Hospitality & Leisure Sector - Useful Health & Safety Information

Why Health &Safety is important to this sector

The hospitality & leisure sector is wide ranging and includes swimming, leisure centres, countryside visits, children’s play and motorised leisure pursuits, as well as adventurous, thrill-seeking activities such as bungee jumping. Leisure activity operators must protect the health and safety of workers and those participating in the activities they manage.

Participation in leisure activities should be an enjoyable experience, so operators need to protect participants from real risk without wrongly restricting beneficial leisure activities. Health and safety legislation exists to protect people from real risks at, or connected with, work. But it can be hard to see this from some of the stories that are reported. Some of the most bizarre health & safety bans or restrictions spotted in media coverage by HSE over the last year in hospitality & leisure include

• Stopping dodgem cars from bumping into each other at Butlins in Skegness
• Kite flying on a popular tourist beach in east Yorkshire
• Childrens football games banned - unless the ball is made of sponge
• Children no longer allowed to take part in a sack race

Mis-interpreting your responsibilities can make the difference between an event being run or not.

Situation where you might need Health & Safety support

To identify potential pitfalls and clarify your legal duties, whilst providing a practical framework to help run leisure activities and events safely. Obtaining information on health and safety in leisure activities will help those involved in operating and managing leisure activities to decide what, if any, duties they have under health and safety law, and how to comply with them.

Actions you may need to take

This will depend on the size of your business and what exactly you are doing. If you employ 4 or more people you will need a written safety policy, which includes information for your employees on who is responsible for what, and how you will manage health & safety. All employers have to carry out risk assessments – these will help you to identify hazards associated with your work and what you need to do to control them.

Result of doing/Not doing something

Organising and running leisure events and activities for your customers and the public often involves decisions that can have a significant impact on safety. Myths about safety rules, fear of litigation and misunderstandings as to what is expected can lead to activities and events being curtailed or not run at all. By managing your health & safety properly, you and your staff can feel confident that you are safeguarding everybody that comes into contact with your business, and complying with the law.