Health and Safety Policy

THE WITHAM STAPLE

HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY

MARCH 2026

Date:                                                                                       March 2026

Adopted (Committee and Signed (Chairman):              19 March 2026   ……………………………………………………

Next Review:                                                                         2028

 

The Context:  The Witham Staple is a community magazine run by volunteers serving 8 villages.  Seven villages receive hard copies, delivered to each home, 10 times each year.  One larger village accesses the magazine via the website.  The Witham Staple is run by an elected committee, it does not own or rent premises nor does it have any employees.   The magazine is printed by a professional printing company.

The Witham Staple, a voluntary organisation, is not required to have a Health and Safety Policy.  However, it values it volunteers and offers advice about their health and safety.

There are three main operations for the magazine:

1. 1. 1. production of copy, including forwarding to the printer and uploading to the website
      2. delivery of the magazine to (currently) 1400 homes and businesses.
      3. the administration of the magazine

Health and Safety:

The safety of those producing and delivering the magazine is important and we advise our volunteers about health and safety considerations:

1. 1. 1. The production of copy is mainly IT based and individuals are encouraged to make sure their set up is comfortable and regular screen breaks are taken.
      2. Boxes of magazines from the printers are of a weight which is comfortable to manage.  We advise our deliverers to deliver magazines in daylight whenever possible, to be aware of traffic, uneven surfaces, other safety hazards, their own visibility, and to delay delivery if weather conditions are adverse. They are also advised to consider dividing their magazine load if their bag is heavy,  They are advised to be aware of dogs in gardens and when posting through letterboxes.

Deliverers should report any health and safety issues or accidents to the Distribution Manager within 3 days. The Distribution Manager will then deal with issues promptly and advise the committee as soon as possible.  The Distribution Manager should report more serious issues immediately to the Chairman, and these may need discussion and decision by the committee.

Along with the advice above, volunteers are expected to take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others who may be harmed by their actions

The Witham Staple does not use under 18s as deliverers.  If under 18s, under the supervision of their Parent or Guardian, help with delivery, the Parent/Guardian should ensure the above points are fully understood by the deliverer.