the Student [email protected]. Groups Coordinator and Head of Student Groups Support on a weekly basis. Most society or committee equipment belongs to the Students’ Union and is Available to Societies, Working and therefore insured by the Students’ Union. Representative Committees All your equipment must be listed annually A Students' Union fund on your Committee Details Form Part A. Applications taken throughout the You can insure any additional equipment year that you buy throughout the year by submitting details of the item(s) to Email:[email protected] [email protected]. If this if you have any questions. equipment is damaged, lost or stolen, a claim can be made (so long as reasonable First Aid If you require First Aid cover for an event, in the Society Support then contact the St. John’s Ambulance Hub: Society (Sheffield Links) for a quote on www.sheffieldsu.com/societysupport providing first-aid cover: [email protected] If you feel your Non-student Members and Associate members would benefit from First Aid Membership of the Students Union training to make things safer for your Society and committee constitutions do society or committee (e.g. for your usual allow non-students to become members; activities or your trip abroad) then contact however non University of Sheffield [email protected] who may students must become ‘Associate’ be able to place you on a free course, members. This costs £10 and can be done giving you an accredited First Aid by submitting an application form at the qualification. Welcome Desk. There is no charge for Sheffield Hallam University students if they N.B. For events which require extra apply showing their Hallam Cards. safety, you can borrow First Aid kits However, as with claims made by student and high visibility jackets – just ask at members, if such a person were to cause the Activities Zone Desk. injury to someone else or damage their property, then a claim under the Students’ Recording Accidents & Near Misses Union's public liability cover would only Any accidents, incidents or near misses succeed if negligence could be proved (unplanned events that did not result in against the Students’ Union, not the injury, illness, or damage – but had the person. potential to do so) that occur during society or committee events or practice sessions N.B. Only University of Sheffield must be reported within 24 hours. You students can hold the four ‘executive’ must complete an Accident Reporting Form positions of a committee (President, (you can find this on the Society Support Secretary, Treasurer, Inclusion Officer). Hub) and submit this to Associate or Life members of the Union [email protected]. can hold optional committee roles. Participation and Medical Statements What is a Risk Assessment? For some activities involving risk, it is As organisers of activities, societies and advisable to ask members to complete a committees have a duty of care in law to Participation & Medical Statement. This is assess the risks associated with the activity to make it clear they agree to take part in or event and take appropriate measures to an activity which involves an element of reduce those risks as far as is reasonably possible risk and asks them to inform and practicably possible. This is where a activity organisers of any medical risk assessment form comes in! This is a conditions which may affect their safe written checklist which ensures that you participation in activities. However, this still are conducting everything as safely as means you have a duty of care in law to possible, so that the chance of accidents is ensure any activities you arrange are as minimised or avoided – you’ll submit to safe as possible, with a risk assessment your relevant SU staff member. In the being submitted. event of an accident or incident, you’ll be asked to produce this documentation. *Please see the example ‘Participation There may be some instances where you and Medical Statement’ for a useful simply need to ‘adhere’ to a risk template which can be adapted, located assessment that’s already on the Society Support Hub. Higher-risk (or red) activities If your Society or Committee is listed As well as your annual risk assessment, below, then your risk rating is ‘Red’ – this is you may also need to submit a risk because your usual or regular activities are assessment for one-off higher risk activities higher risk than other groups’. Therefore, throughout the year. As an example, you must: Dance Society will produce an annual risk assessment detailing their usual classes a) submit an annual risk assessment; (as a ‘red-risk’ society) but will also submit and a specific risk assessment for a national b) attend risk assessment training or competition.

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