HSfB Privacy Policy

Revised draft — not yet for publication
Revised: 2 October 2026 | Version: 2.2
Effective date: not yet set. The earlier proposed 1 October date has not been adopted.

Review copy: OPEN notes are editorial checks, not final public wording. Agreed future procedures are separated from current practice in section 8 and the accompanying implementation checklist. Do not publish this review copy.

1. Who we are and how to contact us

This policy covers Health and Safety for Beginners (HSfB) at healthandsafetytips.co.uk, including the main website, discussion forums and Resource Hub.

John Johnston, operating as Health and Safety for Beginners and known on the forums as Jack Kane, is the controller responsible for the personal information described here.

Registered members can contact Jack Kane through his forum profile. If you do not have an account or cannot log in, use the administrator contact form. You do not need to register to make a privacy request. Please mark your message “Privacy request”.

2. Information we collect

Visits, hosting and security

Krystal provides our website hosting and receiving email service. We use Cloudflare to help protect the website, including against malicious traffic and denial-of-service attacks. We also use the statistics available through our hosting control panel to understand site activity.

Hosting and security services may process IP addresses, requested URLs, dates and times, browser and device information, referring pages, errors and security events. These help deliver, maintain and protect the site. IP addresses and online identifiers can be personal information even where we do not know a visitor's name.

Hosting statistics include AWStats, with historical records reported to contain IP addresses. Krystal has confirmed that this site's hosting server is in the UK. [OPEN: establish current log retention and historical AWStats deletion separately from cPanel Raw Access settings; confirm applicable email, backup and overseas processing arrangements.]

Forum accounts and profiles

We process your username, email address, password authentication information, registration and activity records, preferences, subscriptions, posts and attachments. Records can include IP addresses associated with forum activity, reports and moderation actions. Optional profile information and avatars are processed when you supply them.

Administrators can access account and profile information needed to administer the service. Real names, employers, job titles and birthdays are optional. Company names as usernames and company links are permitted for networking.

Registered members can view profiles and the optional information supplied there. Guests cannot open profiles directly, but usernames, avatars, locations, job titles, company links and signatures can appear beside public posts. These details and public post content may be viewed, copied and indexed by search engines. Members' account email addresses are not displayed to ordinary registered users; email-contact features and voluntary disclosure are separate matters.

Forum attachments and externally hosted images

Members can upload images and documents of up to 2 MB per attachment. Attachments appear when the post is published; moderators review them as they read posts, rather than approving every file in advance. Attachments are normally retained with their topics.

Guest attachment downloading has been disabled. A signed-out test confirmed access was blocked; ordinary registered-member permissions allow downloads. This does not prevent recipients copying or sharing files, or remove copies downloaded previously.

Members also display externally hosted images using image tags in posts and private messages. These are separate from uploaded attachments. Loading external images can contact their hosts and disclose connection information; the guest attachment restriction should not be assumed to hide them. [OPEN: verify actual image loading, proxying and associated providers before finalising the technical description.]

Please remove unnecessary personal or confidential information from posts and files, including document properties, comments and tracked changes.

Private messages, reports and moderation

Private messages are stored to provide member-to-member networking and conversations. Routine access to unreported private messages through database or administrative tools is not part of our practice. This is not a claim of end-to-end encryption or that technical access is impossible.

Members may provide private-message content when contacting administrators or moderators about a concern. [OPEN: verify whether the built-in PM reporting function also exposes original messages to authorised reviewers; do not describe copying and pasting as the only route.]

Private-message attachments are disabled in the board configuration. Images hosted elsewhere may still be displayed using image tags. The displayed default limits are 50 messages per box and six personal folders. The full-folder default holds back new messages; the settings screen identifies Sent messages as an exception where old messages are deleted when full. [OPEN: check group/user overrides before representing these as universal limits.] These capacity controls are not an age-based deletion schedule.

The team discusses moderation cases in a restricted forum. A shared spam thread contains email and IP details. Forum auto-pruning was found disabled; an initial cleanup and the newly agreed quarterly review process remain outstanding. Database reports and administrative logs require their own review and are not automatically covered by deleting discussion topics.

Resource Hub searches and feedback

The Hub records search text, the selected topic and type of resource needed, result counts, whether a search returned no results, and a date/time. Feedback records include whether you found what you needed, the associated search/filter information, result count, what you expected to find, your comment and a date/time.

The current Hub logging code does not add your name, email address, forum account ID or IP address to these particular records. However, text you enter may identify you or someone else, and separate hosting/security records may include IP addresses and requested URLs. Avoid entering names, medical information, confidential incident details or other unnecessary personal information.

Search and feedback records are held in a restricted area, not displayed publicly. They help us improve the library and understand problems. Feedback is optional and the form does not require your name or email address.

Contact forms and enquiries

The administrator contact form sends us the name you enter on the form (which need not be your real or legal name), your email address, subject, message and IP address. Messages are received through Krystal into the administrator's inbox. The Krystal mailbox is accessed using new Outlook. The operator has agreed to exclude routine correspondence from their own backups, but implementation and any existing copies must be checked. Provider backups are separate. [OPEN: verify Microsoft's role and any cloud synchronisation associated with the actual new Outlook account configuration.]

