HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY

HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY

Authorised by the Halifax Street Angels Steering

Committee for July 2014 – July 2015

Ellis William King ellis@halifaxstreetangels.org.uk

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HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY

Café/Base

A minimum of three Street Angels are to remain in the church hall at all times, with

at least one of each sex present.

One of the Street Angels in the base should be monitoring the town centre radio.

Access to the Street Angel base is to be restricted to Duty Personnel and welcome

invited guests.

Fire doors are not to be propped open with anything, especially fire extinguishers,

which are to remain in their correct locations.

All volunteers are required to be aware of the fire exit at the far end of the room.

Patrols

Street Angel patrols are to be carried out in teams of three minimum.

A patrol must have at least one of each sex and usually a First Aider.

Each patrol group is to carry one CCTV radio.

When on patrol florescent Halifax Street Angels jackets or vests must be worn, in

order that volunteers are clearly identifiable to both the public and each other.

Street Angels are not to get involved in any violent incident.

Volunteers should keep their distance and witness what is happening. If appropriate,

use the radio system or a mobile phone to contact the police.

The safety of volunteers is paramount, and no unnecessary risks should be taken.

Street

Angels are not police and have no legal powers.

All incidents witnessed by, or involving, Street Angels volunteers must be recorded.

If emergency services are required, Street Angels will radio in to CCTV to request

police, if needed, the patrol First Aider will decide when an ambulance is required.

Street Angels are volunteers, and are present to support the public but not to

replace the work of the uniformed services and other agencies

Incident Record

Please give as much detail as possible (time, place, numbers etc) but do not give full

names of those helped; only first names, unless you are assisting First Aiders, in

which case follow the First Aider’s request.

Our recording is to protect Street Angel volunteers and ensure that any queries can

be easily answered.

We need to respect confidentiality at all times, unless there is a legal need for the

information.

The incident document also needs to have names of volunteers recorded.

Police may occasionally take statements about incidents witnessed - if this leads to

court attendance this will be personal choice as to whether you accept or decline.

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HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY

Records

All incidents must be recorded in the log book.

Record all injuries to Street Angels in the Accident Report book. This is a requirement

under Health and Safety Executive rules.

If someone is treated the First Aiders will complete a Patient Report Form (PRF).

Sharps

Any injury, no matter how small, if caused by exposure to sharps (needles etc), must

be recorded in the Accident Report book, the project manager should be alerted,

and the individual should be referred to a doctor.

Whilst on patrol no Street Angel shall pick up any needles.

Possible Exposure to Blood and/or Body Fluids

If Street Angels are to pick up any bottles from the streets, then thick gloves must be

worn.

All waste gloves or any items used to clean any body fluids must be disposed of in

the First Aiders’ yellow biohazard bags

Smoking

No smoking in the café of directly outside the cafe at any time or whilst on patrol.

This applies both to volunteers and to visitors.

Alcohol

Volunteers are NOT permitted to drink alcoholic beverages during their time on

duty, and must not be under the influence of alcohol when on duty.

No alcoholic drinks are to be brought into the base by volunteers or visitors.

Visitors should leave bottles, etc. outside if they wish to come in.

Illegal Drugs

No volunteers are to take illegal drugs during their time on duty, and must not be

under the influence of illegal drugs when on duty.

No illegal drugs will be tolerated in the cafe at all. Any breach of this rule will result

in the person being asked to leave / ejected from the café.

Physical / Sexual Assaults

When we come across someone who says they are a victim of sexual assault: It must

be assumed that what the victim says is true. We need to treat the person with

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HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY

understanding and ensure their comfort and well-being. It is good practice to let

them speak to a person of the same gender. If possible it should be someone who

has had training to deal with this situation.

Physical / Sexual Assaults (Cont.)

To protect evidence we need to encourage the victim to refrain from washing,

changing clothing or visiting the toilet - though we cannot stop them. If the assault

involved oral sex then encourage the victim to refrain from drinking and clearing out

the mouth as this too could destroy evidence.

The victim can be male or female - treat both with the same respect. Street Angels

need to contact the police straight away (check with the person this is ok with them,

if they are under 18 you must warn them that you have to report the assault

regardless of what they say).

Clothing should not be removed unless it is done by a First Aider to treat an

immediately life threatening injury, and only that injury should be treated. Anything

removed should be

individually sealed in a clean biohazard bag, in accordance with current UK

guidelines.

Leave questions to the police - do not ask leading questions, take in depth notes of

any conversations that take place with Street Angels, as this can be used as evidence.