I recently visited The Hatch Community on behalf of ConsultQA to help the senior leadership team with the risk management element of their health and safety management system. The Hatch Community is a supported living environment with 29 residents and 40 (Full Time Equivalent) staff at a large site in Thornbury. The Hatch is part of the Camphill Movement and has an ethos of positive risk taking, promotion of independence and individual development.

The focus of the project was risk assessing slips, trips and falls and working at height activities (including maintenance and fruit picking). This project was very interesting from a health and safety point of view, as although the buildings on the site are workplaces for the staff and co-workers, they are homes and private spaces for the residents so it was very important to take this context into account and to tailor my advice and documentation accordingly.

As an added bonus, my site visit took place on 'veg box day' - the staff and residents run a small veg box scheme for the local community in Thornbury so I was able to purchase a box of vegetables to take home and I've been able to cook with them all week, just a cauliflower is left, waiting to be turned into cauliflower cheese!