General statement of policy
The James Foundation is working towards a comprehensive health, safety and wellbeing policy that is appropriate for its activities and status.
As The James Foundation has no employees, it is not bound to abide by the Health and Safety at Work Act, however, the Trustee Board wishes to operate the charity to ensure that all trustees and volunteers take care of their own safety and that of other trustees, volunteers and other persons impacted by the work of the charity, and to co-operate with the Trustee Board and its officers to enable it to carry out its responsibilities.
In particular trustees and volunteers acting for or on behalf of The James Foundation have a duty to:
- conduct their activities safely, efficiently and without endangering the health, safety and wellbeing of themselves, their The James Foundation colleagues, or any other person impacted by the work of the charity at all times;
- adhere to safety procedures laid down by The James Foundation from time to time, and conform to all instructions given by those with a responsibility for health, safety and wellbeing;
- record all accidents, near miss occurrences and hazardous situations in the accident book and review at the next trustee’s meeting;
- meet their safety obligations, including the requirement that no person shall intentionally or recklessly interfere with or misuse anything provided in the interests of health, safety or welfare.
- Organisation and responsibilities
1.1. Trustee Board
Overall and final health, safety and wellbeing responsibility lies with the Trustee Board. The Trustee Board shall appoint one person as the Responsible Person who will take the responsibility for drawing to the attention of the Trustee Board and volunteers any health, safety and wellbeing matters that need to be discussed and/or acted upon.
1.2 Delegated responsibilities
Kelly Matthews shall be the Responsible Person and is hereby given delegated responsibility for ensuring that the Health, Safety and Wellbeing policy is carried out. In particular, she is given delegated responsibility for:
- ensuring safety assessments are carried out for any facilities utilised by The James Foundation;
- recording and investigating accidents, near miss occurrences and hazardous situations;
- ensuring that a poster on Health and Safety Law is displayed at the charity’s registered
address;
- ensuring trustees and volunteers are given access to a copy of this policy and understand
its contents;
- drawing to the attention of the Trustee Board and volunteers any new legislation or
developments on health and safety relevant to the work of The James Foundation;
- drawing to the Trustee Board’s attention any matters with which he is unable to deal.
1.3 Trustees and volunteers
All trustees and volunteers have a responsibility to:
- read and fully understand The James Foundation policy statement and the procedures to be carried out. If there is any doubt about the meaning, people must seek clarification from the Responsible Person;
- co-operate with the Trustee Board and their Responsible Person, as appropriate, to achieve a healthy and safe experience with the charity and to take reasonable care of themselves and others;
- report to the Responsible Person within 24 hours any accident or near miss occurring while acting for or on behalf of The James Foundation;
- bring to the notice of the Responsible Person any potentially hazardous situation that the person is unable to put right.
2. General arrangements
2.1. Accidents, near-miss occurrences and hazardous situations
All incidents, no matter how small, must be reported as soon as practically possible after the
incident to the Responsible Person, who will record this in the accident book, which is located at the charity’s registered address.
In addition to reporting accidents it is equally important to report near misses and any potentially hazardous situation, so as to enable timely preventative action to be taken.
The Responsible Person will ensure that any necessary follow up action is taken to reduce the risk of the accident or circumstances reoccurring.
A first aid kit is available at the charity’s registered address and at least one will be made available at all events and activities organised by the charity.
2.2. Fire safety
The registered address is used as a residential property and, with the charity having no employees, is not subject to the same regulations as places of work.
The Responsible Person will ensure there is a procedure for emergency evacuation during meetings that may be held at registered address.
All those attending the charity’s registered address for meetings must read and understand the fire procedure (Annex A). A fire notice is displayed at the charity’s registered address.
At any other venue used by the charity for its activities, trustees and volunteers must familiarise themselves with the emergency evacuation procedure, the location of emergency exits, the type and location of firefighting equipment and the designated muster point.
2.3 Common hazards (data from HSE)
2.3.1. Trips, slips and falls (on the same level) accounted for 29% of reported injuries in 2019/20. Basic good housekeeping at locations and activities will help avoid such incidents. Locations used by the charity should be assessed for these hazards, and mitigation put in place where they cannot be eliminated.
2.3.2 Handling, lifting and carrying accounted for 19% of reported injuries in 2019/20. Trustees and volunteers should not attempt to undertake manual handling activities that are beyond their personal capabilities and should ask for assistance and should always use any safety equipment provided in order to assist with moving items that are heavy, bulky or where their weight is unevenly distributed. Those that regularly undertake manual handling on behalf of the charity should read the HSE leaflet and should request any equipment they feel would mitigate the risk of injury for the activities they undertake.
2.3.3 Acts of violence accounted for 9% of reported injuries in 2019/20. Trustees and volunteers should not place themselves in harms way and must report any incident of violence or aggression towards themselves, a The James Foundation colleague or a service beneficiary while undertaking the charity’s business.
2.3.4 Falls from height accounted for 8% of reported injuries in 2019/20. Work at height is occasional for the charity and those that regularly undertake this activity should follow the HSE step-by-step guide to help them assess the need and the develop mitigating action.
3. Personal safety
3.1 Trustees and volunteers who are on The James Foundation business should make it clear to others where they will be, how long for and how they can be contacted. They should check in to confirm their return.
3.2 Trustees and volunteers should inform an appropriate person who they wish to be contacted in the event of an emergency, giving contact details.
