25th November 2009, 12:52 PM
I've had fencing and tape up around sites and people have STILL jumped over and down into a trench. Onto a possible well (luckily it wasn't and so they didn't plummet 60ft to their death/injury) :face-crying:
It might be worth considering who is insuring the work. I arranged insurance for a club I'm part of (one that uses big swords) and as a matter of course did a risk assessment, produced mitigation for the risks and produced an induction pack for new members. We submitted all of this as part of the insurance application and not only got a good price but (more importantly) haven't had any serious injuries. I also re-assess when anything changes (new vanue, new things being done) - and my fellow club mates do it too.
In the end, everyone needs to be aware and responsible - and remind each other if something is getting out of hand. It's not hard to have a generic risk assessment for your activities. I would suggest that any club, whatever they're doing, needs risk assessments and mitigation procedures and needs to be aware of the risk to their members. So I think the answer is - if you're a club and you're doing something, it's your responsibility. And you also ask to see the risk assessment of the organisations you're employing!
Anything that helps make us all safer is good, so yes a draft template is a good idea! There are also examples on the IfA website for people to work with (albeit aimed at commercial organisations).
It might be worth considering who is insuring the work. I arranged insurance for a club I'm part of (one that uses big swords) and as a matter of course did a risk assessment, produced mitigation for the risks and produced an induction pack for new members. We submitted all of this as part of the insurance application and not only got a good price but (more importantly) haven't had any serious injuries. I also re-assess when anything changes (new vanue, new things being done) - and my fellow club mates do it too.
In the end, everyone needs to be aware and responsible - and remind each other if something is getting out of hand. It's not hard to have a generic risk assessment for your activities. I would suggest that any club, whatever they're doing, needs risk assessments and mitigation procedures and needs to be aware of the risk to their members. So I think the answer is - if you're a club and you're doing something, it's your responsibility. And you also ask to see the risk assessment of the organisations you're employing!
Anything that helps make us all safer is good, so yes a draft template is a good idea! There are also examples on the IfA website for people to work with (albeit aimed at commercial organisations).