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Introduction
The aim of this policy is to ensure
the Health & Safety of all member of Blandford Rugby Football Club (BRFC).
The Junior Section have a policy which provides guidance to coaches parents and
players which sets out the requirement to comply with this policy and any
directions or requirements published by the Senior Section.
Aim
The aim of this document is to prevent accidents and provide adequate
control measures to prevent ill health to all members of the BRFC. All members
of BRFC are to comply with the measures set out within this document. To
further enhance that policy the Junior Section will adhere to the additional
measures set out in this policy.
To ensure the implementation and
successful management of this document together with all identified control
measures a management committee has been appointed to undertake the daily
management of this policy.
Junior Section Blandford Rugby Football
Club
The Junior Section BRFC are responsible for producing documentation
dealing with all aspects of safeguarding, welfare, bullying and Equity Policies
which are specific to young persons. This is further enhanced with their own
section Health and Safety policy.
All members of the Junior Section
BRFC are to comply with all control measures contained within these documents
and to comply with any appropriate part of the Senior Section Policy or
directive when visiting the clubhouse.
New Members
All members
of the senior committee are to ensure that all new members are welcomed to the
club and provided with an overview of all the current policies and procedures
which are currently in place.
The Adult Registrar is to explain the
registration system, currently employed by the Rugby Football Union and the
Senior Section of Blandford Rugby Football Club. It is essential that the new
player completes and returns to the Adult Registrar at the earliest opportunity
all documentation associated with player registration. This includes the
registration form, together with any other required paperwork. All forms must
be completed in legible handwriting and signed by the player as indicated on
individual forms. Without this documentation it is impossible for a player to
be registered and participation in any games.
Younger players will not
be permitted to play in positions if their age prohibits this under current RFU
regulations.
First Aid and Accident Reporting
The Senior
Section will ensure that provision is made for the players and coaches to have
access to emergency first aid kits when either training or on match
days.
The Senior Section encourages both coaches and administrative
staff to attend appropriate first aid courses to provide emergency treatment.
For home match day's additional cover if required is to be arranged with either
a holder of an HSE Approved First Aid at Work qualification or a similarly
qualified individual e.g. Doctor. The level of First Aid cover required is to
be based on the guidelines set out in the HSE publication "A Safety Guide for
Public Events". In all cases where an injury occurs, advice must be sought from
qualified first aiders. When the first aider believes that the extent of the
injury is beyond their level of competence the emergency services are to be
contacted.
All injuries are to be notified to the BRFC Honorary
Secretary in order that action to record the injury can be taken. A review of
the accident book is to be undertaken quarterly by the committee of the Senior
Section so that any trends or recurring injuries may be identified and
investigated. If the injury to a player meets the conditions set out by the RFU
as a reportable Injury then the Injury Report Form must also be completed by
the Honorary Secretary and forwarded to the RFU.
A Reportable Injury is
defined as an injury which:
- Results in a player being admitted to a hospital (this
does not include attendance at an Accident and Emergency Department).
- A player dies during or within 6 hours of a game or
training session finishing.
In the event of an injury occurring which meets the above
definition the Honorary Secretary is to be contacted immediately. The Honorary
Secretary is to instigate the Reportable Injury Event Protocol. A copy of this
protocol is held by the Honorary Secretary.
All injuries or accidents
which are not deemed to fall under the category of a reportable injury are to
be recorded by coaches on the Medical Occurrence Form, and submitted to the
BRFC Safeguarding Officer. All Accident/Injury Reports are to be reviewed by
the Senior Committee to identify any trends or poor coaching
practices.
Advice from medical professionals should be taken before
playing, especially before returning to training and matches following an
injury.
When attending away fixtures it is the responsibility of the
hosting team to provide if they deem necessary any additional first aid cover.
Coaches of the Senior Section will ensure that their players have access to our
first aid kits. Any injuries received at away fixtures are to be notified to
the Honorary Secretary.
Any items, which are used from a first aid kit,
are to be replaced at the earliest opportunity.
All coaches and
administrative staff are to be conversant with the method of calling the
emergency services when required. During the current building works in the
vicinity of the pitches a clearly defined access route is to be maintained to
enable any emergency services vehicles attending an incident to approach as
close as possible to the incident. This access route is to be communicated to
all players, coaches and administrative staff of BRFC Senior section. The
provision of the access route is also to be briefed to all clubs who will be
attending any arranged matches at the site.
A first aid kit is provided
at the clubhouse for used in the event of an accident. If present qualified
first aiders will provide assistance. If no first aiders are present then the
emergency services are to be called. In cases where a first aider deems the
injured person requires treatment which is outside the capabilities the
emergency services are to be called immediately.