We use the contact and message details to deal with your enquiry and the IP address where needed to investigate spam or misuse. Relevant information may be shared within the restricted moderator forum where necessary for the team to carry out its duties or record a case. We limit internal sharing to what is needed. This does not mean your enquiry will be published to the wider forum: we would ask before sharing it publicly for community input.

Donated resources and information within files

When you contribute a resource, we receive its contents and any embedded properties or metadata. These can include creator or editor names, organisation details, comments, tracked changes, hidden content and identifying information about other people.

Please remove unnecessary personal or confidential information before submitting a file. Agreement to a public contributor credit does not automatically authorise disclosure of every detail inside a file or information about other people. A name entered in file properties does not establish that the named person submitted or authorised the resource.

We use contributor correspondence and information to assess submissions, clarify permissions and maintain the resource collection. Published material may contain agreed attribution or copyright notices. We may request a revised copy or withhold publication where there are unresolved privacy or confidentiality concerns.

[OPEN: adopt a file-content and metadata review process before promising that every publication copy has been checked. Include older files accessible outside the Hub. Confirm the basis for existing attribution and any optional new credits. No existing resource is declared checked or approved by this policy.]

Information from other sources

Information may come from people who report or mention you, resource contributors, historical files and service providers. Where we obtain personal information indirectly, we provide the information required by law unless an applicable exception permits otherwise.

3. Why we use information

[OPEN: confirm and record these proposed lawful bases, including the balancing assessments for legitimate interests.]

Where we rely on legitimate interests, you can object. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it without affecting lawful processing before withdrawal. Permission to use copyrighted material and a data-protection lawful basis are separate matters.

Required registration information is needed to provide an account. Optional profile information and feedback are not required to browse public pages. Additional conditions are required for processing sensitive health information or criminal-offence information; ordinary legitimate interests alone are not sufficient.

4. External services, notifications and older services

Analytics and advertising

Google Analytics previously received forum page views before interaction with the cookie notice. The phpBB Analytics measurement ID was subsequently cleared. Tests on the homepage and forum found no new Analytics collection requests, and fresh private-browser tests found no Analytics cookies on the pages tested. Analytics remains paused; these tests do not establish the absence of every tracking technology across every page.

Previously collected Analytics data may remain in the existing account. Its recorded settings are two months for event data, 14 months for user data, and reset on new activity off. These controls do not delete all historical aggregated reporting.

Google AdSense messaging exists in the account, but current checks have not established site-wide ad delivery or consent implementation. A future introduction or restoration of Analytics/advertising is subject to completed assessment, configuration and testing, with particular attention to restricted areas and younger users. No activation date is promised.

[OPEN: complete the cookie/consent inventory and supplier review before describing advertising as active or consent controls as fully implemented. Check sensitive URLs, private areas and any proposed profiling.]

Registration protection, avatars and email software

Google reCAPTCHA v2 is used during registration to help detect automated abuse. It is separate from Analytics and has not been disabled by removing the Analytics ID. [OPEN: verify the applicable reCAPTCHA account terms, data processing, cookies, retention and transfer arrangements.] See Google's Privacy Policy.

Gravatar remains enabled, together with locally uploaded and gallery avatars; other remote-avatar options are disabled. Where Gravatar is used, an email-derived hash is used to find an avatar. A hash must not be described as guaranteed anonymous. Actual usage and browser requests still need checking. See Gravatar's privacy explanation and Automattic's Privacy Policy.

Externally hosted images may involve providers selected by members. The operator uses new Outlook to access Krystal email; its actual synchronisation and processing arrangements remain to be verified.

Notifications and discontinued activities

HSfB is free to use and does not take member payments or donations. The newsletter has stopped and no promotional emails are sent. Members choose forum notifications such as subscriptions and message alerts; necessary account communications are separate. The forum's mass-email function has never been used. Occasional board announcements are posted on the forum.

Old newsletter and competition personal records have been identified for deletion; this cleanup has not yet been completed. Historical financial records require a separate assessment and are not automatically included in that deletion decision.

Facebook and Twitter login removal is still outstanding. [OPEN: confirm the actual providers, information exchanged and linked-account records until removal is completed. Do not describe social login as removed.]

5. Cookies and similar technologies

Cookies and similar technologies can support login, security and preferences and, where enabled, measurement or advertising. We must assess each purpose. Where consent is required, the technology must not be used until you have agreed, and withdrawing consent must be as easy as giving it. Where an exception applies, its conditions must be met.

[OPEN: provide a tested consent mechanism, a settings link and a cookie table covering actual names/providers, purposes, duration and consent or exception. Include forum, security, embedded media and Google technologies. A privacy notice does not itself control tracking.]

You can also remove or block cookies through browser settings, although blocking those needed for a requested function may prevent that function working.

6. Who receives information

Authorised administrators and moderators access information relevant to their duties. Krystal provides hosting and email; Cloudflare provides site security services. Provider roles and access depend on the relevant service. Local records are also kept on the administrator's computer and external backup drives.

Stop Forum Spam checks are enabled for usernames, email addresses and IP addresses. It is an external anti-spam service, separate from HSfB's own account records.

