Incident Reporting

Safety should be an integral part of athletics disciplines at all levels and Harrogate Harriers has a duty of care towards its members, with the Club being responsible for ensuring that all club activities are safe, while the Club Committee ensures the management of any significant potential risks and encourages members to develop knowledge and awareness of basic safety requirements. In the event of any accident or incident during a Harrogate Harriers athletic activity (weekly run, track session, coaching session, trail run, Cross Country race, etc.), or a Harrogate Harriers social activity and event, it is very important that the Club identifies and records what has occurred, to try and prevent it from happening again.

Maintaining a record of what actions have been taken in consequence to an incident serves both as to prevent a repetition of this incident but also as a testimony of all actions and processes to assist and support the person(s) affected.

Injuries & Near misses

Where a Club member is injured whilst representing the Club at an event or is taking part in a Club running or training session, it is advisable to report such an incident.

This reporting process applies to slips, trips, and falls or in cases a Harrogate Harriers member or a new runner feels “unwell”, as a result of their involvement in a Harrogate Harriers activity.

We encourage Club members to report any near misses. The Club defines as a near miss an event not causing direct or immediate harm, but that has the potential to cause injury and which the Club are able to investigate and will do their utmost to rectify. If you happen to notice a potential hazard in one of the Harrogate Harriers venues or during a race, it is important that this is reported immediately to the relevant facility operator or race official, also making a Harrogate Harriers Committee member aware of your concern and report. 

How to report an incident

Reporting an incident is the responsibility of each AND every Club member.

Please bear in mind that if the club officials do not know, then the club does not have the opportunity to support, change, amend and improve.

Your report will be sent to our Club Welfare Officers and may be shared with other members of the Club Committee. If we require further information, we may contact you via e-mail and/or telephone. Your report may also be forwarded to UK Athletics (or you can report directly as appropriate https://www.uka.org.uk/submit-a-concern/).

For incidents which could be deemed as minor, please report this on the spot to your run leader, coach or committee member (https://www.harrogate-harriers.co.uk/club-contacts).

For the registration of all the above accidents, incidents, unexpected and/or undesirable events, please use the link: UKA incident report and forward a copy to welfare@harrogate-harriers.co.uk.

It is the responsibility of all Committee members to update the Harrogate Harriers Incident Report. Document as soon as an event has been reported to you. In case a report has been made to you under confidentiality, then please consult directly and at your earliest convenience with the Club Welfare Officers.

For accidents/incidents which could be deemed as serious and important, and especially if an ambulance is involved, then the member who reported the accident to any of the above Club officials will also be required to fill in the online UK Athletics Accident Report Form (https://www.uka.org.uk/governance/health-safety/online-accident-incident-report-form/. Please also consider the police should be informed if appropriate via 111/999. Guidance is available on the UKA website. 

The niggles, twinges and aches all runners habitually get from time to time while training and running may not seem important to be reported but if you or one of your fellow runners experience severe and/or abnormal shortness of breath that comes on suddenly and affects your ability to function, if your chest feels tight or heavy, if you have pain that spreads to your arms, back, neck and jaw, if you feel sick or are being sick, then please call 999 immediately.

For any serious incident or accident occurring during the Club running or training hours but while physically away from the venues Harrogate Harriers uses as changing facilities, then please dial 999 to call an ambulance if required; then record and report all details as indicated in the form above; in addition please contact and report what has occurred to a Committee member, so that they may register the incident at the Harrogate Harriers / UKA Incident Report Document. 

If you are unsure about the nature of the accident or incident, please contact at your earliest convenience one of the Club Welfare Officers to discuss what has happened.

Insurance Cover

Please note that as an athlete who has paid (or is deemed to have paid) their annual subscription to a club or organisation affiliated to UKA and/or England Athletics such as Harrogate Harriers you are automatically provided with insurance cover, which applies while you are involved in “athletics activities.” This not only relates to running, training and competing, but also to the Club administrative meetings such as Committee Meetings, the AGM, etc., as well as when you are part of a team representing UKA and/or England Athletics. England Athletics insurance policy provides public liability cover protecting club members, their officers, coaches, Circle Leaders, Cross Country officials and new runners, in connection with any event or other club activity. It does not provide accident, medical or property insurance (storm damage, fire, theft, loss, etc.) except in circumstances where these give rise to a claim for negligence or other liability.

In order to ensure this Harrogate Harriers must follow the guidance for club governance laid out by UKA/EA - please see insurance.

For any queries or further insurance information relative to the above, please contact the Club Secretary (secretary@harrogate-harriers.co.uk) 

Bullying & Harassment

We share core values to respect, maintain dignity and promote inclusion of individuals.

Harrogate Harriers has a zero-tolerance policy to emotional, physical, or verbal abuse, racist, sexual, LGBT+ phobic remarks, physical or emotional exclusion, unwanted physical contact or sexually abusive comments.

Harrogate Harriers are supremely committed in providing a welcoming, friendly, caring, supportive and, above all, safe environment for all our members, visiting and new runners, so they may participate in all the activities Harrogate Harriers offers, within a welcoming, friendly, relaxed, and secure atmosphere. Runners who are using bullying or harassment need to learn different ways of behaving as bullying or harassment of any kind is completely unacceptable in our Club. If bullying or harassment does occur, this should be reported immediately, knowing that any such incidents will be dealt with promptly and effectively as per the EA codes of conduct that members have previously agreed to (https://www.englandathletics.org/clubs-and-facilities/club-support-services/club-welfare/).  

This also means that anyone who knows that bullying or harassment is happening, is expected to report this, promptly, to the Club Welfare Officers or to any available Committee member.

In view of any allegation, all bullying reports will be investigated by the Club Welfare Officers and a mediation approach will be established, if necessary. In cases deemed as serious by the Club Welfare Officers, relative reports will be presented by them to the Club Committee and such cases will be discussed by both the Club Welfare Officers and the Club Committee, as to come to a decision of whether to initiate a disciplinary action or not; UKA and/or EA could be in such cases additionally consulted. Procedures are listed here https://www.uka.org.uk/governance/safegarding/uka-safeguarding-regulations/. The police may need to be involved. 

If regarding a specific case the Club Committee votes for further measures to be taken, then the Club Secretary will initiate a disciplinary action, under the Club Constitution.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I would like to thank London Frontrunners (https://londonfrontrunners.org/) for their agreement in sharing some of the information from their website and EA/UKA for maintaining up to date regulations and guidance.