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Clubs and Societies

Health & Safety Planning

Health & Safety Planning

Keeping your members safe is one of the most important parts of running a club. This page covers what OUSA expects, how to plan safe events and trips, and what to do if something goes wrong. Have a read before you need it.

Your health & safety obligations

Does health & safety law apply to my club?

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA), a club is only treated as a PCBU ("person conducting a business or undertaking") if it has one or more employees. Most of our clubs are run entirely by volunteers, so they aren't PCBUs and don't have legal duties under the HSWA.

Does your club… What it means
have no employees (volunteers only)? You're not a PCBU, so the HSWA duties don't apply to your club, but the obligations below still do.
pay anyone to work for it, e.g. a paid coach or staff member? You may be a PCBU with legal duties. Talk to the CDO.

Even without legal duties, you still have obligations: to OUSA as an affiliated club, to the University when you use campus spaces, and, most importantly, a moral obligation to keep your members safe.

What OUSA expects from your committee
OUSA expects you to… What that looks like
Identify, assess and control hazards Think through what could go wrong at your activities, and put steps in place to reduce the risk.
Involve and inform your members Tell people about the risks and the safety plan, e.g. at a briefing before a trip or activity.
Monitor hazards Keep your risk register up to date, and review it when things change or after an incident.
Make sure members have the right gear Safety clothing and equipment suited to the activity.
Keep club equipment fit for purpose Check it regularly, and repair or replace anything that's damaged or unsafe.
Keep events safe Alcohol is never the main focus of a club event, and you follow the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act and food safety rules where they apply.
Your affiliation to OUSA may be at risk if there are reasonable grounds for concern about how your club manages health and safety. If you're unsure whether you're doing enough, just ask us. We'd much rather help early.

Planning safe events & trips

How to do a risk assessment

Do a risk assessment for anything off-campus, physical, involving travel or alcohol, or otherwise out of the ordinary. You don't need one for a regular committee meeting.

  1. List the hazards. What could go wrong before, during and after? Think about the venue, the activity, the weather, travel, alcohol and people's health.
  2. Assess each one. How likely is it, and how bad would it be?
  3. Control it. Decide what you'll do to remove or reduce each risk, and who's responsible.
  4. Plan for emergencies. Who's first aid trained, where's the nearest exit, AED and hospital, and who calls 111?
  5. Tell your members. Share the key risks and safety steps before the activity.
  6. Review it afterwards. Update your risk register with anything you learned.

Templates to get you started

Template Use it for
OUSA Event Hazard Assessment and Management Planning a specific event or trip
Risk Register Template Keeping track of your club's ongoing risks
Sample Hazard Register An example of a completed register
Risk Management Templates More formats and examples

These are a starting point. Adapt them to fit your club and your activities.

Before your next event or trip: checklist

Every event

Trips and outdoor activities (extra)

If something goes wrong

Medical emergencies
  1. Stay calm, stop and think. Call out for a first aider if you're not trained or confident.
  2. Call 111, say what type of emergency it is, and give as much detail as you can.
  3. Give the exact location: "We're at ___, the nearest intersection is ___". If you're inside a building, send someone out to meet the ambulance.
  4. If poison or a hazardous substance is involved, call the National Poisons Centre on 0800 764 766.
  5. If you're trained or confident in first aid, help until the ambulance or a medical professional arrives.
The ABCs of first aid
Airway Check the airway is clear
Breathing Check for breathing and a heartbeat, and start CPR if needed
Circulation Look for bleeding and apply pressure
Not sure where you are? Use your phone's GPS, or look for the nearest power pole or bridge, which will have a unique ID number. No reception? Call 111 anyway. It connects to any available network. If you can't call, activate a locator beacon if you have one.
Fire and evacuation
  1. Get yourself and others away from immediate danger, if it's safe to.
  2. Set off the nearest fire alarm, if there is one.
  3. Call 111, and give your exact location and the type of fire.
  4. Speak clearly and stay calm.
  5. Close doors and windows to contain the fire, if you can.
  6. Only try to put the fire out if it's safe to do so.
  7. If it's out of control, evacuate immediately.
  8. Leave your belongings, and don't go back in until the fire brigade says it's safe.
  9. Give first aid if needed.
Vehicle incidents (including the OUSA van)

Call 111 if a crash:

  • causes injuries or a medical emergency
  • causes a fire
  • causes major damage, or the other party has fled, won't share their insurance details, or disagrees about what happened

If another vehicle is involved, get the other driver's name, phone number and insurance details if you can. To report non-injury traffic issues, call *555.

