Lunchtime Speaker – Kevin Mack – Compliance, Safe Guarding

Our speaker this week was Kevin Mack who gave a talk on Health & Safety and Compliance. Kevin is a
member of Rushmoor Rotary Club and is also the District Compliance Officer for Rotary South (District 1145). Kevin said that each Club must have a Compliance Officer, which could be the Club Secretary. He recommends that clubs subscribe to The Purple Guide. This is published by the Events Industry Forum, is a comprehensive guide to running outdoor events across the UK. It is written by working groups drawn from the industry and from government and is published online, being constantly revised and updated. It covers health & safety and other legal responsibilities and also advises organisers on best practice when running them. The guide can be purchased through our Rotary District at a special price of E12. An outdoor event should always be an Event Plan including a risk assessment, an emergency plan and a safety action notice. Most events, including street collections, require licenses from the local authority. Organisers will also need permission from the landowner if it takes place on private land. When selling or serving food a club should comply with "Natasha's law" which stipulates that all food made on the premises and packaged for sale must display a full ingredients list with the top 14 allergens clearly highlighted. Kevin also spoke about compliance with data protection regulations (GDPR). He recommends that when sending emails clubs should use blind copies (BCC) for circulation lists, especially when sending them to non-members. Copyright regulations should be strictly adhered when using images or photos. Infringement of copyright can prove expensive. If using Al for publications you should make sure that the text is carefully proof read before sending it out to avoid embarrassing mistakes, since it is prone to errors. Safeguarding regulations should be strictly adhered to particularly when events involve children or vulnerable adults. Volunteers should never touch children; if dealing with a medical emergency involving a child, the volunteer should ensure that there is at least one other adult present. The District runs a mediation service for disputes within clubs which can sometimes happen. Terry Smith thanked Kevin for his interesting and very comprehensive presentation and thanked him for his readiness to offer his advice to clubs when dealing with these important issues