Version 1.1, adopted 19 August 2026

Safety and Risk Management Plan

Bachata Lab LLC · Weekly Bachata class and social · Smuin Center for Dance, 1830 17th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 · Fridays, 8:00pm – 1:00am

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1. Responsibility and contacts

Ryan-Rhys Griffiths, Managing Member, is the safety officer for all Bachata Lab LLC activities and is the named contact for incidents and complaints. He can be reached in person at any event, or at hello@bachatalab.org. In his absence the instructor teaching that evening holds this responsibility for the duration of the event.

Alternate safety officer. If a concern relates to the safety officer, or if you would prefer to raise it with someone else, the alternate safety officer is Natalia. She can be reached in person at any event, and any instructor will put you in touch with her on request. Where a concern relates to the safety officer, the alternate handles it independently and is not required to disclose it to him.

The alternate is not obliged to resolve a matter personally and may at her discretion refer it to an attorney or to law enforcement, or decline to handle it and say so. Handling, referring or declining a concern about the safety officer will never affect her teaching work, pay or standing with Bachata Lab LLC.

Bachata Lab LLC does not provide counselling or personal support and its officers are not trained therapists or social workers. Where appropriate, help will be given to find outside resources.

2. Emergency procedures

• In any medical emergency, call 911 first. Give the address as 1830 17th Street, San Francisco, between Wisconsin and De Haro.
• Nearest emergency department: Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, 1001 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94110. Open 24 hours. Roughly one mile from the venue.
• Send someone to the main door to meet and direct paramedics. Do not leave the injured person alone.
• A stocked first aid kit is brought to every event and kept at the instructor table beside the sign-in sheet.
• In a fire or evacuation, exit through the main door of the lobby, assemble on the far side of 17th Street, and account for attendees against the sign-in sheet.
• Stop the music and clear the floor immediately if anyone goes down. Do not resume until the person is attended to and the floor is clear.

3. Pre-event checks

Before each class the instructor or safety officer will walk the floor for spills, debris, tape, loose items or damage and clear or report anything found; confirm the first aid kit is present and stocked; confirm exits and the lobby route are clear; and note any pre-existing damage to the space and report it to Smuin promptly.

4. Waivers and sign-in

• Every attendee signs a Release and Waiver of Liability and Indemnity Agreement before participating in the class or the social, first-time and returning alike.
• Where the venue requires its own waiver form, that form is used in addition to ours.
• The door is staffed for the full arrival period. No one enters the space without signing.
• Signed waivers and the attendance record are collected at the end of the night, scanned, and retained for at least five years.
• Attendance is capped in line with the venue agreement. The door closes when the cap is reached.

5. Instruction safety

• Every class begins with a warm-up appropriate to the movement taught.
• Content is pitched to the announced level. Instructors do not introduce movement beyond the stated level of the class.
• Lifts, drops, dips taken below the follower's own base of support, and any aerial movement are not taught in the general class.
• Instructors give an explicit verbal caution before teaching any movement involving weight sharing, momentum or rapid direction change.
• Attendees are told at the start that they may sit out any movement, and partner rotation is optional.
• Water breaks are offered at least once per class.

6. Code of conduct

• Instruction is delivered in the open studio in view of other attendees. Instructors do not conduct one-to-one instruction out of public view at Bachata Lab events.
• Physical contact is limited to what the movement requires. Instructors ask before making hands-on corrections and stop immediately if asked.
• Nobody owes anyone a dance. Any person may decline or end a dance at any point without giving a reason.
• Instructors maintain professional boundaries with attendees. Instructors do not initiate romantic or sexual advances toward attendees in connection with their teaching role.
• No one instructs while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Harassment, discrimination and abusive conduct are not tolerated, by anyone present, at any point.
• No retaliation. Nobody loses teaching work, is excluded, or is treated differently for raising a concern in good faith, for supporting someone who has, or for taking part in a review. Retaliation is itself grounds for removal.
• Enforcement. Depending on severity, the response may be a request to stop and correct the behaviour, a recorded warning, being asked to leave for the evening without refund, or being asked not to return. Anyone asked to stop is expected to comply immediately. Anyone whose conduct puts others at immediate risk is asked to leave at once.

7. Raising a concern

Anyone, whether instructor or attendee, may raise a concern with the safety officer or the alternate named in section 1. A concern may be raised in person, by email or by message, and does not need to be in any particular form. A person raising a concern may bring someone with them to any conversation.

Instructors who are told about conduct at a Bachata Lab event, or about the conduct of anyone who teaches or assists, pass it to the safety officer rather than discussing it elsewhere. Reporting a concern to the safety officer is not the same as repeating it to others, and instructors should not do the latter.

• Who may complain. A complaint is acted on where it comes from the person directly affected, or from someone authorised to speak for them. Second-hand accounts and rumour are recorded but are not acted on against any named person, save where there is an immediate risk to safety.
• What the person raising it wants. The person raising a concern is asked how they would like it handled, and their wishes are taken into account in deciding what happens. Where the law requires action, or where there is a risk to someone's safety, a different course may be necessary, and this is explained to them.
• Anonymous reports. A concern may be raised anonymously. An anonymous report is recorded and may prompt closer supervision, but action against a named person normally requires an identified complainant.
• Practical help. Where someone wants to contact law enforcement, another organiser, or a support service, Bachata Lab will help them do so. Anyone who feels unsafe at an event may ask to be accompanied to their transport.
• Conduct away from our events. Conduct outside Bachata Lab activities is not ordinarily our concern. Where the conduct of someone who teaches or assists, or of an attendee, gives rise to a reasonable belief that they pose a risk to people at our events, it may be considered under this plan.

