AWGB Woodturning Forum

General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: The Bowler Hatted Turner on July 30, 2020, 11:17:13 PM

Title: Clubs opening up risk assessment
Post by: The Bowler Hatted Turner on July 30, 2020, 11:17:13 PM
Without wishing to get into a conversation on the rights or wrongs of clubs opening up again I wonder if any clubs have produced a risk assessment for when they do open up again? I am in the middle of producing one for my club and would like to know what others are including in their's. For instance, will you allow the making of tea and coffee?Will you sanitise the lathe handles before and after the demonstrator?What about the chairs? What will your risk assessment be based on? ( I will base mine on the guidelines for opening cinemas again.) If you do not wish to post them publicly then please do PM me.
Title: Re: Clubs opening up risk assessment
Post by: michaelb on July 31, 2020, 07:09:16 AM
Unfortunately I don't think we can do any planning about reopening at the moment at this time as the rules keep changing, for example only today the Welsh government announced only up to 30 people can meet out doors, our church hall venue says their insurers have told them not to reconsider opening till at least January ,the 2 meter rule would reduce the hall capacity from 40 to 15, Unclear about the use of masks, but I think more importantly would members want to visit.
I do think it would be beneficial to all clubs as to what the AWGB insurance has to say baring in mind that we are responsible for H & S hence the need for risk assessment, but saying that the venue will have its own risk assessment .
Title: Re: Clubs opening up risk assessment
Post by: Dave Wraight on July 31, 2020, 09:19:04 AM
Hi
The hall that we use has issued such a long list of guidelines that I personally would not wish to put club members at risk(nor myself) plus the fact that we would be so restricted on numbers. We will continue to ZOOM -just wish more members would join in - unfortunately it seems that some members only wish to meet 'in the flesh'. Yes I understand the benefits of this but in the current situation we have to move on and move forward and learn from our online experiences.
Title: Re: Clubs opening up risk assessment
Post by: Wooddust on July 31, 2020, 07:04:29 PM
The problem I am having is getting guidelines from the hall we use. Only then can I look at producing our own risk assessments.
Title: Re: Clubs opening up risk assessment
Post by: Bill21 on July 31, 2020, 09:34:03 PM
This may be of help if you’ve not already seen it.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-the-safe-use-of-multi-purpose-community-facilities/covid-19-guidance-for-the-safe-use-of-multi-purpose-community-facilities

I think asking members to bring their own refreshments would be safer. If hot drinks were provided I would be far happier using my own cup.
Title: Re: Clubs opening up risk assessment
Post by: The Bowler Hatted Turner on August 01, 2020, 07:11:30 PM
Thank you all for your replies.
Title: Re: Clubs opening up risk assessment
Post by: John D Smith on August 01, 2020, 09:11:05 PM

 Hi Bill21
After reading through the link you put on your post  I must be sad on a Saturday night this makes it look like getting through a minefield would be easier.
                                         Regards John
Title: Re: Clubs opening up risk assessment
Post by: Bill21 on August 01, 2020, 10:47:19 PM
The hall where my club meets has only recently started their own risk assessment. Once complete it will be made available to all those that use the facilities to draft their own. It will be interesting to see how the “toilet monitor” is appointed!  :o
Title: Re: Clubs opening up risk assessment
Post by: michaelb on August 02, 2020, 06:57:25 AM
I am sure they will "flush" one out .
Title: Re: Clubs opening up risk assessment
Post by: The Bowler Hatted Turner on August 02, 2020, 09:03:07 AM
At least you have something to go on for the time being.
Title: Re: Clubs opening up risk assessment
Post by: Bill21 on August 23, 2020, 05:24:20 PM
Have any of you seen a wood turning club specific risk assessment yet?
Title: Re: Clubs opening up risk assessment
Post by: The Bowler Hatted Turner on August 24, 2020, 08:29:09 AM
As far as my local club is concerned we will not be allowed back in until the hall owners give us permisssion, and so that is when we will carryout our RA as so much could change between now and then(whenever that is).
Title: Re: Clubs opening up risk assessment
Post by: julcle on August 24, 2020, 10:15:16 AM
We heard on Friday that our Community Education Centre where Crow Valley Woodturners meet will not be open until January at the earliest. If the situation changes they will let us know.  Julian
Title: Re: Clubs opening up risk assessment
Post by: Tim Pettigrew on August 24, 2020, 01:07:22 PM
Our Community Centre is open and has a Covid use risk assessment policy, but our members have decided to defer resumption until next year.  In the meantime we are organising Zoom meetings...

