Health and Safety Policy for Ripple Parish Hall
The Health, Safety and Welfare of all those managing, using and visiting Ripple Parish Hall is paramount at all times.
The Management Committee and Trustees of the Charity, although having no legal requirement to record Health and Safety assessments, and as the “Manager” of non‐domestic premises, recognises and accepts its general duties under The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 to ensure that the premises are safe and that risks are assessed and managed, so far as is reasonably practicable.
The policy of the Management Committee is to take reasonably practicable measures in relation to the
management of Ripple Parish Hall, to comply with all legislative requirements and codes of
practice relating to the duties which it has, in order to:
Members and Hirers;
2. keep the Parish Hall and equipment in a safe condition for all users;
3. provide all necessary support and information to Hall users, hirers and outside contractors.
The Committee will work in the furtherance of these aims by:
a) identifying and assessing risks;
b) recording assessments and regularly reviewing them;
c) eliminating or controlling risks;
d) monitoring compliance and work conditions;
e) establishing a clear, sensible and practical safety organisation and arrangements.
DUTIES
All Committee Members, Hirers, Contractors and Users of the Hall are expected to recognise and
accept their duties:
a) to follow health and safety instructions and to report dangers;
b) to take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and other persons who
may be affected by their acts and omissions;
c) as regards any duty imposed on the Committee, to co‐operate so far as is necessary, to
enable that duty to be performed or complied with.
ORGANISATION
General Responsibilities:
a) All persons have responsibility for ensuring that their actions do not compromise the
health and safety of themselves or any other person on the premises.
b) Anyone who observes a practice or potential hazard, that could compromise the health
and safety of any person, has the responsibility to act to remove such danger and further
to report such incidents in the Incident Book for the attention of the Committee.
c) Any person noticing potentially hazardous, broken or ineffective equipment has the
responsibility to remove such equipment from use immediately, to draw attention to
Parish Hall Management Committee, and identify defects by the use of appropriate means (e.g. a warning label) and to note such action in the Incident Book for the attention of the Committee.
Hirers are responsible for:
a) complying with all conditions of hire, as set out in the Hiring Agreement, and for ensuring
that their organisation/party conducts its activities in line with such conditions,
particularly in respect of compliance with all safety requirements and safety notices.
Hirers may have responsibilities above and beyond these with regard to insurance and
statutory requirements relating to their particular organisation/activity;
b) ensuring familiarity with fire safety checks (e.g. keeping fire exits clear) and evacuation
procedures;
c) designating a responsible person at each hiring/event who will take charge of evacuation
in case of emergency;
d) ensuring that highly flammable substances are not brought into or used in any part of the
premises;
e) seeking the consent of the Management Committee before erecting any internal
decorations that may contain combustible materials and ensuring that any allowed
decorations are not placed near light fittings or heaters;
f) checking that, if any portable electrical equipment is brought onto the premises, it is safe
for use/has been P.A.T. tested.
Contractors are responsible for:
a) safe working practices in respect of themselves and their employees and for meeting
their statutory obligations with regard to Health & Safety legislation and Public Liability
Insurance;
b) having regard to the safety of hall users when working on the premises and/or in respect
of anything left/stored on the premises;
c) advising the Committee of any flammable or toxic substances that may be used in the
course of work on the premises.
The Committee are responsible for:
a) ensuring that all Committee Members, Hirers, Contractors and Users of the Hall are
aware of the Health and Safety Policy;
b) ensuring that the Health and Safety Policy is fully implemented;
c) monitoring compliance with Health and Safety guidelines;
d) regularly assessing and reviewing risks and recording such risks;
e) keeping an 'Incident Book' in which any incidents or actions that have, or might have,
affected the health and safety of any person may be reported and in which any defective
or broken equipment may be noted;
f) taking such action as may be necessary to rectify the situation, to correct faults or to
arrange repair of equipment to ensure health and safety and noting such action;
g) making such arrangements and releasing such funds as may be necessary to assist in the
implementation of this Policy;
h) making such representations to Committee Members, Hirers, Contractors and Users of
the Hall, as may be necessary to ensure their co‐operation with Health and Safety Policy,
particularly with regard to their actions and activities while on the premises;
i) co-operating with Hirers, Contractors and Users of the Hall in pursuance of Health and
Safety requirements.
The Health and Safety representative on the Committee (unless another office is stated below) has been delegated by the Management Committee to manage the following:
incidents. - Instigate any actions necessary to remove risks e.g. repairs. Report to committee at each meeting or as soon as necessary. Ensure any changes to the Risk Assessment are instigated.
at each meeting or as necessary. Ensure any changes to the Risk Assessment are instigated. Complete RIDDOR forms as necessary.
Safety Policy/Risk Assessments and are aware of their responsibilities.
as necessary. Report to committee at each meeting and advise relevant people to inform
hirers/contractors as necessary if amendments are made.
electrical appliances, fire extinguishers, electrical installations, fire alarms. Keep relevant certificates and display copies on notice board as required.
PROCEDURES
The H&S policy document will available to download from the Village Hall website –
All hirers will be expected to read through the whole of the Standard Hiring Conditions and sign the
hiring form as evidence that they agree and accept these conditions. The hiring conditions will inform
all hirers about safety procedures at the hall, which they will be expected to follow (e.g. fire
evacuation; use of equipment; reporting of incidents/accidents).
