Health and Safety Policy¶

Field	Value
Reference	POL-009
Type	Policy
Version	1.00
Status	Approved
Owner	Chair
Approver	Board
Approval Reference	MIN-2026-08-02
Effective Date	2026-08-05
Next Review	2027-08-05
Review Requirements	As defined in STD-001
Classification	Public

Purpose¶

To set out a reasonable, proportionate approach to health and safety at BRSA activities. BRSA's activities are expected to be low-hazard - talks, stalls, family-oriented shows and meets - not high-risk industrial or commercial activity, and this policy is scoped to match that.

This is a baseline draft, not a finished policy. It's written now so BRSA isn't starting from nothing once an actual event is being planned, but the specifics (venue, insurance, first aid provision) need confirming against the real event once one exists, not assumed from this document alone.

Scope¶

Applies to any BRSA-organised event or activity held in person.

General Commitment¶

BRSA will take reasonable steps to identify and manage risks at any event it organises, proportionate to the scale and nature of that event.

Risk Assessment¶

Before any organised event, the event organiser does a simple, proportionate risk assessment - not a formal consultant-level document, just a short checklist covering things like:

Venue hazards (trip hazards, access, parking)
Weather, if outdoors
Animal handling (see below)
Food, if provided
First aid provision

Animal Handling¶

Given the nature of BRSA's activities, rabbits are likely to be present at events. As a baseline:

Animals are handled by their own owners or experienced handlers.
Hand sanitiser or washing facilities are available, given the small but real risk of zoonotic infection (e.g. ringworm) from animal contact.
Children handle animals only under the direct supervision of the animal's owner or their own parent/guardian.

Incident Reporting¶

Any accident or injury at a BRSA event is recorded - what happened, when, who was involved, and what action was taken - and reported to the Committee. [Not yet confirmed: whether any incident could carry a separate statutory reporting obligation (for example under RIDDOR) depends on the specific circumstances and BRSA's relationship to those involved - this needs checking against HSE guidance (hse.gov.uk) if and when a relevant incident occurs, not assumed either way here.]

First Aid¶

At least one person with basic first aid awareness, or a first aid kit, is present at any organised event, proportionate to its size. This does not require formal first aid certification at BRSA's current scale, but should be reviewed as event size grows.

Insurance¶

[Not yet confirmed - needs a decision, not an assumption.] Public liability insurance is a standard and important consideration for any organisation running events the public can attend. Whether BRSA currently holds this, and what it covers, needs confirming before any event involving public attendance is committed to.

POL-008 Safeguarding Policy
PROC-003 Data Breach and Incident Response
PROC-005 Complaints Procedure

Review Requirements¶

As defined in STD-001, and in any case before this policy is relied on for an actual event.

Change History¶

Version	Date	Author	Summary
0.10	2026-07-24	DC	Initial baseline draft
0.50	2026-07-24	DC	Version -> 0.50; Status -> Review
1.00	2026-08-05	DC	Version -> 1.00; Approval Reference -> MIN-2026-08-02; Status -> Approved; Effective Date -> 2026-08-05; Last Reviewed -> 2026-08-05; Next Review -> 2027-08-05