Health and Safety Policy and Procedure

APPROVED BY BOARD OF THE DIRECTORS

1. Purpose
   1. OCA aims to create an environment which promotes the health and safety of all staff, volunteers, participants and visitors. This document sets out our health and safety policy and procedure.
      
      
2. Scope
   1. This policy applies to all participants, staff, volunteers, Directors, contractors and visitors to OCA.
      
      
3. Context and background
   1. OCA will observe the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (“HASAWA”) and all relevant regulations and codes of practice made under it.
      
      
4. Policy
   OCA is committed to ensuring that all its activities are safe and it will do whatever it can to provide for the health, safety and welfare of all staff, volunteers, participants and visitors ensuring that risks are minimised at all times.
   
   
5. Related documents
   • Code of Conduct
   • Safeguarding
     
     
6. Procedures
   
   1. Responsibilities
      1. Overall responsibility for the health and safety of the organisation is that of the OCA Directors.
      2. The Organising Team member responsible for the day to day implementation and monitoring of health and safety policies and recommending changes where necessary is Hassan Sabrie.
      3. Accidents or unsafe incidents will be investigated by a staff member (either Imade Edosomwan & Hassan Sabrie) on behalf of the Organising Team & Directors as soon as possible. If any action needs to be taken the Organising Team will proceed to take action. Incidents will be reported at Directors meetings regularly.
      4. The Organising Team member responsible for Health & Safety is responsible for working with facilitators at OCA’s sessions to:
         • Assess the risk to the health and safety of volunteers, members and visitors and identifying what measures are needed to comply with its health and safety obligations;
         • Ensure that venues or transportation used for trips are safe and without risk to health including safe ways of entering and leaving;
         • Ensure that equipment used is safe and well maintained;
         • Provide information, instruction, training and supervision to volunteers in safe working methods and procedures as required;
         • Encourage volunteers and members to co-operate in ensuring safe and healthy conditions and systems by effective joint consultation
         • Establish emergency procedures as required.
      5. All OCA Directors, will ensure that their team are:
         • They are aware of the contents of this safety policy
         • They comply with this policy
         • They take care of themselves and others who may be affected by their actions or omissions
         • They will report all accidents, or unsafe situations, and any near misses (things which could have led to an accident), to Hassan Sabrie or another Organising Team member at once.
         • They record accidents or near misses at work in the accident book will be kept y the first aid box which is kept by the directors and is present at events.
         • They are aware of all fire procedures for the area in which they are working.
         • If they identify anything which they think could be in any way unsafe, they will report it
      6. Risk assessments
         1. The responsible Organising Team member will ensure that all premises and tasks are assessed in line with the current relevant legislation. Assessments will be repeated every six months or when there is a:
            • trip or event to organise
            • change in legislation
            • change of premises
            • significant change in work carried out
            • change of activity
            • or any other reason which makes original assessment not valid.
      7. The findings of risk assessments will be reported to the board of Directors.
      8. The responsible organising team member will be responsible for ensuring the action required is implemented.
         
         
   2. Training
      1. To comply with legislation and to promote the health, safety and welfare of volunteers, health and safety training will be provided as follows:
         • at inductions
         • on the introduction of new technology
         • when changes are made to venues
         • when training needs are identified during risk assessments.
      2. First aid training will be undertaken by the responsible Organising Team member and other volunteers as required.
         
         
   3. Recording and monitoring health and safety issues
      1. All accidents and cases of work-related ill health are to be recorded in the accident book in the session folder.
      2. The responsible Organising Team member is responsible for ensuring reporting of relevant accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences to relevant external agencies and to directors.
      3. To check our working conditions, and ensure our safe working practices are being followed, we will:
         1. Investigate any accidents or sickness absences that occur
         2. The responsible Organising Team member is responsible for ensuring accidents are investigated
         3. The responsible Organising Team member is responsible for ensuring work-related causes of sickness absence are investigated
         4. The responsible Organising Team member is responsible for ensuring action is taken on investigation findings to prevent a recurrence and that directors are kept informed and consulted about action taken.
            
            
      4. Emergency procedures – fire and evacuation
         The responsible Organising Team member is responsible for:
         1. Liaising with OCA venues to understand fire regulation procedures and communicate these clearly to OCA staff, volunteers and participants, including the evacuation assembly point
         2. Regularly checking designated escape routes.
            
            
      5. Resolving health and safety issues
         1. Any volunteer with a health and safety concern must first tell the responsible Organising Team member.
         2. If, after investigation, the problem is not corrected in a reasonable time, or the responsible Organising Team member decides that no action is required but the volunteer is not satisfied with this, the volunteer may then refer the matter to another member of the Organising Team or Directors. This must be in writing.
         3. If the volunteer is still dissatisfied, the matter will be entered on the agenda for the next meeting of the Trustee Board.
            
            
      6. Insurance
         OCA has Public Liability Insurance as provided by Hiscox up to £5,000,000 and Employers (including Volunteers) liability insurance up to £10,000,000

APPENDIX:

During the Covid-19 pandemic OCA will always follow UK government guidance on how to best run our groups and as a workplace.

The team will assess the risk of situations to include risk of Covid-19 infection.

We conduct regular risk assessments in light of this risk.