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The British Driving Society
NORTH EAST WALES
SAFETY ISSUES
I was
appointed honorary Health/Safety advisor & AAC to BDS
North East Wales during early 2007; I have spent many
years dealing with Insurance Companies, The Health &
Safety Executive and its associated statutory bodies. I
will ensure all Area events are risk assessed and it is
my duty to inform the Area Commissioner what should be
done to ensure every event is run smoothly and safely,
most important of all within the law and protected by
liability Insurance.
TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS OR NEAR
MISSES
The BDS North East
Wales is working to improve horse and carriage driver
safety on the roads in North East Wales. Please help us
by reporting any horse/carriage driver related traffic
accident or near misses . All information supplied is
treated as confidential and will be used as part of
statistics submitted to the High Ways Department and
Local Access Forums of Wrexham, Flintshire &
Denbighshire or any other relevant bodies to ensure safe
roads for carriage drivers.
to download form
STAY
SAFE, BE SEEN WEAR HI VIZ.
If you are driving out on
the roads regardless of how quite they are please
remember be seen wear HI VIZ or something very bight.
EQUISAFETY is an equestrian company based on the Wirral
that specialises in high viz clothing for people,
equines and dogs.
To find out more
about Equisafety
www.equisafety.com
Tel / Fax - +44 (0)151 605
0720
RISK
ASSESSING
Every Area
event must be risk assessed; this is a simple common
sense task to prevent any unforeseen accidents, it is
not a paper writing exercise for the file, without
putting any preventative measures into place, we are
looking at identifying the magnitude of risk, if risk
exists, do something about it and should the unforeseen
happen, a vital piece of evidence you will be asked to
produce to the County health and safety executive,
Police and Insurers.
AFFILIATED BDS
GROUPS IN NORTH EAST WALES.
Affiliated
members are groups with there own constitutions and
governing documents these affiliates must take out there
own Public Liability Insurance, they are not covered by
the BDS events insurance, and have no claim on it. This
was confirmed at the Area Commissioners AGM on 19th
April 2008, it was unfortunate that some groups thought
otherwise and raised this question.
JOINT EVENTS
WITH OTHERS GROUPS OR BDS AFFILIATES
The
BDS North East Wales is happy to consider running joint
events with other groups who must agree to abide with
the following best practice as confirmed to me by the
BDS Vice Chairman on 25th June 2008.
1.Any joint event shall only be organised by the BDS or
BDS Area and run according to BDS rules. The organiser
of any joint event shall only be the BDS Area
Commissioner or Assistant Area Commissioner and no one
else.
2.
The other party joining in the event must hold current
public liability events insurance (minimum £5m) and a
copy given to the Area Commissioner or Assistant Area
Commissioner.
3.
All those taking part must be current BDS members or
hold current third party public liability, which must be
produced at the event; BDS members must also show their
current membership cards.
4.
The Area Commissioner or Assistant’s have the authority
to refuse anyone joining the event who does not hold any
insurance and have the sole right to disqualify anyone
from the event for improper conduct.
It
should be noted that items 1 to 3 are a mandatory
condition of cover for BDS Events Insurance, failure to
observe will result in refusal by the BDS Insurers &
underwriters to cover the joint event. Which means
running without any liability cover, this alone can have
the most disastrous financial consequence on the event
organiser.
If
the above appears strict, it is meant to, an accident
can cost the organiser £Ms, if in doubt ask, after the
event is too late.
Bob
Hargreaves "dipNEBOSH" CMIOSH
AAC BDS North East Wales |
