General Statement The Therapy Centre accepts responsibility under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 to ensure so far as is reasonably practicable the health and safety of their employees and members while on any Bronntanas premises. To this end Bronntanas will, in so far as is reasonably practicable: Provide a working environment, equipment and systems of work which are free from hazard and without risk to health Provide such training and instructions, information and supervision as is necessary to ensure the health and safety at work of employees and Bronntanas members Ensure that the premises under the Bronntanas’s control are maintained so far as is reasonably practicable as safe and without risk to health and with adequate access and egress Make arrangements for ensuring safety and absence of risk to health in the handling and storing of articles and substances Make adequate arrangements for facilities and arrangements for employees’ welfare at work Provide and maintain arrangements for the emergency evacuation of premises under their control in case of fire or other emergency Responsibilities Overall and final responsibility for health and safety in Bronntanas is that of the Operations Director. The day-to-day responsibility lies with the senior member of staff on duty.All staff and members of Bronntanas must be aware of their individual responsibility: To take reasonable care of their own health and safety and the health and safety of their fellow employees and members who may be affected by their acts or omissions To familiarise themselves and act in accordance with the Association's Policies and Procedures related to health and safety (see Appendix 1) To co-operate with senior staff in carrying out any duty or requirement imposed upon them under the Act Not to interfere intentionally or recklessly with, or misuse, anything provided in the interest of their health and welfare To notify a member of the management and administrative team if they notice a health and safety problem Staff and members render themselves liable to disciplinary action if they fail to adhere to the above policy and related procedures. Child Safety & Protection- Children First Bronntanas recognises that it is the responsibility of each of its employees and members to prevent the physical, sexual and emotional abuse of young people and children and to report any abuse discovered or suspected to the Clinical Director. Bronntanas recognises its responsibility to implement, maintain and regularly review procedures, which are designed to prevent and be alert to such abuse. These responsibilities and related procedures are outlined in the Policy and Procedure for Child Protection. Bronntanas does not expect staff or members to put themselves at risk whilst at work. Bronntanas recognises its responsibilities for the safety of its staff and members and for the provision of a safe workplace and a safe system of working. Bronntanas also puts responsibility, where appropriate, on staff and members to take steps to ensure their own safety. Safety with clients If a client or member of the public should appear to represent a threat to a member of Bronntanas or its staff or to its clients, action should be taken in accordance with the Procedure for Clinical and Ethical Dilemmas. Any incident causing alarm or concern to a member should be reported and dealt with in accordance with the procedures. Lone working Bronntanas recognises the potential risks in working on a one-to-one basis with potentially disturbed or unstable clients (e.g. risk of physical attack or allegations of unprofessional conduct). Such risks are magnified when working alone in a building and, whilst it is not practicable to prohibit lone working, Bronntanas aims to minimise the risks and ensure staff and members are informed of them and know what steps to take to protect themselves. (See the following procedure and the Procedure for Clinical and Ethical Dilemmas) Fire Safety The responsibilities and related procedure for fire safety are contained in the Policy and Procedure on Fire Safety. Procedures Security All staff and practitioners should ensure that measures to ensure the security of the building and personnel are followed. The front door should be kept locked at all times and clients should not be given access to the clinic while sessions are in progress, except by the client's own therapist when they are late for a session. On no account should therapists press the door release in response to the doorbell when they are engaged in a session and cannot investigate personally. Violent and aggressive behaviour It is recommended that practitioners minimise risk to themselves by refusing to work with clients who present heavily under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The procedures for dealing with such clients and those behaving in a violent or aggressive manner are outlined in the Clinical and Ethical Dilemmas Procedure. Any incidents or concerns should be reported directly to the clinical director, or to the administrator or Operations Director. The clinical director will ensure the practitioner is debriefed and offered appropriate support if needed. Any incident will be reported to the trustees to be considered in light of any changes that might need to be made to procedures. Lone working It sometimes occurs that a practitioner may find themselves working alone in the building, for example before 9.00 a.m., after 8.00 p.m. and during times of holidays or when cancellations are made. This cannot always be avoided, but when they have noticed that no other practitioner will be present at the time of a session, members of administration staff are responsible for advising the practitioner concerned. It is then the practitioner's own responsibility to decide whether to work at that time. If the practitioner has any concerns about the client, it is strongly advised that they discuss these with their supervisor. It is the responsibility of Bronntanas management and administration staff to ensure that trainee practitioners are not allotted time slots at times of less frequent use which could potentially result in the practitioner working on their own in the building. Where a trainee practitioner requests such a time-slot, it is the responsibility of Bronntanas management and administration to make him or her aware of the implications. The security procedures and guidelines outlined here and in the Induction Pack and the Clinical and Ethical Dilemmas Procedure must be strictly adhered to. Reporting Hazards and Injuries Any injury incurred or potential hazard should be reported to the administrator and recorded in the Incident Book. A small First Aid kit is located in the hall way. It is the responsibility of the administrator to keep it stocked. Hazardous substances Any potentially hazardous cleaning materials are stored in the kitchen cupboard and should not be removed. Complementary practitioners are asked to label any preparations they use and store them sensibly. Fire safety Actions to be taken to prevent fire, minimise risk and in the event of fire being discovered are contained in the Policy and Procedure for Fire Safety. Appendix 1 Policies and procedures to be read in conjunction with this procedure Policy and Procedure on Fire Safety2. Clinical and Ethical Dilemmas Procedure3. Policy and Procedure on Child Protection