Watermill School Jan Policy For Lone Working

Transcription

1 Watermill School Jan 2013 Policy For Lone Working

2 Lone Worker Policy & Procedure: 1. What is a Lone Working? To be classed as working alone does not mean that, a person has to be working in complete isolation all of the time. An employee may, for example, be the only/last person in the office, working one to one with a service user, travelling between appointments/locations or working from home. 2. Who is responsible for putting this policy in place? It is the responsibility of Senior Management to ensure this policy and procedure is put in place for all lone workers under their supervision. 3. Hazards of Working alone: People who work alone face the same day to day hazards whilst at work as other employees. However, for lone workers the risk of harm is greater because of the degree of isolation. It is therefore, crucial that the specific hazards of lone working are taken into account when risk assessments are carried out. Examples of specific hazards are: Accidents/emergencies arising out of work Fire Inadequate provision of rest, hygiene and welfare facilities. Violence Moving and handling Travelling Sudden Illness Stress due to isolation. 4. Senior Management Duties: To safeguard the health and safety and welfare of its employees whilst at work. It s the Senior management teams duty to ensure suitable and sufficient risk assessments are in place for lone workers, including the monitoring of the measures which may be needed to eliminate or reduce any risks which have been identified. 5. Employees Duties: Employees have to take reasonable care of them and other people affected by their work activities and co-operate with the SMT in meeting its legal duties under health and safety legislation. If an employee identifies a hazard or task that is not covered by existing risk assessments, then it is their duty to highlight this to the SMT immediately. It is recommended for lone worker visits off the school premise that can be planned in advance then an Evolve visit plan is completed. (There are further guidelines at the end of this policy). 6. Is an employee suitable to work alone? SMT should confirm that existing or potential lone workers do not have any medical conditions which may make them unsuited for working alone. Potential limitations should be discussed with the employee. Considerations should be given to types of work and any emergency situations which may impose additional physical and mental burdens. Equally employees who work alone should inform their SMT of any medical condition which affect their safety whilst working alone. However, if an employee has got a medical condition it does not mean that they should automatically be

3 excluded from work. Discussion with the employee is vital for realistic work parameters to be set and the relevant risk assessments to be accurately reviewed. 7. Training Lone Workers: Health and Safety Awareness Child Protection training Personal Safety Training Dealing with Challenging behaviour/violence Full First Aid training Evolve & Risk assessment awareness Additional Management Support for Lone Workers: In addition to policies and procedures designed to ensure the safety of employees, there are extra measures that need to be put into place to ensure the continued safety of employees working alone. Provide a Buddy system Provide advice guidance or additional resources that may be required for both routine and emergency situations. Ensure that the Lone worker has either arrived or left the workplace with a regularly updated contact list of on call support if needed. Dairy/Rota management, where Lone workers may be out of base on a regular basis, it is important for managers to be in possession of accurate information on the whereabouts of the Lone worker. Supervision on a regular basis with the SMT, to support the Lone worker and address issues including work load, child protection issues and time scales of projects. The SMT have a responsibility to ensure all Risk assessments are current and are reviewed within a relevant timescale. 8. Additional equipment for Lone Workers: Personal Alarm First Aid Kit Mobile phone Accident and Incident Book Contact details of Support Network (Buddies, SMT) 9. Assessing the Risk to Lone workers: Whether the working environment is safe Whether the work can be carried out safely by one person Check and monitor risk assessments

4 Additional Guidance taken from Extract from The Health, Safety and Premises Guidance Handbook Chapter 16 Safety Off Site Directorate of Children and Young Peoples Services Version: October and adopted by Middlehurst School Governors to form the school policy on Evolve & Outdoor / Odd Site Visits Dec In this instance lone worker visits can be read for educational visits. Overview of a properly planned visit: If you need any further help, or you wish to discuss a particular set of circumstances, especially for activities that could be described as adventurous or water based, discuss the issue with your Educational Visits Co-ordinator (EVC), who can take further advice from: Planning your Visit: At a Glance 1. Before planning starts, consult your manager for approval in principle. 2. Outline the visit and its purpose in writing, giving proposed dates, duration, activities and estimate of cost. 3. Background reading: OEAP Employer Guidance, and LA guidance Safety Off Site (CH 16). Pre-visit planning and risk assessment 1. Gather information about the destination. 2. Develop a programme and overall risk assessment for the visit, using existing risk assessments where appropriate. 3. Include a contingency plan for foreseeable events e.g. poor weather / fitness of key staff. 4. Identify all costs, potential subsidies, charges to parents, and follow the LA s financial procedures for booking and invoicing. 5. Check the licences and qualifications of any activity providers if applicable. 6. Check the ability, training and experience of accompanying adults, including first aid cover. 7. Check the suitability and condition of any equipment to be used on the trip. 8. Risk assess any specific activities that may present significant hazards. 9. Check your off-site insurance cover. 10. Consider informing parents. Plan the transport 1. Decide on mode of transport, departure and return times. 2. Set levels of supervision for transport. 3. Make contingency plans for delays or incidents during transport. 4. Check European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) to receive necessary healthcare during a visit to qualifying countries. Apply for approval 1. Enter visit details onto Evolve. 2. Approval has only been gained when Approval status is recorded on Evolve. Prepare for post-visit de-brief 1. The group leader should prepare a report for the EVC or local management after the visit. 2. This will identify any follow-up work,amendments to risk assessments and improvements for future trips. 3. It will investigate any reported incidents and accidents, and forward incident/accident reports to the CYPS & Health and Safety Adviser.

