Health & Safety
Health and Safety is an important part of the management of any UCD sports club. All UCD sports clubs operate under the governing body of the Athletic Union Council and must ensure that its activities are conducted in a prepared, planned and structured manner.
It is each sports clubs committees responsibility to ensure the health and safety of their club members, and all necessary procedures are taken to achieve this. UCD sports clubs are committed to a safe and healthy environment for all members. The management of health and safety is the responsibility of everyone.
Health and Safety Documents
- UCD Sports Clubs Safety Manual 2024-25
- Adventure Sports Safety Manual 2024-25
- Event Guide and Template 2024-25
- UCD Club Locker Key Nomination Form 2024-25
- Facility Booking Form
- Sports Centre Public Events Policy
- Medical Policy Form
- Film Permission Form
- AUC Social Media Policy
- AUC Disciplinary Procedure
Club Risk Assessments
To ensure the safety of all members, UCD requires sports clubs to submit risk assessments for certain activities. A breakdown of when a risk assessment is required is outlined below.
All Clubs - Activities Not Covered by Your Club Safety Manual
- Any activity not explicitly covered in your club's approved Safety Manual requires a risk assessment. This includes one-off events or trips away for members.
- Example: The UCD Soccer Club organises a weekend paddle boarding trip for its members. As this activity is not covered in their Club Safety Manual, a risk assessment must be submitted.
Adventure Sports Clubs
- All adventure sports clubs must submit a risk assessment for each trip they undertake, regardless of location, unless both the activity and the specific location/school/centre are already covered in their approved Safety Manual.
- Example 1: The UCD Surf Club has a training session at a Surf School already covered in their Safety Manual. No risk assessment is required.
- Example 2: The UCD Surf Club goes on a trip to a new Surf School. A risk assessment is required as the school is not covered in their approved Safety Manual.
- Dynamic Activities: Activities such as hiking, climbing, diving and canoeing etc. inherently involve changing factors like weather, environment, terrain and leader to member ratios etc. Therefore, risk assessments are always required for these trips.
- Example: UCD Mountaineering Club plans a hike and UCD Canoe Club plans a river trip. Both require risk assessments to proactively identify and mitigate potential risks specific to each trip. This risk assessment is to be reviewed by the leader / qualified person on the day in advance of the activity to reflect the actual / forecasted conditions, equipment and standard of participants etc. to determine if it is still safe to proceed.
Submission Process
- All risk assessments must be submitted to paula.cashman@ucd.ieat least 14 days before the planned activity.
- Use a previously approved dynamic risk assessment as a template (if applicable).