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Safety, Trips & Transport

Health and Safety

Risk Assessments

For all activities and events, you will need to complete a risk assessment. Please read through our guidance notes before using our risk assessement template.

Email completed risk assessments to the Student Services Team on bristolsu@bristol.ac.uk. Please note that you may be asked to re-do them if they are not suitable for your event or filled out properly.

Insurance

Public liability insurance 

This policy covers the University’s and the Union’s legal liability to third parties (i.e. students, visitors or members of the public) for death, injury or damage to their property.  

The limit of indemnity is £50m for any one accident. More infomation about insurance can be found on the University's website.

Equipment

Equipment stored within the Union (or another university building) should be covered by the University’s property insurance. However, be aware that the excess (the amount you have to pay if you make a claim) is £5,000.  The limit of any one item is £100,000 and the limit for any one claim is £250,000.

Please keep your equipment list up to date and inform the Student Services Team once a year during re-affiliation. If you would like to take out contents insurance (with a lower excess) for your Student group's equipment, please contact the Student Services Team (bristolsu@bristol.ac.uk).

Incident Reporting

At the time of the accident or incident please report it to the appropriate officials e.g. sports venue staff, event organisers etc.

Please report the accident /incident to the Student Services Team within 24 hours or as soon as is practicable by filling in this form.

Serious accident or incident and emergencies

In the event of any serious accident or incident which involves the Emergency Services, or which could involve media attention, please follow this procedure:

  • Ensure the safety of yourself then the group.  
  • Call the Emergency Services if necessary and ensure before you call that you are able to explain exactly where you are. You will also need to give them your name, the number from which you are ringing and a brief summary of the incident including possible injuries and the number of injured.  Where possible treat any casualties if it is safe to do so. 
  • Contact University Security (see below) as soon as possible.   
  • Do not make any statement to the media other than “no comment”. DO NOT discuss any aspect of the incident with anyone who is not connected with the emergency services.  

It is the responsibility of the trip leader and vehicle driver to ensure that all participants are aware of the actions to take in the event of an emergency.

Reporting to University Security

University Security operate 24 hours a day 365 days a year. If  the accident/incident is serious, or an emergency, it must be reported immediately to University Security on 0117 331 1223. Inform security of the following information:

  • Your name and where you are calling from
  • The name of the student group involved
  • A brief description of the incident – where, what, how
  • The name(s) and numbers of students involved in the accident/incident
  • The name of the hospital where any casualties have been taken
  • The name and number of any police officers in attendance

 

Trips

Trips are often the highlight of a groups' year - they can be fun challenging, adventurous, a learning opportunity, rewarding and, of course, fun.

As a group leader you have a responsibility for the safety of your members, as well as your own.  When organising a trip remember the following:

  • Plan your itinerary and book your transport, accommodation etc well in advance
  • Nominate a Trip Organiser
  • Keep members informed
  • Create a budget and remember to include transport, accommodation, entrance fees, food and any other expenses.  Ensure what you charge covers all your costs and don't assume you'll sell all the trip places
  • Manage the risks – carry out risk assessments for the trip.  Remember, the trip includes the journey to and from the place you're visiting
  • Ensure you have the names and contact details of all the trip participants
  • Know what to do in case of an emergency (see Health and Safety section above)
  • Seek advice from Bristol SU if you need it

If you're in any doubt about what to do, please get in touch.

Register Your Trip

We encourage you to register your trip with us and are, therefore, always happy to accept details of your trip (where you are going, when, who is attending), which we will log with University Security. You can notify us via bristolsu@bristol.ac.uk.

Whether or not you choose to register your trip with us, you MUST ensure that you thoroughly plan and risk assess your trip before and during it. Please ensure you've read the above section on Health and Safety so you know and understand your responsibilities.

If you need advice or help please get in touch with us: bristolsu@bristol.ac.uk

Travel Insurance

If your student group is going abroad, please ensure your members are aware that Bristol SU does not provide travel insurance. They will need to arrange this themselves.

If travelling within the EU (plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), you can get free or reduced-cost emergency treatment with a European Health Insurance Card - visit www.ehic.org.uk.

However, this will not cover the cost of getting you home after an accident, or insure your possessions, so you and your members will still need to take out travel insurance.

 

Transport

You can book minbus, cars and vans through Bristol SU - see our Transport Guide for details.

To book any self-drive hire vehicle, complete the Transport Booking Form. All drivers must complete the Driver Declaration Form and send clear copies of their paper and card driving license to bristolsu@bristol.ac.uk at least 7 days before your trip.

Drivers also need to complete a Non-Standard Driver Form and send to bristolsu@bristol.ac.uk if they:

  • are under 21
  • have had their full driving license for less than 2 years
  • hold a driving license that was not issued in the UK
  • have any medical conditions that may affect driving
  • have any previous motor convictions, accidents or claims

Anyone driving a minibus for Bristol SU must undertake a training course.

Great news! We now have an arrangement with UWE whereby Bristol University students can attend their in-house minibus training and it only costs £75! (for non-UWE students)

Dates still available are as follows:

Monday 29 October / Saturday3 November

Monday 12 Novermber / Saturday 17 November

Monday 10 December / Saturday 15 December

All the information on how to book can be found here and you'll need to complete a drivers registration form. Please contact bristolsu@bristol.ac.uk and we'll email the drivers registration form to you. Please note that you can only pay for these sessions over the phone with UWE on 0117 32 82577 and they will provide you with a receipt so that you can claim the money back.

As an alternative you can also still book training with Bristol Community Transport. The training course enables you to drive any minibus for 4 years and can be booked using the Minibus Training Booking Form.