Moderators identify concerns from account details or posts, discuss uncertain cases privately and may consult existing Stop Forum Spam records. Administrators review cases before manual bans and account deletion. Reports may be made before a first post on a case-by-case assessment of suspected spam.

Manual website reports contain username, email and IP address, without evidence text. Reports are also submitted through the phpBB extension's confirmation button. [OPEN: verify the exact payload sent by installed extension version 1.4.8, including whether it submits post content.]

The extension also has automated banning enabled with permanent duration and a threshold setting of three. This is separate from manual administrator review; not every automated restriction is pre-approved by an administrator. [OPEN: verify exact matching and ban behaviour, false-positive controls, and retention of the ban list and ACP logs.]

People who believe they were wrongly blocked or reported can use the administrator contact form. The team reviews the case and corrects mistakes by lifting local bans and withdrawing HSfB's own submission through its Stop Forum Spam account. Reports submitted by other sites are outside HSfB's control.

[OPEN: confirm the service's roles, disclosure/publication practices, retention, transfer safeguards and suitable reporting criteria. Suspicious wording alone can produce false positives.]

Authorised external providers may process information for the services described in this policy. Their actual use must be reflected in the final recipient and transfer information.

Public contributions are visible according to forum/page permissions. Private messages are delivered to recipients; reported material can be reviewed as explained above. We may also disclose relevant information when required by law or when necessary and lawful to handle abuse, protect rights or obtain professional advice.

7. Information processed outside the UK

[OPEN: confirm hosting, email and backup locations, overseas support access, and the arrangements for Cloudflare, Google and Stop Forum Spam. A UK hosting provider does not establish that every service processes information only in the UK.]

Where a restricted international transfer takes place, we must use an applicable lawful arrangement, such as UK adequacy regulations or appropriate safeguards. The final policy will identify the arrangements and explain how to request information about relevant safeguards through our contact routes.

8. How long information is kept

The table separates established practice from decisions that have not yet been fully implemented. Pending procedures must not be presented as already operational in the published notice.

Where a specific unresolved case or legal requirement justifies longer retention, record the reason and review it. Do not apply blanket indefinite exceptions. After restoring a backup, reapply relevant deletions and restrictions. A deletion from an active mailbox or forum does not necessarily erase all backup or recipient copies immediately.

9. Security

HSfB uses forum access controls, password-complexity requirements and registration email confirmation. Accounts can be required to reactivate where appropriate. Administrators do not see members' passwords in ordinary account administration. This does not mean passwords are stored as recoverable encrypted text. [OPEN: confirm the current authentication/storage configuration rather than promise a specific algorithm.]

The Hub's search and feedback files are protected against public web access. Restricted moderator areas are available to authorised team members. Cloudflare and anti-spam tools assist with site protection.

[OPEN: document administrator/database access, local-computer and external-drive protection, backup expiry and the maintenance process.] No system is risk-free; this does not remove our responsibilities to protect information or respond to incidents.

10. Rights, requests and complaints

Depending on the processing and applicable conditions, you can request access, correction, erasure, restriction or portability, object to processing based on legitimate interests, and object to direct marketing. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it.

Use the contact routes in section 1. We may need proportionate checks to verify identity or clarify a request. We aim to provide an initial substantive response within seven working days and updates if a case continues. This is a service target, not a replacement for legal deadlines.

For statutory rights requests, we normally respond within one month, subject to lawful rules on extensions, clarification and identity checks, which we will explain where applicable. Requests are normally free, with fees or refusal only where the law permits.

If you are unhappy, contact us so we can investigate. You may also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office.

11. Younger users and automated systems

HSfB welcomes all ages, including students and apprentices. No minimum joining age is set, birthdays are optional and phpBB's COPPA setting is disabled. There is no verified age-assurance process or age-specific messaging restriction.

Private networking remains an important part of the service. Members can control incoming member email and PM preferences; the PM settings explain that administrators and moderators can still send messages when ordinary member PMs are turned off. The settings observed on one account do not establish registration defaults.

[OPEN — material assessment: assess the Children's Code and other applicable child-safety duties, risks, lawful bases, privacy defaults and proportionate safeguards. No claim of child-safety compliance is made by this draft. The decision not to collect age information does not itself resolve age-appropriate protection.]

Future guidance on PM reporting, examples of concerning contact and a suitable CEOP reporting link is planned, not implemented. These measures would complement rather than replace the assessment. Content and attachments can become visible before a moderator reviews them.

Cloudflare, reCAPTCHA and Stop Forum Spam perform automated security checks. The SFS extension can impose automatic permanent bans. People can contact administrators to challenge restrictions. [OPEN: assess actual decision effects, review arrangements and any applicable automated-decision obligations; do not imply all restrictions are manually approved.]

The operator does not use AI tools to process members' posts, PMs, enquiries or moderation cases. This describes HSfB's own practice, not every underlying provider's technology.

12. Changes

We show the version and effective date when the policy is published. We will highlight significant changes and explain new uses before they begin, obtaining separate consent where required. An updated policy does not, by itself, authorise unrelated processing.