All contractors will be made aware of Health & Safety Policy, any identified risks and their
responsibilities.
The Committee member with specific responsibilities for aspects of Health & Safety will report to The
Management Committee at each committee meeting.
The full policy will be reviewed annually, with risk assessments and necessary amendments being
made as necessary throughout the year. Such amendments will be appended to the policy documents
and made known to Committee Members, Hirers, Contractors and Users of the Hall.
GENERAL GUIDELINES TO BE ADHERED TO
These guidelines are provided to assist users in fulfilling their Health & Safety responsibilities.
Premises
The entrance must be clear of obstacles and hazards at all times that people are entering or
leaving the building.
Wet floors must be made safe by the application of an absorbent, non‐slip surface until such
time as the floor can be thoroughly dried.
The premises should be adequately heated, such heating to be used in accordance with
manufacturers’ instructions and to be adequately maintained and regularly serviced.
Radiators and pipes should not be allowed to become excessively hot and heating controls
should be checked and adjusted accordingly.
Water should not be heated above 60 degrees Centigrade.
Any floor coverings should lie flat and edges should not be allowed to curl up.
Spills must be cleared up quickly to prevent slipping.
Any concerns regarding any electrical installation, plug, lead etc must be notified to the
appropriate person/authority immediately.
Any electrical equipment where there are signs of damage, exposure of components or water penetration etc. must not be touched or operated.
All hirers should acquaint themselves with the position of the fuse box/main switch.
Electrical leads must not be allowed to trail across floors or from areas where they might be
pulled or become caught up.
Fire extinguishers will be regularly serviced and all persons should fully acquaint themselves
with the position and mode of operation of all extinguishers.
All hirers must make themselves aware of the procedure to follow in the event of fire.
All hirers should be aware of the position of Fire Exits and must ensure that these are kept
clear at all times.
As good practice hirers should have a method to account for the number of persons present
during their hire.
If the oven/cooker is in use it should not be left unattended, even for a short time.
Kettles should not be over‐filled nor should the leads be left to trail over the edge of the worktop.
Children should not be in the kitchen
All cleaning solutions etc. must be kept out of the reach of children.
Due care should be exercised in the car park area.
All equipment should be adequately maintained to ensure that there are no sharp edges,
loose screws, splinters etc. and that it is fit for purpose.
Any freestanding equipment should be sturdy or adequately secured to prevent it from being
moved or toppled.
All persons should exercise care in storage areas, both while removing and replacing items.
Each person is responsible for ensuring that any item they stack or replace on a shelf cannot
fall or be knocked and so cause injury.
Care should be exercised when pulling the loaded chair trolley from the stores. When open/closing tables or stacking chairs be mindful of the potential for injury to hands/fingers if due care is not exercised.
Hirers are responsible for the safety of people on the premises during the period of their hire
and should supervise as necessary.
Working Practices - It is your responsibility to protect yourself from injury when lifting, carrying, pulling or pushing. In order to do this the following guidelines should be observed:
Do not attempt to lift anything that you know to be beyond your capability.
Ask for help with large, heavy or awkward items.
Where possible, lighten the load, separate items so that they are more manageable.
When lifting heavy objects bend your knees and keep your back straight, ask for assistance if
necessary. Similarly with reaching to remove/replace something on a high shelf or to position something on the wall above head height, it is your responsibility to protect yourself from injury, as well as to safeguard others by acting responsibly. In order to do this the following guidelines should be followed:
Ensure that you are sufficiently elevated to see what you are doing, do not attempt to pull
something from a shelf above head height without first checking that it is safe to do so.
Use an appropriate ladder or step to enable you to reach, do not stand on chairs, not only
could a resultant fall cause you injury but could also lead to the injury of others nearby.
Ask for help if necessary.
Do not work at height, on steps or ladders until they are properly secured and another person is present. Wear suitable protective clothing/eye protection when undertaking tasks that may involve contact with toxic substances or dust/debris etc.
Hygiene - In the interests of health good hygiene practices are essential. The following guidelines should be observed:
Disposable paper hand towels must be provided.
Plastic gloves should be readily available and should be worn at all times that there might be
contact with body fluids e.g. when cleaning toilet areas or for dealing with spilt blood from
whatever cause.
All surfaces at which food is to be prepared or eaten must first be thoroughly cleaned with an
appropriate cleaner.
Hands must be thoroughly washed before food preparation.
First Aid - A well stocked and appropriately labelled First Aid Box is available in the main kitchen
Accident Report Forms - These forms are used to record all cuts, bumps, falls etc. as well as more serious accidents and are available in the forms rack in the main kitchen.
The important details to be recorded are:
the name of the casualty
the date, time and place that the incident/accident occurred
the cause of the accident i.e. what happened
a brief description of the injury (if any) sustained
the first aid (or other) treatment administered and by whom
whether or not medical aid had to be sought
the name of the person who dealt with the incident.
Incident Book - Any person being aware of any practice, action or incident that has, or could have been, injurious to the health of any person, has a duty to record such incident in the Incident Book for the attention of The Management Committee.
Any person discovering a faulty or broken piece of equipment should take appropriate action to
remove or make safe such equipment and should record all details in the Incident Book for the
attention of The Committee.