5 Final Preparation 1. Inform parents/carers by letter and/or a meeting of the visit details, equipment and clothing needs, emergency arrangements, and risk assessment. 2. Prepare the young people by clarifying the purpose of the visit, programme, equipment, visit rules, disciplinary procedure, identified hazards, and expected climatic, geographical and cultural issues. 3. Brief the staff/adults on expectations, supervision, counting procedures, emergency arrangements, and any other information from the risk assessment. 4. Gaining Approval for Visits 4.1 The details of some visits must be submitted to the Outdoor Education Adviser for approval. This is so that the Local Authority is aware the visit is taking place and can check that key legal requirements have been met. It is also a condition of the Zurich insurance policy that covers excursions, and failure to gain the correct approval is likely to result in the trip not being insured. 4.2 Why gain approval for visits? All visits must be risk managed in an effective and auditable manner. 6. Insurance Information 6.1 The Local Authority has public liability insurance covering legal liability for injury or damage to third parties due to negligence. This includes indemnity to employees and volunteers for claims against them, arising out of their activities on behalf of the Local Authority, so long as its procedures are followed. This insurance will not cover academy schools and also any school which has opted out of the council s insurance arrangements and it is recommended such schools should check their cover is adequate with their insurance providers. 6.2 The Local Authority provides personal accident insurance for all employees under their contract of employment. This provides insurance whilst on duty and for teachers is specifically extended to include voluntary organisation or supervision of games, sporting activities, clubs, residential etc. These are often referred to as extra-curricular activities. 6.3 The Local Authority does not automatically provide personal accident insurance for pupils or service users, but has arranged a block policy (School Journey/Personal Accident) on behalf of schools and they are expected to buy into it (except for academy schools that should make their own arrangements). The policy provides travel insurance cover for overseas trips. For further details contact the Risk Management and Insurance Section. 6.4 Where parents, school staff or youth workers transport young people using their own vehicles, they should ensure that their own insurance policy covers this type of use and appropriate child protection best-practice is adhered to. 6.5 Risk assessments for all visits must ensure that parents are notified of key facts relating to visits. Parental consent for the visit/activity should be obtained in writing where appropriate usually for higher risk activities where the Local Authority has to give approval. 6.6 The local authority s School Journey/Personal Accident scheme includes cover for loss of or damage to personal effects where parents do not have insurance. It is not intended to cover high value personal items like ipads and cameras and it is recommended pupils should be discouraged from taking them on school trips. It is recommended that parents are made aware of the contents of the policy so that they have the opportunity to take out additional insurance if they so desire.

6 8. Planning Transport 8.1 Transport will usually be either by public transport, hired coach service, or vehicles driven by staff or volunteers. Transport should be included as a risk assessment in overall planning. Checks for planning transport should include: Insurance, MOT and vehicle checks Properly licensed staff or service providers Supervision ratios Driving times Route plan Communication system Medical conditions Booster seats Parking arrangements Pick up and drop off arrangements Emergency and contingency plans including breakdown cover 8.2 Minibus Driving. Stoke-on-Trent CC employees may only drive a minibus containing children and young people if they have D1 category on their license AND have a Staffordshire Travelwise License, as issued by the City s Transport Team. Whilst exemptions apply to the national regulations with regard to holding the D1 category, Stoke on- Trent CC do not recognise these exemptions. 8.3 Own Car Use. Employees using their own cars should complete a Driver Declaration form (available on Evolve) every 12 months. This form should be kept on file by their employer. 8.4 Driving Hours. Drivers planning long journeys must be aware of regulations for acceptable driving times, particularly if these journeys are planned after a working day or at a weekend after a full working week. For more detailed guidance contact the LA s Transport team or contact the DVLA directly. Section B: Risk Assessment and Principles of Safe Practice 1. General Principles 1.1 Serious accidents are fortunately rare. However, an accident-free record does not mean that safe practice has always been followed. It is not possible to issue guidance which will guarantee total safety. It is also not desirable to have a totally risk-free environment. Accidents and incidents do occur due to unforeseen circumstances, even when good practice is being followed. This guidance will assist in minimising risk to reasonable levels so that staff can concentrate on valuable learning experiences with some reassurance. 1.2 The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations require co-operation in assessing risks to the health and safety of employees and any others who might be affected by a visit or associated activity. This guidance aims to ensure consistent good practice throughout Children and Young People s Services. 2. Risk Assessments for Trips 2.1 An initial risk assessment (RA) must be undertaken for each visit which identifies potential hazards and the arrangements to control them. More detailed assessments may be needed for specific activities within the visit. These should be carried out before the visit and taken by the party leader to review during the visit with other supervisors. 2.2 Here is some guidance regarding RAs: Ensure all staff have read and understood the RAs prior to the visit.

