EVENTS & NEWS

Equipment

1 Aim
To enable members wishing to try new activities prior to purchasing their own equipment, easy access to a wide range of equipment at a reasonable cost. To provide guidance on the selection, procurement, replacement, inspection, hiring, maintenance, safety and security of equipment.

2 Activities
Open Canadian canoeing, kayaking, sea kayaking, surf skis, windsurfing, boogie boarding, wet suits, caving, climbing, mountain biking, walking, camping, badminton, volley ball and soft ball.

3 Roles Equipment Officer (EO):
Responsible for all equipment, see Constitution. Equipment Holders (EH): Normally Activities Organisers who hold, hire, inspect and maintain the small items for their sport on behalf of the EO. Store Keepers (SK): On a rota basis, attend the store to issue and return to store larger items of equipment that are not held by the EHs. Committee: To authorise the purchase, sale and disposal of equipment, set hire rates and to guild and monitor policy compliance.

4 Inventory
The inventory is a list all Club equipment assets to include an estimate of their current and replacement value (excluding spare parts) and will be checked on each inspection. The master inventory will be stored on computer, updated by the EO when items are purchased, sold or disposed. All club equipment should be clearly marked with AOAC and the web address www.aoac.co.uk . If an EH no longer wishes to hold equipment it will be returned to the EO, there is sufficient room in the store for all of our equipment.

5 Inspections
The purpose of inspections is to ensure that club the equipment is kept in a safe condition and to demonstrate that the club has a robust system of inspection should there be a claim for personal injury damages resulting from defective equipment. Inspections will be undertaken on a six monthly basis, in March and September. Defective items (found at any time) should immediately be taken out of service and labeled as defective until repaired or replaced. Inspection forms will be created from the inventory, these will be issued to the EHs at the appropriate time. The completed forms will be retained be the EO for at least five years.

6 Equipment Purchase
The regular safety inspections will also enable EO/EH to plan for future replacements and consider whether the standard of an item is consistent with current National Governing Body recommendations. The club should try to maintain a balance of equipment provision across all of the club's activities in relation to the potential use. However this will not include personal items (basic outdoor clothing), skiing equipment (can easily be hired at the resort) or equipment that is only required by those participating in their sport at the most advanced level (as these items will not serve the majority of club members). The use of a standard hire form will enable us to compare trends and usage levels across the various sports. The EO has a delegation of £50 per item to cover repair or replacement of existing small items. If an EH needs to purchase spare parts or replace a small item please contact the EO with a receipt. This is not intend for the purchase of any additional new items, nor replace large numbers of small items, that would require committee approval. Please do not deduct expenditure from hire income. The EO will request items for an equipment purchase wish list every six months, the EH should provide a justification for the proposed items, quantity, description and unit costs. The wish list will be presented to the committee by the EO with priorities for consideration. If the items are approved the EH will be informed by the EO and will be required to purchase the items within two months presenting a receipt to the EO. The EH/EO should obtain, where possible discounts from suppliers and may be asked to obtain competitive quotations for large purchases as part of the committee approval.

7 Equipment Replacement
The equipment should be considered for replacement when: a) It found to be defective and beyond economical repair. b) Considered to be obsolete, does not comply with current NGB standards. c) Has reached it's expected safe working life or has been subjected to abnormal stress which could cause potential sudden failure. Equipment policy - v2.doc Page 3 of 5 d) The type of item is no longer required to meet the needs of a particular sport. e) The item has come to the end of it’s useful life but could be retired to another organisation with less demanding use, in which case it can be sold. The Club should implement a rolling replacement program to avoid a large call on funds in any one year and to maintain modern sets of equipment. The recommend replacement schedules are: As appendix 1 attached.

