How To Directory
- 1. How to Use Groups Hub
- 2. How to Manage Health & Safety
- 3. How to Make Your Society Inclusive
- 4. How to Book Facilities and Transport
- 5. How to Manage Your Money
- 6. How to Manage Equipment
- 7. How to Manage Communications
- 8. How to Run a Sports Club
- 9. How to Handover and Democratic Processes
- 10. How to Organise Events
- Involving Alumni
- Running an internal or external event
- Considering Health & Safety for your event
- Involving external speakers
- Adding an Event the the SUSU Calendar
- Requesting Box Office Tickets
- Promotion from SUSU
- Running an event outside SUSU premises
- Running your own charity event through RAG
- Creating a balanced programme of events
- Running an event on SUSU premises
- 11. How to Start a New Club or Society
- 12. Adopt a Society
How to Complete a Risk Assessment
All student groups should complete a risk assessment for their general day to day activities and also separately for any additional events that take place. Please note that all risk assessments for events should be completed, approved by an activities coordinator and uploaded to Groups Hub at least 3 weeks before the event takes place. Please note, if provided later than this your activity may not be able to take place.
Whilst it can be easy to see them as an unnecessary inconvenience, they are in fact a very useful way of planning your activities, as well as being essential in ensuring that you are covered by our insurance.
Template Risk Assessments
Below are some Risk assessment templates to use as guidance for your activities and events. If you choose to use one of these templates make sure to review and edit as appropriate for your activity.
- Generic Club and Society Risk Assessment
- Sports Club Risk Assessment
- Music Society Risk Assessment
- Pub Crawl/Social Risk Assessment
- Charity Bake Sale Risk Assessment
- Overseas Trip/Tour Risk Assessment
- Community & Schools, Outreach risk Assessment
- Strike, Protest or Campaign Risk Assessment
- A template Blank Risk Assessment can be found here
The Health and Safety Executive provide a concise overview of how to undertake risk assessment on their website here. We would encourage all Committee Presidents/Captains to read this prior to any risk assessment review.
Top Tips for Carrying out a Risk Assessment:
- Identify the Hazard (anything that can cause harm, e.g wet weather causing slips, trips, falls)
- Decide who may be harmed and why (e.g. members, organisers, general public)
- Evaluate the Risk (what are the chances of it happening)
- Think of prevention measures to minimise the risk (e.g. can you eliminate the risk? use tools or equipment to reduce the impact?)
- Review your Risk Assessment and update as needed following the event
Further risk assessment guidance, including how to work out your inherent (without prevention measures) & Residual (with your prevention measures in place) score can be found on the last page of the risk assessment templates.
If applicable, your risk assessment should also reference your National Governing Body and their risk assessment. You should follow their guidelines and apply these to your own risk assessment.
By simply completing the above steps, you show you that you have done your absolute best to recognise what could go wrong, the damage or danger this could cause and how you have tried to prevent it from happening.
If you’d like any further guidance on how to complete a risk assessment, then just pop into the Activities Office located on level 2 of building 42 (to the right of the lift) or email us at suactivities@soton.ac.uk.
If any changes are made to your risk assessment during the year, you must submit the new document.