7 Where possible include as many visit leaders in the writing of the RA as possible. Consider pupils, leaders volunteers and the public where appropriate. Use Generic RAs carefully always ensure that the visit leaders have seen, read and understood them prior to the visit. Don t let your RAs become static review them regularly. Learn from the experiences of others, particularly if there have been any difficulties and revisit your risk assessments anything to change or add? There is no right way to do risk assessments. Several different RAs could be done for one activity and they all could be equally valid. Most accidents occur on the activities that were considered to be the lowest risk. It s not what you write that drives safety, it s what you do. Merely writing a risk assessment will not protect people from harm. RAs are only one part of the wider Risk Management process. 3. Typical Hazards and Control Measures 3.1 The following is a list of typical hazards that can be used as a starting point when preparing a risk assessment for an off-site visit. Road traffic accidents, including passengers, pedestrians, and during cycling activities, including traffic conditions outside the UK if applicable. Long distance driving after working all day. Violence and aggression from third parties. Infection and disease often most likely near farms, stagnant water or in tropical countries. The risk of young people becoming separated from the group and getting lost. Remoteness of the location and difficulty receiving help in the event of an emergency. Extreme weather conditions (hot, cold, wet, dry) Water and water-based activities risk of drowning or hypothermia. Height and the possibility of a fall or being struck by objects from above. Activities where there is a need for specialist training and/or qualifications. Mechanical hazards e.g. Go-Karts. Poor and disruptive behaviour from pupils or service users. Incidents resulting in negative media coverage. 3.2 The following is a list of standard control measures that can be used as a starting point when preparing a risk assessment for an off-site visit. Training and assessment of competence of visit leaders. Notification and approval process for visits to check robustness of plans. Group equipment such as first aid, spare clothing, emergency food rations etc. Personal protective clothing suitable shoes, waterproofs, hat, gloves etc. Simple periodic head counts and buddy system. Adequate supervision. Contingency plans and emergency procedures. Emergency contacts in the area visited. Following specific codes of practice for certain higher risk activities. Vetting of transport and activity providers. Communication between members of the group and the organising base (a link person from the organising base must be appointed and should be familiar with the emergency procedures). Nationally recognised qualifications and in-house training.

8 Specific RA training is offered by the LA in conjunction with HSE. It is strongly recommended that at least one person at each establishment or service has attended this training. 4. Supervision Ratios 4.1 There are no rigid ratios (apart form Nursery and Foundation age children see DfE Guidance, on ) that must be adhered to at all times although OEAP Employer Guidance provides guidance on appropriate approximate ratios. It should be the responsibility of the Head teacher or Service Manager to decide what ratio is appropriate for each trip. Ratios should be established during the risk management process that forms part of the visit planning. Factors that will influence this decision will include: Age of pupils Number in group Ability of pupils Likely Behaviour of pupils Visit destination Activities to be undertaken Experience of the visit leaders. 4. Further Guidance 4.1 Situations and circumstances are rarely the same, and it is important that the following relevant information is quickly and easily available: 4.2 At no point should the visit leader or members of the party talk to the media. All media enquiries should be redirected to the Local Authority s Press Relations Team ( ) Out-of-Hours Support The number to call if you are a Visit Leader that requires Local Authority support with a critical incident on a school/service trip out-of-hours is However, you no longer ask for the Civil Contingencies Officer. If you require LA support for a critical incident or need to notify the LA of a critical incident you should now do the following: Call ; Inform the operator that you are a Visit Leader on a school or [insert name] service trip and a critical incident has occurred; Provide the operator with information about the incident, including your contact details. Ask the operator to contact the Director on-call, or to put you through directly. The Director on-call will then contact you to obtain further information and help to coordinate the City Councils Response. The Director on-call will either advise you on what to do straightaway or they will call you back. Contact your home contact to make them aware of the situation and inform your Head of Service.It may be that no action is required if the incident is under control and the school/service contact has made the appropriate phone calls to parents, Head teacher/head of Service etc. However, the Director on-call may decide to involve the Director of Children and Young People s Services, and the Chief Executive, depending on the nature and severity of the incident. The Director on-call will also ensure that the LA press office are notified so that all press enquiries can be directed to them. Adam Geens Outdoor Education Adviser Adam.geens@stoke.gov.uk Mandy Tooth Risk Management and Insurance Officer Mandy.tooth@stoke.gov.uk

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