Risk
Assessment
To ensure that all risks are identified full Risk Assessments
will be conducted for the clubhouse and pitches to identify all hazards that
could harm any players, coaches, administration staff or spectators. These
assessments are to be reviewed at the commencement of each season.
If
conditions require then adjustments to the assessment are to be made at the
pitch. All coaches are responsible for conducting an inspection of their
individual training/match areas prior to the commencement of any session to
ensure that there are no hazards present.
A risk assessment for the
clubhouse will be reviewed following any structural changes or changes in
procedures. All parents/guardians of the Junior Section are to be informed of
the content of this assessment and are to comply with any control measures
implemented by the Senior Section for their safety whilst visiting the
clubhouse.
Code of Conduct and Behaviour
It is important that
all those who are concerned with the Senior Sections of Blandford Rugby
Football Club remember that when training or playing a match, they are all
ambassadors for the game of rugby and BRFC. To promote good conduct and
behaviour there are simple guidelines which should be followed by players, the
administrative staff (including coaches) and spectators.
The RFU has in
accordance with legal requirements produce a Safeguarding document which has
been incorporated into Junior Sections policy documentation. The Codes of
Conduct and Behaviour for Players, Coaches and Spectators are set out in the
BRFC Senior Section Policy documentation. The Anti-Bullying Policy is also
included in the Blandford Rugby Club Junior Section Welfare Policy. The Junior
Section have a simplified version of these Codes of Conduct and Behaviour which
can be found in the BRFC Junior Section Handbook which is available to download
from the Junior Section Policies on our website. A copy will be available in
the clubhouse for parents to view.
Job Descriptions
All key
club officials have simple job descriptions, which defines the role and duties
they undertake for the Senior Section. Not only is it important for everybody
to understand their own role and responsibility, but it is also important for
them to see how they fit into the whole picture - what everybody does and where
jobs interact together.
Pitch Regulations
The Senior Section,
Blandford Rugby Football Club Pitches are located on the sports pitches which
belong to The Blandford School. As this area is under the control of the school
and the Local Education Authority, the Senior Section must comply with any
regulations or guidance issued by the school or Local Education Authority.
The Local Education Authority Policy is that on all school grounds
there is a strict rule of no dogs being allowed on site, this includes
any sports facilities. The Senior Section coaches and administrative staff are
to ensure that this ruling is fully briefed to all players' and spectators on a
regular basis throughout the season. The Fixtures Secretary is to ensure that
when arranging fixtures for the Senior Section that this policy is communicated
to all clubs who will be visiting. The Fixtures Secretary is to remind visiting
teams of this regulation when confirming all home matches.
Any person
bringing a dog to "pitch side" is to be politely informed of the school and
Local Education Authority policy and asked to remove their dog from the site
immediately. If the person bringing the dog to the site is from a visiting team
they should be informed of the existence of the recreational area known as "The
Milldown" where dogs may be exercised freely.
It is also the policy of
the School and Local Education Authority that school sites are "No Smoking"
areas. As a club we are aware that a number of players and spectators do smoke.
The Senior Section, Blandford Rugby Football Club requests that players or
spectators do not smoke whilst in the immediate vicinity of the playing
pitches. Any person who wishes to smoke may do so well away from pitch side and
any other facilities provided by the Senior Section, Blandford Rugby Football
Club.
Tour Guidelines
Any members who are planning to
organise a tour for the Senior Section are to comply with the RFU Tour
Guidelines, a copy of which can be obtained from the Safeguarding Officer,
Junior Section or downloaded from the RFU Website.
Organisers must
produce in advance of the tour all the documentation which is required by RFU
Tour Guidelines. This includes the production of the Financial Planning Sheet
detailing all costs of the tour including transport, accommodation insurances
and any additional entertainment costs. It must also detail the required
financial payments required from each participant. Details of any sponsorship
or fundraising must also be included.
The Senior Section Committee shall
be presented with all documentation prior to a tour for their consent to the
tour proceeding. The final decision on the tour proceeding will be taken by the
Chairperson, Vice-chairperson and Treasurer once all documentation has been
presented. Any organiser who does not produce or amend as requested any part of
the required documentation will not be permitted to proceed with the
tour.
Club Website
BRFC has a joint website for both the
Senior and Junior Sections. It contains a variety of information, policies
documents, useful forms, match reports and match photographs.
As the
Junior Section are required to comply with the current issued guidelines from
the RFU the Junior Section Safeguarding Officer in conjunction with the
Webmaster are to ensure that all requirements are complied with and reviewed on
a regular basis.
Full details of the requirements are set out within
the Junior Section Policy documentation. |
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