Tim
Title: Re: Clubs opening up risk assessment
Post by: John D Smith on August 24, 2020, 09:18:46 PM
 Hi Everyone,
                   I have received a email from Zurich Insurance This is the Company who covers the AWGB clubs they have a service which is FREE it is called Local Community Advisory Service (LCAS)  this is Risk Management Simple so who ever is your club contact they should have received this information and you can download the guide in the form of pdf this maybe helpful.

                                                  Regards John
Title: Re: Clubs opening up risk assessment
Post by: Bill21 on August 25, 2020, 12:02:28 PM
Is this the document John?

https://www.zurich.co.uk/-/media/project/zwp/united-kingdom/docs/charity/support-and-resources/720370.pdf?la=en&hash=281922AEFF53B56D69D07B46854D2ACA
Title: Re: Clubs opening up risk assessment
Post by: Bill21 on August 28, 2020, 11:37:18 AM
The venue for my WT club is reopening in September but the committee have decided to delay restarting club meetings until January 2021. Probably a wise decision given the average age of the membership.
Title: Re: Clubs opening up risk assessment
Post by: The Bowler Hatted Turner on August 28, 2020, 05:35:21 PM
We had a club discussion about it last night, I agree that probably won't see many clubs opening until after the festive season.
(That is it thanks Bill.)
Title: Re: Clubs opening up risk assessment
Post by: David Buskell on August 28, 2020, 05:56:55 PM
Cheam Woodturners are opening up again on September 19th. Usual COVID guidelines complied with by our venue, but a reluctance from the members to venture out, we think.
Title: Re: Clubs opening up risk assessment
Post by: John D Smith on August 28, 2020, 08:35:34 PM
Hi Bill21,
              Sorry for the delay in replying Yes that is the document from Zurich Insurance it might be useful. David you said your
club Cheam Woodturners are opening on 19th September how will they control numbers if more than 30 turn up? our club we get between 40 to 55 per meeting I would be interested to know I think our club has more or less decided start again in 2021 if everything is ok.     Regards John
Title: Re: Clubs opening up risk assessment
Post by: The Bowler Hatted Turner on August 28, 2020, 11:22:19 PM
John something we discussed during my club's zoom meeting last night was possibly having some club members attending the venue and live streaming out to the rest of the club who wish to stay at home. Not sure how that would work out though. We are going to ere on the side of safety as none of us wants the responsibility of causing members to get ill. God forbid if we (my club committee) said we were going back to face to face meetings and we lost a member through this virus because of it.
Just for information it took two of us nearly 12 days to come up with the risk assessment that allowed us to reopen the shop that I belong to. You have to cover every possibility. As our shop premises do not have bathroom facilities we had to include details of cleaning the one we have access to after each visit. And within the shop we go into detail about negative and positive air pressure to prevent the "wafting" of speech vapour thereby safeguarding our volunteers. Not an easy situation for any of us at the moment.
Title: Re: Clubs opening up risk assessment
Post by: David Buskell on August 29, 2020, 11:59:31 AM
"David you said your club Cheam Woodturners are opening on 19th September how will they control numbers if more than 30 turn up?"

John, a good point. We have a large hall with normal capacity of 80 so under Covid our maximum (as far as the venue management is concerned) is 40. The Government guidance allows for more than 30 people in certain circumstances.

We usually get between 40 and 60 people for a normal meeting. I very much doubt we will get that for the 2020 meetings we have planned.

One major obstacle is that our Constitution provides for a quorum of 30 (including officers) to be present for any OGM or AGM so we also need to plan ahead.

So, to answer John's original quesion to me, I don't know how our Committee will handle things. I'll be able to answer you after our September meeting.
Title: Re: Clubs opening up risk assessment
Post by: Twisted Trees on August 29, 2020, 12:41:34 PM
I probably would not attend a face to face club meeting, I am not really bothered about catching Covid-19, but I would be horrified to be the one that passed it on to a friend (or anyone) but wish you all the best with your September meeting.
Title: Re: Clubs opening up risk assessment
Post by: John D Smith on August 29, 2020, 07:07:33 PM

 Hello John (bht), David & Pete (TT)
                                                    Thank you for your very prompt answers the more questions you ask the more complicated everything seems to get it seems like a minefield and it is in my opinion not fair to put these pressures on Committee members who are all Volunteers and David I am not sure about allowing up to 40 to attend ! the one thing that non of us can predict is IF
the circumstances change (heaven forbid ) all the plans and hard work goes to the wall I must say I am very concerned.

                                                        Regards (Worried) John