3.3 Trustees and volunteers who carry cash or items of value for The James Foundation may wish to be accompanied by another person.
3.4 Nobody should put themselves in harms way in the event that they are threatened while carrying cash or items of value.
3.5 Visits to bank any cash should not be at a regular time.
3.6 All incidents of aggression or violence and any threat to personal safety should be reported
to the Responsible Person and recorded in the accident book.
3.7 At large or organised gatherings, trustees and volunteers should be vigilant with regards to terrorist incident warnings and potential terrorist activity, e.g. unattended bags.
4. Stress management
4.1 Stress can be a serious issue. Trustees and volunteers always strive to do their best and can become stressed when they feel overwhelmed, either with their charitable efforts, or when this is combined with their home and/or work pressures.
Trustees must remain mindful of stress and ensure that allocated tasks and responsibilities do not become a trigger for stress.
The responsibility for identifying and reducing stress lies both with the person, and with the Trustees. Trustees and volunteers should become aware of the causes of stress, and ensure that they do not work in a way which could cause themselves to suffer an increase in stress levels, nor cause an increase in stress levels on others.
Stress affects people in different ways. Some people relish stressful situations and thrive or perform better under an appropriate degree of stress. Other people can find the same situations unbearable and overwhelming. This is why stress management requires an open and honest assessment from, and engagement by, the individual.
Some people do not like to admit when they are stressed, so it is up to all colleagues to look out for the signs and indicators and ensure that their concerns are shared with an appropriate person, while respecting confidentiality.
5. Review
5.1 The Responsible Person, in conjunction with the Trustee Board, will keep this policy under constant review to reflect any changes in legislation or developments in health, safety or wellbeing practice. The policy will be fully reviewed at least every 3 years and will be subject to approval by the Trustee Board.
This policy was approved by the Trustee Board on 16 April 2024 and will be formally reviewed by the end of April 2027.
Annexes:
A. Fire procedure.
B. Glossary and explanation of terms used in this policy
Fire Procedure – The James Foundation Registered Address
- Action to be taken on discovering a fire
1.1 Raise the alarm by shouting “fire, fire, fire”.
1.2 Proceed to the nearest exit, still shouting “fire, fire, fire”.
1.3 Ring 999 from a safe place and ask for the fire service.
2. Action to be taken on hearing the alarm
2.1 The alarm will be raised either by:
- someone shouting “fire, fire, fire”;
- the loud beeping sound of the smoke detectors.
2.2 Proceed to the nearest exit as quickly as possible, and without causing panic.
2.3 Do not stop to collect personal equipment.
2.4 If your nearest exit is blocked, proceed to an alternative exit – this could be a door or a
window.
2.5 Close windows and doors behind you, where possible.
2.6 Muster out the front of property and check that everyone is out – if that area becomes
hazardous, move to the play park at the rear of the registered address.
2.7 Ensure someone has called 999 – if not, or if unsure, call 999 yourself and ask for the fire service.
2.8 Meet the fire brigade on arrival and inform them whether there is, or may be, somebody still inside the building.
2.9 Once outside, do not re-enter the building until the fire brigade confirm that it is safe.
2.10 If necessary, use a vehicle to shelter.
2.11 Do not leave the muster area unless you have informed someone.
Glossary and explanation of terms used in this policy:
Accident – an incident that has caused actual harm to a person – these need to be recorded in the accident book and investigated to establish the root cause(s) so as to ensure the charity can make any improvements in its procedures or risk assessments in order to improve for the future.
Accident book – a legal document that records details of accidents, near miss occurrences and hazardous situations – this is located at the charity’s registered address.
Employee – a person employed under a contract of employment by The James Foundation.
Hazardous situation – circumstances that have been identified as being unsafe – these need to be recorded in the accident book and investigated so as to ensure the charity can make any improvements in its procedures or risk assessments in order to improve for the future.
Health and Safety at Work Act – this refers to the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 – the act applies when one or more people are employed – further details can be found here (www.hse.gov.uk/legislation/hswa.htm).
The James Foundation – the charity registered in England and Wales with charity number .
Near miss occurrence – an incident that did not cause actual harm, but which could have – these need to be recorded in the accident book and investigated to establish the root cause(s) so as to ensure the charity can make any improvements in its procedures or risk assessments in order to improve for the future.
Other persons – beneficiaries of the charity and/or those people not directly associated with The James Foundation who may be affected by the charity’s activities.
Poster on Health and Safety Law – required by employers under the Health and Safety Information for Employees Regulations 1989 – although not required by the charity, as we have no employees, this is displayed at the charity’s registered address.
Responsible Person – the person appointed by the Trustee Board to manage health, safety and wellbeing.
Stress – a mental condition related to how pressured a person is feeling in relation to the responsibilities that they have to fulfil or the situations they find themselves in. The charity MIND describes it as:
- Situations or events that put pressure on us – for example, times where we have lots to do and think about, or don’t have much control over what happens.
- Our reaction to being placed under pressure – the feelings we get when we have demands placed on us that we find difficult to cope with.
Trustee – a person appointed to The James Foundation Trustee Board.
Trustee Board – the collective group of The James Foundation trustees acting as a body corporate.
Volunteer – a person engaged by The James Foundation on an unpaid, voluntary basis who acts in the interests of the charity to provide support in order to help it deliver its charitable objects, including through fundraising.
