We currently require a risk assessment from any hirers wishing to use the Hall that demonstrates that the organisers have planned to comply with government guidelines on COVID-19 social distancing.
Please use this template as a guide to produce your own risk assessment. The main Hall is about 9m x 13m size and therefore when allowed by the government, we recommend a limit of 25 people in the main hall to achieve 2m social distancing. We recommend a limit of 10 people in the lobby to achieve 2m social distancing.
These limits may have to be reduced for other government requirements, for example the limit of 6 brought out in September 2020, please see also:
Further Guidance
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-coronavirus-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do
Spring 2021 Proposed Government Road Map:
Guidance – Restrictions on businesses and venues in England:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/performing-arts
Risk Assessment Template
Please see the main Hall Risk Assessment for a complete list of other considerations: http://www.templecloud.org.uk/village-hall-risk-assessment/
| Area of Risk | Risk identified | Actions to take to mitigate risk | Notes |
| Cleanliness of hall and equipment, especially after other hires | Other hirers or hall cleaner have not cleaned hall or equipment used to standard required. Our group leaves hall or equipment without cleaning. | Hirer to check with clerk when hall is cleaned and to make sure regularly used surfaces are cleaned before, during and after hire e.g. tables, sinks, door and toilet handles. Light switches could be an electrocution hazard and must not be sprayed with a liquid or wiped with a wet cloth, consider only touching with gloves, and dry wiping with alcohol solution. | Can we bring our own equipment? Check government guidelines for cleaning recommendations. Take extra care, for eye and hand protection, and protection of other visitors, if hazardous chemicals are used (see below) |
| Hazardous Cleaning Solutions, Cleaning hazards | Eye injury for users, child poisoning if ingested. Electrocution from cleaning electrical appliances. Fire hazard for alchohol solutions. | Wear suitable eye and hand protection if handling bleach. If using a spray, ensure other visitors are not in the vicinity. Lock away cleaning solutions in a suitable case when not in use. No naked flames near cleaning products. Do not clean light switches with fluids, find a ‘dry’ alternative such as alchohol swabs. | Government guidance suggests cleaning hands with soapy water and then rinsing. If thorough rinsing is not possible, such as on surfaces, check guildelines for cleaning information regarding using a 70% alcohol solution or bleach solution. |
| Managing Social distancing and especially people attending who may be vulnerable | People do not maintain 2 m social distancing | Advise group they must comply with social distancing as far as possible and use one-way system or staggered arrival / departure. Adopt layout advised. Limit numbers using toilets at once. Require use of face masks if meeting people outside your immediate ‘bubble’. Maintain security and attendance on any unlocked doors to avoid anauthorised access. | Should we avoid use of kitchen – ask people to BYO food and drink? Allow older people time to use toilets without others present. (One way system could be reversed for convenience, so in through the front and out through the back on arrival. Out through the front and return through the back during departure.) |
| Respiratory hygiene | Transmission to other members of group. Cumulative effect of aerosol particles | Catch It, Bin It, Kill It. Encourage group to avoid touching mouth, eyes, and nose. Hirer to provide tissues, ask all to dispose into a bin or disposable rubbish bag, then wash or sanitise hands. Keep doors open, in cold or wet weather consider ventilation intervals with all doors wide open for 3 mins every quarter of an hour. | Remember to bring tissues and hand sanitiser. Remember to empty any bins used into kitchen bin at end of hire. |
| Hand cleanliness | Transmission to other members of group and premises | Advise group to use sanitiser on entering and exiting the hall, to wash hands regularly using soap and paper towels. | Hall sanitiser is a battery operated unit that requires turning on at beginning of event and turning off at end of event. (switch underneath unit, bring spare gel dispenser in case of faults) |
| Someone falls ill with COVID19 symptoms | Transmission to other members of group and premises | Follow hall instructions. Move person to safe area, obtain contacts, inform clerk. Maintain a track and trace register of attendees, consider pre registration, or a contactless QR code that links to an online registration form | Track and trace registration with contactless QR code: http://www.templecloud.org.uk/track-and-trace-register/ |
| Travel to and from event | Risk of contamination from other travel companions, especially when sharing lifts. | Do not share lifts with anyone outside your household. |
- Posted: 24th July 2020