8 Hire Procedure
The equipment “Conditions of Hire” together with the "How to Hire information” sheet must be issued to members wishing to hire equipment for the first time. The priority for hire is club events, then individual members. EHs & EO responsible to hold, maintain and hire equipment are listed in the "How to Hire" information sheet. The EH/EO hiring out equipment which they themselves have not issued must liaise with the store keeper on the rota to ensure that it has been correctly issued and returned. For items held in the store, the SK must list on the dry store wipe board all hired items, to Include the user's name, phone number and expected date of return, and ensure that equipment is return to it's proper place. The EHs will be issued with hire logs the first page contains information concerning the person and the second with the equipment. The use of the forms and store hire board should enable us to know who has hire out / holding the equipment at any time. Group safety items such as emergency bothe KISSU and first aid kits are available to event organisers free of charge, please ensure that these items are logged in / out. The EH shall give any hire income to EO on a monthly basis, this will be logged against your sport and passed on to the Treasurer. This process will enable comparisons of income across the various activities and simplify the club accounts. Please charge the hirer at time of booking. rather than after return of equipment, any cheques should be made payable to AOAC. The EHs & EO shall check the user's membership card, equipment must not be hired to non members, (unless participating in a supervised activity for their initial "try the club session" during which they will not be in "sole possession" of the equipment). It is the user’s responsibility to ensure that they have appropriate experience to use the item of equipment, i.e. they have sufficient experience, knowledge and skills in using the equipment in the expected conditions. The use of club equipment is based on trust, however if at any time you have concerns about hiring I issuing an item to a particular person please speak to the EH or the EO.If an item is lost, damaged or stolen please report the it to EO, the committee has agreed procedures for a variety of eventualities and the amount that user may be asked to contribute to the replacement cost.

8.1 Conditions of Hire
The user must be an AOAC member unless participating in a supervised activity (the user will not be in "sole possession" of the equipment) as part of his/her initial "try the club" session. The Equipment Officer reserves the right to refuse equipment hire. All activities are undertaken at the participant's own risk. The user must satisfy his/herself that any equipment is safe and suitable for the use to which is put. Ensure that it is the correct size. The user must satisfy his/herself that they are sufficiently experienced in the use of the equipment for the intended purpose. Equipment is hired on a per set basis i.e. a group of items that form a functional unit. Hire periods: Day Day, half day or evening. Weekend Weekend, Bank Holiday or any two consecutive days. Week Period in access of a weekend. If a person hires the equipment for a weekend or week and only uses it for a lesser period the full charge for the original hirer period is payable. Refunds of hire fees for non use are at the sole discretion of the Equipment Officer or Equipment Holder. Rates: see Equipment Holder for hire charges. The AOAC Equipment Holder may charge an excess fee for late returns or for equipment not in a suitable condition for storage. Do not pass on the equipment to another person without the approval of the equipment holder. The user must take reasonable steps to prevent theft and to use, clean, dry and store the equipment in a responsible manner, as if it were their own. You will be expected to make a contribution to the replacement or repair costs resulting from your loss or damage caused by mistreatment. For Club equipment used in the UK, members' liability is limited to 10% of the replacement value. AOAC equipment must not be taken outside the UK without committee approval. If Club equipment is taken overseas, the member is liable for 100% of the replacement value, less depreciation at the Committee's discretion. Members are advised to include hired Club equipment on their insurance policies.

9 Care of Particular items of Equipment

• Tents: All tents must be returned in a dry and aired condition, please request excess charge if this is not the case.
• Wet Suits: The user after using wet suits in the sea should flush it with fresh water and allow to dry prior to return.
•  Kayaks: Please store up side down unless supported by a plank I floor.

10 Store Security
The location and contents of the store should not be widely advertised, please only inform those members who require this facility.

11 Accidents/Near Miss/lncidents involving the use of Club Equipment
If it is suspected or alleged that a failure or inadequacy of an item of club equipment has been a contributory factor in the above the following procedure must be undertaken. Inspect the item for defects, photograph and complete an activity incident report form. The report must be passed to the EO immediately, do not repair item if found to be defective, take the item out of use, label as defective, keep in a safe place as it may be required as evidence at a later date.