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IS HAVING A POLICY ENOUGH?
It is certainly not enough to have a policy that is simply kept in a drawer. As mentioned above, it is important that the policy is reviewed on a regular basis and updated.
It is also important that the policy is communicated to staff, volunteers and members of your communities so that they know and understand what is being done and what is expected of them. It is important
to check that it is actually being followed and implemented where appropriate.
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) urge all charity trustees
to take the approach:
Act Do
Check
Plan
WHAT IF WE HAVE MISSED SOMETHING?
There are always “Black Swan” events, i.e. the unknown unknowns that emerge as potential risks. There will always be something that happens which you have not considered or could not have considered. Look back over the past 12 months, have things happened that you did not expect?
When something unexpected happens, do not panic because it wasn’t covered in the policy. Once the event has been dealt with make sure you learn the lessons from the process. Communicate with appropriate members of staff and volunteers so that they understand what happened and how such an issue can be avoided in the future.
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