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- Identify any hazards, in the physical conditions/environment or in the activities carried out there, which could reasonably be expected to cause significant harm. Look at each of the main types of hazard (see table below) and ask what is being undertaken in your organisation that might fall within these categories.
- Identify the severity of harm that would occur if the hazards were realised. These will range from trivial, minor injury, major injury to one or more persons, death to one person, or multiple deaths.
- Identify who might be affected e.g. visitors, volunteers, children, contractors, animals
- Evaluate the likely risk (high, medium, low) of each hazard being realised and someone being harmed by it, and decide whether existing precautions are adequate or more should be done so that the risk is small. If something needs to be done, consider first if you can get rid of the hazard altogether; if not, then how you can control the risk so harm is unlikely.
- Discuss and implement the identified necessary controls. You should prioritise those risks that affect large numbers of people or animals, and/or could result in serious harm.
- Monitor your assessment and review it when necessary, e.g. if there is any significant change such as new equipment, new job involving significant new hazards, change in location, change in type of species being cared for, etc which makes the first assessment unsound. Risk assessments should also be reviewed following an accident, incident or near miss, and according to your organisational policy, usually annually or if the foster carer moves to another address.
The most common types of hazard noted in foster homes are items such as plants (are these poisonous and are they inside or outside the home), wires that are accessible to a dog, pans on the cooker (especially if the dog is of a height that it can reach easily), garden ponds, certain foods, alcohol, vapes, essential oils, anti-freeze, slug and snail pellets, rat poison
Main Types of Hazard
● Chemical – substances being used or exposed to during a task. Consider both hazardous substances (those that are toxic, corrosive, flammable, harmful or irritant, such as medicines, fumigants, anaesthetics, disinfectants) and non-hazardous products (those that are reasonably safe but can be harmful if handled improperly).
● Biological – direct contact with biological hazards or exposure to them within the environment where a task is being carried out, e.g. bodily fluids, clinical waste, carcass disposal.
● Environmental – exposure to environmental hazards while carrying out tasks e.g. dust, vapours, fumes, noise, hot/cold extreme weather conditions, fire
● Animals – direct and indirect contact with live or dead animals e.g. cuts and bites from handling, zoonotic diseases, including specifically during pregnancy
● Human error – identifying likely human error during the performance of tasks that create higher risks, why they occur, how to recognise when they may occur and how to prevent them re-occurring are essential parts of the risk assessment. The vast majority of accidents are caused by unsafe acts carried out by people, rather than unsafe conditions such as defective equipment or a hazardous environment. Unsafe acts include unauthorised working, not following rules or training, not using required protective clothing or equipment provided, equipment left in a dangerous state, poor maintenance, prohibited behaviour such as drinking or smoking in restricted areas, etc. If human error is foreseeable, controls must be put in place to prevent it, e.g. training, checklists, design controls, supervision.
● Sector specific stresses – for animal welfare organisations this includes traumatic events such as violence, witnessing cruelty, routine euthanasia, absence of animal protection legislation or enforcement, abuse from members of public, lone working, insufficient resources
Useful numbers:
Veterinary Poisons Information Service: 0207 305 5055
Animal Poison Line: 01202 509000
Vet:
Out of hours vet:
Contact numbers for UK Spaniel Rescue:
Trustees:
Andrea Phillips (Lancashire) – 07935 652999
Lisa Regan (Lancashire) – 07718 173039
Caroline Lewis (Powys) – 07738 715195
Babs Kinnear (Inverness) – 07828 812009
Your adoption co-ordinator:
Your designated behaviourist:
The person responsible for this policy/procedure is: Andrea Phillips
This policy has been approved by the Board of Trustees.
Policy approved date 22nd October 2024
This policy is reviewed on an annual basis by the Board of Trustees.
Next Review due: October 2025