8. Incident reporting

• Every accident, injury, near miss, allegation of misconduct, or damage to the venue is reported to the safety officer the same evening and in any event within 24 hours.
• A written record is made covering date, time, who was involved, who witnessed it, what happened, and what was done. Contact details are taken for the person affected and for witnesses.
• Records are made at the time and are not altered afterwards. Corrections or later information are added as dated additions.
• Damage or accidents at the venue are also reported to Smuin promptly, whether or not we caused them.
• Anything that could give rise to a claim is reported to our insurer as soon as practicable. Late notice can void coverage.
• No admission of fault or offer of payment is made to anyone. Assistance is limited to first aid.

9. Investigating a complaint of misconduct

Bachata Lab LLC does not tolerate harassment, discrimination or retaliation by anyone, including instructors, attendees, and third parties such as venue staff and suppliers. This applies to conduct based on any characteristic protected under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, including race, colour, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, age, sexual orientation, and military or veteran status. Instructors engaged under contract are protected on the same basis as employees.

• Acknowledgement. The person raising the concern is acknowledged within 48 hours and told who is handling it.
• Who investigates. The safety officer investigates, unless the concern relates to him, in which case the alternate does. Whoever investigates must be impartial in fact and in appearance. Anyone with a personal or financial interest in the outcome, or a close relationship with either party, stands aside. Where no one internal can act impartially, or the allegation is serious, an external investigator or an attorney is instructed.
• No predetermination. No view is formed on the outcome before the evidence is gathered. The investigator is a fact-finder and does not decide questions of law.
• Notice to the person complained about. They are told, in writing, the substance of what is alleged, in enough detail to respond, together with this procedure and the fact that retaliation is prohibited. They may respond in writing or in person, may identify witnesses, and may bring someone with them.
• Interim measures. Where a concern relates to someone who teaches or assists, that person does not teach, assist or host pending the outcome. This is a neutral precaution and not a finding, and is described that way to everyone involved. Interim measures are not to be applied as a penalty and are reviewed if the investigation runs long.
• Evidence. Relevant messages, sign-in records, photographs and other material are preserved from the moment a concern is received, and nothing is deleted. Witnesses are interviewed separately and asked open questions. Each account is recorded in writing and, where practicable, confirmed as accurate by the person who gave it.
• Standard of proof. Findings are made on the balance of probabilities, meaning more likely than not on the evidence collected. Where the evidence does not support a finding either way, that is recorded as the outcome rather than treated as a finding against either person.
• Confidentiality. Information is shared only with those who need it. Confidentiality is maintained to the extent possible, but the investigation cannot be kept entirely confidential, because the person complained about must be told the substance in order to respond. Participants are asked to use discretion; they are not required to stay silent, and nobody is asked to sign any agreement restricting them from discussing conduct they believe to be unlawful.
• Timing and closure. Investigations are completed as promptly as the circumstances allow, normally within 30 days of the concern being received. Where more time is needed, both parties are told, with the reason and an expected date. Both parties are told in writing when the matter is closed.
• Outcome. A written record of the findings, the reasons, and any action taken is made and retained. Both parties are told the outcome so far as it affects them. Where misconduct is found, proportionate corrective action is taken promptly, which may include a warning, conditions on continued participation, removal from teaching, or exclusion from events.
• Records. All records relating to a complaint are retained for at least four years from the date the record is made or the date the matter is closed, whichever is later, and are kept securely and separately from general business records.
• Referral out. Nothing in this procedure prevents anyone from contacting law enforcement or a regulator at any time, and Bachata Lab will not discourage them or ask them to wait. Where an allegation involves potentially criminal conduct, the investigator may pause the internal process, take advice from an attorney, and coordinate with any police investigation.
• Legal advice. Where a complaint is serious, contested, or likely to result in removal, an attorney is consulted before a decision is made.

10. Venue rules

• No alcohol is served, sold or permitted. No part of the ticket price is attributable to alcohol.
• No food or drink in the studio except water in closed containers.
• Dance shoes, socks or bare feet only. No street shoes on the floor.
• No candles, open flame, smoke machines, hazers, dry ice, glass, or floor treatments of any kind.
• Facility doors are not propped open. The entry lounge is supervised whenever the doors are open, and the entry code is not shared.
• The space is cleaned and cleared at the end of each night.

11. Contractors

• Every instructor receives this plan before their first class and confirms in writing that they have read it.
• Before their first class, every instructor is asked to confirm in writing whether they have any criminal conviction, including any sex-related or abuse-related offence. The confirmation is recorded and retained. Existing instructors are asked the same question on adoption of this plan.
• Instructors are advised that Bachata Lab LLC's insurance does not cover them personally and that individual instructor policies are available.

12. Review

This plan is reviewed at least annually, and after any incident. Version 1.1 supersedes version 1.0.

Download the full policy (PDF)