Health and Safety while Woodworking

This is the introductory page to many pages of Health and Safety information on this website. This material is intended to help the club executive and club members understand the Health and Safety system as established by the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. Then to help club executives implement and maintain good Health and Safety practices in their clubs and during club activities outside that clubrooms.

Every club should implement these health and safety measures. If they do not do so then the club executive, rather than the person(s) involved, may be held liable for a health and safety incident in that club or at that event.

The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 has implications for community organisations. Not-for-profit organisations need to consider whether and, if so, what parts of their activities may be covered by the Act, and just as a “she’ll be right” approach to health and safety is not appropriate in for-profit commerce, neither is it appropriate in a community organisation’s activities. While the new statute does not always apply to community organisations a Club or Guild should always endeavour to meet best health and safety practices.

Work your way through these documents in the order listed on this page. Then return to create a Health and Safety system for your club.

Most of these documents are here as Word documents so that you can edit them to suit your situation.

FIRST

Read and understand the document “2. NAW Health and Safety Policy”.

Note particularly item number 4. If your club members, or persons at an event, whether working or watching have not signed a Health and Safety Declaration then the club executive, rather than the individual concerned, may be held responsible in the event of a serious accident.

NEXT

Read the document “3. Hazard Analysis” and then edit the “4. Hazards Identified” list to suit your club or event.

Then get every club member, or every person operating a machine at an event, or every person attending an event, whether working or watching, as is appropriate for that event, to read and understand the Hazards Identified list and sign the “5 Health and Safety Declaration” as now amended by your executive to suit your club or your event.

ALSO

on this website are supporting documents to help you to understand and manage Health and Safety in your clubrooms or at events run by your club. You may take these and edit them to suit your situation. These are:

• 6a Health and Safety Guidelines for clubrooms
• 6b Health and Safety Guidelines for outside events
• 6c Health and Safety Guidelines for public displays
• Safety Inspection Checklist
• Standard Operating Procedures
• Safety Rules Placard
• First Aid Kit List
• New Compliance Issues for Woodworking Guilds
• Health and Safety Issues and Woodturning