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HEALTH, SAFETY & WELFARE POLICY
Approved: 2nd April 2022
Version: 1.0
Content owner: Safe Practice
We have a duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of our volunteers, members and anyone who comes into contact with us through our work and activities.
We support our volunteers to create a safe space for everyone to have great experience and reach their full sewing skill potential.
As Sew Ready volunteers, you must put the health, safety and welfare of our members front and centre of everything you do.
The health, safety and welfare policy applies to all volunteers, and sets out our expectations and your responsibilities and behaviours. This policy applies wherever Sew Ready delivers activities in the UK or overseas, as well as when we partner with other organisations.
It is the overarching policy that links the responsibilities and expectations of volunteers to all our other policies and procedures in this area. You must follow it when leading, delivering, supporting or in any way taking part in Sew Ready activities. By following this policy you will ensure that your actions comply with Sew Ready expectations.
What specific responsibilities do I have in my role?
Whatever your volunteer role, you have a responsibility for health, safety and welfare.
As a volunteer you must:
Promote and manage the health, safety and welfare of everyone involved in the activities.
Eliminate or reduce – as far as is reasonably practicable - the likelihood of any accident, injury, illness or other incident happening as a result of Sew Ready activities. You do this by establishing and maintaining safe and healthy environments and practices, with adequate control measures in place.
Promote appropriate and measured risk management. This includes finding the balance between activities being enjoyable and challenging, and activities being safe. It's not possible to remove all risk, as doing this can reduce or remove the potential to learn, enjoy and thrive.
Be competent to carry out your role. Make sure you understand what is expected of you and let us know if you need reasonable adjustments or additional support. This includes being mindful of your own mental and physical health and wellbeing.
Establish and maintain effective systems for reporting, monitoring and responding to any emergencies, illness, accidents, injuries or other incidents in relation to health, safety and welfare.
Ensure that any activities, venues and locations that you use that are not covered by Sew Ready insurance have appropriate insurance cover that you take out yourself or is supplied by the provider.
Make sure all equipment and resources used in Sew Ready activities are safe to use.
Carry out regular, tailored and site-specific risk assessments for premises, property, activities and individuals, and use that assessment to decide whether it is safe to go ahead. This includes online activities.
How should I behave? Health, safety and welfare behaviours?
As a volunteer you are responsible for making sure your activities comply with this policy. To help you fulfil our health, safety and welfare commitment you must follow these health, safety and welfare behaviours and the code of conduct at all times:
Be accountable. Health, safety and welfare is important to everyone in Sew Ready. You must understand what is expected of you and meet your responsibilities by being familiar with and following our policies and procedures.
Think first. Plan your activities by doing a risk assessment to maintain safe practices.
Be alert. Sew Ready activities take place in dynamic environments where things can change quickly. Always be vigilant to ensure that an unacceptable risk to members, individuals or groups does not develop. This is part of the continual process of managing risk.
Take action. It's your responsibility to take action if you have any concerns about the health, safety or welfare of any individual or group involved in Sew Ready activities. Never assume it's being dealt with by someone else. This includes when assessed risk has changed or increased and needs to be brought under control.
Set a positive example. As a volunteer you're also a role model. Young children and young adults alike will look to you to see how to respond to and deal with health, safety and welfare issues. Always set a positive example that you would wish them to follow.
Be open and honest. Communicate openly and honestly. Recognise and share good practice and report any questions, concerns, difficulties accidents or near misses to Sew Ready HQ - we can always do things better by learning from these.
Related policies
Check these policies for more information.
> Anti-bullying and harassment policy
> Code of Conduct
> Lone volunteering policy
> Safeguarding policy
> Whistleblowing policy
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