Health and Safety Policy

 

ACTIVE AIR FITNESS

Statement of General Health and Safety Policy

 

Active Air Fitness is committed:

•           to continually assessing the health and safety risks arising from our work activities

•           to providing adequate control of those health and safety risks

•           to consulting with all collaborators on matters affecting health and safety

•           to ensuring all collaborators are competent to do their tasks

•           to providing information, instruction and supervision on matters of health and safety where necessary

•           to preventing accidents and cases of work‐related ill health

•           to maintaining safe and healthy working conditions

•           to reviewing and revising this policy as necessary at regular intervals What follows are the general guidelines to which members of Active Air Fitness will adhere in order to provide as safe and as healthy an environment as is practicable for all who work with the company.

 

The day to day running of the company will take place within three main environments:

•                   Dance studios

•                   Theatres

•                   Schools 

Before commencing work within each new environment Active Air Fitness will require health and safety policies to be exchanged with the proposed working environment and will carry out a risk assessment of the proposed venue, familiarizing themselves with fire safety procedures and first aid facilities. Active Air Fitness will not work in an environment where health and safety risks are thought to have been inadequately considered and provided for.

 

2.Responsibilities

Overall and final responsibility for the health and safety of Ministry of Dance teachers and students is that of the Company Director, Lisa Hickey, who must:

•          carry out risk assessments

•          make arrangements for implementing the health and safety measures identified as being necessary by the assessment (setting up emergency procedures, providing adequate first aid facilities, providing health surveillance as appropriate)

•          ensure that all company members/collaborators are made aware of those health and safety measures

          review these assessments every year, or when work activity/environment changes, whichever is soonest report certain injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences to the appropriate health and safety enforcing authority in accordance with RIDDOR (http://www.riddor.gov.uk). RIDDOR requires the reporting of deaths, major injuries, accidents resulting in over three day injury, diseases, dangerous occurrences and gas incidents.

It is our responsibility to comply with RIDDOR by informing the owners of the premises on which we work about any occurrences of the above. I

n addition to this,  Active Air Fitness will keep a record of these occurrences, which will include the date and method of reporting, the date, time and place of the occurrence, the personal details of those involved, and the nature of the occurrence. In addition, all individuals associated with the day to day running of the company are responsible for ensuring that safe methods of work exist, and are implemented:

•                   taking reasonable care for their own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by what they do or do not do

•                   co‐operating on all matters of health and safety

•                   reporting all health and safety concerns to the Company Director

•                   not interfering with anything provided to safeguard their health and safety

 

3. Fire Safety

                        Overall responsibility for safe evacuation of Active Air Fitness and students from all working environments is that of Company Director, Lisa Hickey. All members will familiarize themselves with the evacuation procedures for each working environment, and comply with those procedures in the event of fire.

Fire Risk Assesments will be carried out by Lisa Hickey and will be evaluated accordingly.

Fire evacuation points are displayed in the Studios.

 

When working in schools,  Active Air Fitness will require a school representative to take charge if it becomes necessary to evacuate school pupils from the working environment.

 

 

4. First Aid

Company Director, Lisa Hickey, is the Appointed First Aider for the company and has a current and up to date First Aid Qualification.

As the Appointed First Aider, she must:

•          Identify Certified First Aiders within the working environment

•          provide support to those Certified First Aiders where necessary

•          take charge in the event of illness or accident, where a fully qualified First Aider is unavailable

•          familiarize herself and staff members with the location of first aid facilities in each working environment. In addition, the Appointed First Aider will

•                   carry a first aid kit solely for the use of Active Air Fitness                 

• keep a record of all first aid cases treated.

 Where neither a Certified First Aider nor the company’s Appointed First Aider is available and there is an immediate need for first aid treatment, the necessary action should be taken by whoever is available at the time. In all but the most trivial cases, expert help should be obtained as soon as is possible. In case of doubt about any accident, it is essential to call a Doctor or Ambulance. It is not normally the function of Active Air Fitness Appointed First Aider to deal with illnesses of students, except where it is necessary to preserve life and minimize the consequences of an illness until medical help is obtained.

When working in schools, Active Air Fitness will require a school representative to take charge if it becomes necessary to administer prescribed medication to a pupil. No member of the company will take responsibility for administering medication to children.

 

5. The working environment

The day to day running of the company will take place within three main environments:

• Dance studios

• Leisure Centers

• Arts Centers

 

Space

•           Is the space safe and clear enough to work in? Can any obstacles be removed safely from the space?

•          Is the space large enough to accommodate all of those who will be working in it?

•          Is the space accessible?

•          Are all emergency exits clearly marked and not blocked? Floors

•          Is the flooring suitable for the activity being undertaken?

•          Is the floor clean and well‐maintained, e.g. without splinters etc

•          Has the floor been recently cleaned or polished? If so, the area should have been left to thoroughly dry and a hazard warning sign must be displayed as necessary.

  Ventilation, temperature and lighting

•                    Is the working area well‐ventilated and well‐lit?

•                    Can the temperature of the working environment be controlled?

Sanitary, washing and changing facilities

•                            Are toilets/changing rooms/rest areas clean and well‐kept?

•                            Are these areas available for company use?

•                            Are these areas easily accessible?

Electrical equipment

•          Is electrical equipment regularly tested by a qualified electrician?

•          How recently has electrical sound or recording equipment been tested?

•          Is the working area clear of all cables and wires?

Behavior in the work place

 

  All staff and students within Totally Pole Dancing/Active Air Fitness are responsible for ensuring safe, respectful practice in the work place: In rehearsal and performance

•           Wearing suitable clothing

•           Having bare feet/wearing shoes as appropriate

•           Wearing protective clothing such as knee pads, gloves etc (as necessary for the individual and for the nature of the work)

•            Taking responsibility for appropriate warm‐up/cool‐down

•            Taking care of others moving in the space

•            Working at all times to prevent injury.

•            Staff and students and where appropriate their parents or carers must inform the Company Director if they are concerned about the risk of injury.

•  

The Company Director must take measures to reduce the risk of injury e.g. allowing ample time for thorough warmup/cool‐down, ensuring company members take regular breaks, intervening where there is any concern that a company member is insufficiently trained to be attempting a certain activity (such as lifts)

•          Where injury may occur, Totally Pole Dancing/Active Air Fitness expects that its staff and students will treat injuries responsibly e.g. seeking advice from a registered physiotherapist, informing the Company Director of any problems, not undertaking further classes/rehearsal/performance where this might inhibit the healing process

•          Commenting honestly and criticizing sensitively throughout the rehearsal process

 

Last updated, November 2022