Health & Safety Policy

Health & Safety Policy

Muslim Weight Management is committed to protecting the health, safety, and wellbeing of participants, speakers, and team members engaged in our online CME/CPD activities. We design and deliver our programmes to minimise risk and promote safe, professional learning, in a way that supports our legal responsibilities and our Islamic ethical duty to avoid harm and protect life.

Scope

This policy covers all online educational activities, webinars, meetings, and related digital services provided by Muslim Weight Management.

It applies to all participants, speakers, staff, and contractors involved in planning, delivering, supporting, or attending our activities, whether they join from workplace, home, or other locations.

Our activities are educational in nature and do not replace local clinical, occupational health, or workplace health and safety arrangements. Participants remain responsible for complying with their own employer’s health and safety policies and any relevant professional or regulatory requirements.

General Principles

We aim to:

  • Provide information and guidance so participants can take part safely (for example, clear timings, breaks in longer sessions, and appropriate content warnings where needed).
  • Use reputable online platforms and technologies, configured to support safe and reliable participation (for example, secure links, access controls, clear joining instructions, and basic privacy and security settings).
  • Maintain professional standards of behaviour and communication in all sessions, and take action if conduct is abusive, discriminatory, harassing, or otherwise unsafe.
  • We do not provide individual clinical advice, diagnosis, or treatment through our educational activities. Participants must not rely on session content or discussion as a substitute for local clinical protocols, supervision, or emergency care. Participants and any observers must seek appropriate local medical or mental‑health support where needed.

We expect all those involved in delivering or supporting activities to be familiar with this policy and to act promptly if they become aware of health, safety, or conduct concerns.

Online environment and wellbeing

To support health and wellbeing in an online environment, we will:

  • Schedule reasonable breaks in longer live sessions and avoid excessive session lengths where possible, especially for intensive educational content.
  • Encourage participants to attend from a suitable environment (for example, stable internet connection, safe seating and posture, appropriate lighting, and the ability to adjust screen brightness and volume).
  • Avoid encouraging unsafe practices, such as taking part in activities that require clinical or physical procedures without appropriate supervision, training, and local safety arrangements.
  • Make reasonable efforts to ensure that any case discussions or images used in teaching are appropriate, respectful, and not unduly distressing or triggering, especially in relation to weight, body image, or mental health.

Participants are encouraged to:

  • Take regular breaks, move and stretch where appropriate, adjust their screen and audio settings, and stop participating if they feel unwell or distressed.
  • Follow any local workplace or organisational health and safety requirements when joining sessions from their place of work, including display‑screen equipment guidance and any infection‑control or clinical safety rules.
  • Avoid joining sessions while driving or undertaking any activity where attention to the screen could create risk to themselves or others.
  • Participants remain responsible for managing their own environment and wellbeing while joining our online activities, including taking breaks and complying with any local workplace safety requirements.

Our online CME/CPD activities are not designed or suitable for use while performing direct patient care or any other safety‑critical tasks.

Safeguarding and conduct

We expect all participants and speakers to treat others with respect and not to harass, bully, or discriminate against anyone, whether in spoken contributions, chat, Q&A, or shared materials.

Any behaviour that compromises the safety, dignity, or wellbeing of others may result in:

  • Moderation of chat or Q&A.
  • Removal from a session.
  • Restriction from future activities.
  • Reporting to relevant organisations where this is necessary (for example, an employer, regulator, or platform provider), in line with our legal and ethical obligations.

If a session touches on sensitive or potentially distressing topics (for example, eating disorders, self‑harm, trauma, or bereavement), we will, where practicable:

  • Provide a brief advisory note at the start of the session or in joining information.
  • Encourage participants to step away, turn off their camera, or take a break if needed.
  • Signpost, where appropriate, to general sources of support or further information (recognising that we do not provide individual clinical care or crisis services).

We expect speakers to avoid discussing identifiable patients and to anonymise case material in line with professional and ethical standards, including respect for patient privacy and dignity.

Serious safeguarding concerns (for example, disclosure of current abuse, serious self‑harm intent, or risk to others) will be escalated to our designated safeguarding lead. Where we believe there is an immediate or serious risk of harm, we may contact appropriate services or authorities and share limited necessary information, in line with law and our Data Protection Policy.

Incident reporting

If you experience or observe a health, safety, safeguarding, or conduct concern in connection with our online activities (for example, abusive behaviour in chat, sharing of inappropriate or offensive content, a technical issue that may pose a risk, or a serious distress reaction), please notify us as soon as possible.

You can report concerns through our usual contact form:
https://muslimweightmanagement.com/contact

Where possible, please include:

  • The title and date of the activity.
  • A brief description of what happened, including any relevant screenshots or details.
  • Whether you believe there is an immediate risk of harm to yourself or others.

We will review reports, take reasonable steps to address immediate risks, and consider whether changes are needed to our platforms, guidance, or moderation practices. Where a concern suggests a serious risk of harm or a safeguarding issue, we may need to share limited information with appropriate authorities or organisations, in line with applicable law and professional guidance.

We will keep appropriate records of reported incidents and our responses, consistent with our Data Protection Policy, and will use learning from incidents to strengthen the safety, professionalism, and Islamic ethical integrity of our CME/CPD activities over time.

Governing law

This policy is governed by the law of England and Wales. If there is any inconsistency between this policy and mandatory local law where you are based, mandatory local law will prevail to the extent of that inconsistency.