Health & Safety Guidelines 

Club Responsibility:

Enfield Chasers Running Club is strongly committed to encouraging our members to take part, but the health, well-being and safety of each individual is always our paramount concern.  We recommend levels of training dependent on age and ability, and expect our athletes to participate within these boundaries. 

Member Responsibility:

Members should familiarise themselves with the Health and Safety Guidance located on the club website. This Guidance includes advice on weather, terrain, personal limitations and protecting your fellow Club members. As members you have a responsibility to do your best to prevent harm to yourselves, your running partners or members of the public. As members you should acknowledge that you owe a duty of care to not wilfully injure yourselves or others by your negligent acts or omissions.

Reporting:

The Club relies on its members to report any problems encountered whilst running on training routes. For example, dangerous stiles, damaged pavements, potholes, poor visibility etc.

Guidelines Review:

The Health and Safety Guidelines, Club procedures and any associated Health and Safety Guidance will be reviewed, at least on an annual basis, to ensure that they remain accurate and reflect the Club ethos.

The Guidelines:

All members agree to abide by the Club’s Health & Safety Guidelines as follows:

Safety generally:

All club members must take personal responsibility for their own safety, whilst keeping a watchful eye on others running in the same group, particularly new members. Consideration should be given to others, and common sense used. 

Medical conditions:

All members of the club declare themselves medically fit to run at their own risk and shall not hold the club responsible for any incident occurring through a personal medical condition or injury. As appropriate, members should request regular check-ups with their General Practitioner. Members with any medical conditions agree where appropriate to carry with them the relevant details of the condition and their name, address and emergency phone number contact details. Voluntary disclosure of medical conditions shall be the responsibility of the individual member or their carer in circumstances where they consider an individual risk assessment approach to their welfare may be appropriate.

Appropriate clothing:

Members should understand the value of wearing appropriate clothing for the weather and time of year, appropriate shoes for the variations of terrain. When running in the dark members should take responsibility for making themselves highly visible by them wearing "Bright fluorescent clothing with reflective strips/shapes" and please be aware that drivers may find it difficult to see you. 

Staying together:

The group endeavour to stay together as much as possible. Members should take care to listen to the proposed route before setting off. The group lead should ensure that a head count is taken and that a tail runner (back-marker) has been assigned to ensure that no one individual gets left behind. Whenever mixed ability occurs within a group, regrouping should take place at appropriate times along the route to ensure that no one individual gets left behind. If anyone decides to leave the group whilst out on the run, they must inform at least one other runner in that group. Upon returning to the start the group lead should check that everyone who started out has returned or can be accounted for.

Road Sense:

Routes shall be planned to avoid unlit roads at night during hours of darkness. Routes passing along roads without footpaths shall be avoided wherever possible and when this is not possible (on quiet roads) runners shall run to the right to face any oncoming traffic or to the left at bends where forward visibility to the right is limited.

First Aid:

Members shall familiarise themselves with any individuals who have a recognised emergency first aid qualification within the club.

Club Events:

All sports events organised by the club shall be kept under review and if necessary allocated members shall undertake and record risk assessments and Event Health and Safety Plans. All events shall be staged in accordance with the rules and guidelines stipulated by England Athletics and their insurers.

Incidents:

Whenever reasonably possible, one member of the group should carry a mobile phone. In the event of an incident, members should first check if anyone is injured and locate an emergency first aider. It is advisable for at least one member to stay with the injured person, who should not be moved unless their location is immediately life threatening. If appropriate, emergency services should be contacted using 112 from a mobile phone as it will record your location; alternatively use 999. Finally, a member of the committee should be informed as soon as is practically possible in order that relatives can be informed and incident records made.

Incident records:

Any incidents should be reported to a club committee member for future reference, and for making known to all club members when appropriate. Actual incidents involving any member or third party shall be formally recorded with a committee member in accordance with England Athletics guidelines.