OUSA van problem What to do
Flat battery or tyre, lost key, out of fuel, breakdown, or needs towing Ford Roadside Assistance: 0800 15 16 17
Any incident at all involving the van Tell OUSA as soon as possible, so we can support you and lodge an insurance claim if needed
Missing person (or if you're lost)

There's no set amount of time you have to wait. It depends on the person, how prepared they are, the weather, any medical conditions and so on. If you're confident someone is missing or overdue and you're worried about them, call 111.

Emergency services would always rather be called out and have the person turn up 5 minutes later than be called too late.

If you're genuinely lost

  • Unless you're in immediate danger, stay where you are. Search and Rescue will focus on your original route.
  • Try every way of making contact: phone, radio or locator beacon. Moving a short distance to get reception can help, but staying put is best.
  • Keep warm and dry. Rug up and make a shelter.
  • Make yourself as visible as possible to rescuers.
  • Stay calm and patient. LandSAR operates 24/7, every day of the year. You will be found.
Threatening behaviour
  1. Move yourself and others away from immediate danger, if it's safe to do so.
  2. Don't argue or try to negotiate.
  3. Don't take risks. Never try to disarm or struggle with the person.
  4. Take note of the person and your surroundings, e.g. what they look like, any weapons, and escape routes.
  5. If you feel unsafe, call Campus Watch or 111 straight away.

A protection order being breached is always a 111 call. If a suspended or expelled member turns up to a club activity, this can be treated as threatening. For behaviour issues that aren't an emergency, see our Conduct, Complaints & Governance page.

Mental health crisis

Call 111 if someone:

  • is behaving in a way that puts others in danger and you feel unsafe
  • is at risk of hurting themselves, or already has

Call Emergency Psychiatric Services (0800 467 846) if someone:

  • seems to have lost touch with reality, or is acting very differently from usual
  • can't seem to function normally
  • is overwhelmed with distress and can't be calmed
  • shares thoughts of self-harm

For anything less urgent, like stress, feeling low, or worry about a friend, call or text 1737 any time, and see our Support & Wellbeing page.

After an incident
In an emergency, call 111. On or around campus, also call Campus Watch on 0800 479 5000 (24/7). They can help, and can guide emergency services to you.

Getting health & safety support

Who can help you with health & safety
Who How they can help
OUSA Clubs Development Officer
cdo@ousa.org.nz		 Keeping students safe is our top priority. We're happy to help you develop your club's health and safety systems, review a risk assessment, or talk through an upcoming event.
OUSA Grants
Grants & Funding page		 Need safety equipment, like first aid kits, helmets or a locator beacon? You may be able to get an OUSA grant for it.
University of Otago Health & Safety
Nevan Trotter, Health and Safety Advisor		 The University's health and safety team is happy to offer advice to affiliated clubs.

Running something on campus?

If you're using University property, for example hosting a cultural evening, you'll need to follow the University's own policies, procedures and codes of practice:

Emergency contacts
Police, Fire, Ambulance 111
Campus Watch (24/7) 0800 479 5000 · text 021 279 5000
Emergency Psychiatric Services 0800 467 846
National Poisons Centre 0800 764 766
Healthline (24/7) 0800 611 116
Dunedin Urgent Doctors and Accident Centre 03 479 2900
Non-injury traffic issues *555
Ford Roadside Assistance (OUSA van) 0800 15 16 17
Nearest defibrillator (AED) aedlocations.co.nz

For wellbeing and support services, see the full contacts list on our Support & Wellbeing page.

Need help? Planning something you're not sure about, or need a second pair of eyes on your risk assessment? Email the Clubs Development Officer at cdo@ousa.org.nz. We're always happy to help.