Risk management

Group task Think back to a particular visit and remember the visit leader, the group, the visit/activity they did, transport used etc. In order to decide whether to contest the claim, they have asked you to provide evidence that can be used to demonstrate that this leader, and therefore the LA/employer, did not act negligently. What evidence could you provide? The LA/employer has been notified of a claim over an accident that is alleged to have occurred on this visit 2 years ago.

What records do we need to keep? Individual visits or series of repeated visits Who went? - register of staff and young people What did they do and when? - programme of visit Was planning reasonable? - risk assessment/forms Evaluation of visit? Visit/activity objectives met? Accident/incident on the visit and resulting action? Provider check prior to booking? (if relevant) General record keeping Policy for off site visits current at the time of the incident Personnel records – training, qualifications etc. How long do we need to keep them for?

ApathyParanoia Managing risk sensibly Reasonable and practicable Suitable and sufficient Focus on significant hazards Not ‘normal life’ risks Foreseeable risks Follow good practice Use common sense Efficient Cost effective No consideration Overkill ‘I’ve been doing this for twenty years without a hitch’ ‘Someone else should do the risk assessment’ ‘It’s not worth the risk’ ‘You have to risk assess everything’ ‘My risk assessment is 5 pages long’ ‘We’ve done the best we can’ ‘We can always review and improve this’ Model by Paul Airey

Conventional Model of Risk HazardsControls

Risk / Benefit model HazardsControls Benefits

December content/uploads/Nothing-Ventured.pdf

Written risk assessment But….risk assessment is an essential part of the planning process for visits. On it’s own, paperwork never saved anyone. It is a means to an end – not an end in itself. Action is what protects people. HSE, 2007 Risk assessment is a legal requirement that provides evidence of the process. In this session we will look at a minimal paperwork approach that you can use.

2 levels of written risk assessment Adapted from model by Adge Last Employer’s or organisation’s existing written standard risk assessment or operating procedures for educational visits Visit Leader’s written risk assessment for a visit – issues not already covered by employer’s generic risk assessment/S.O.P. Specific Generic

Specific risk assessment The visit leader’s specific risk assessment needs to address issues not already covered by the employer / organisation generic risk assessment/standard operating procedures relating to: the Activity the Group the Environment the Distance away from base (and transport) the Staff (all adults on the visit)

Adapted from model by Adge Last written risk assessment/standard operating procedures written risk assessment SpecificGeneric Risk management Active risk management that takes place as the visit unfolds. Not written but may trigger a review/update of generic risk assessment/s.o.p. on return to base.

Ongoing risk management The gut-feeling - acceptable or unacceptable ‘my child’ test?

OK or not OK?

Ongoing risk management = spotting issues/picking up on clues… and responding appropriately to manage the risk. How do visit leader’s develop this ability … and how can you help this to happen?

OEAP Leader Training Course details: Ongoing risk management Group management on Educational Visits A practical, Nationally recognised course Courses for individual staff (whole staff available on request) Contact the Outdoor Education Adviser for further details

Why are we doing this? Identify benefits and desired outcomes. Identify significant hazards and risks associated with the visit/activity and the safety measures needed to reduce risk to a tolerable level. Risk Benefit Assessment – the process Can/should it be done? Do the benefits justify the level of risk? No? Move to Plan B Yes? Start detailed planning.

Does the employer have a generic risk assessment/standard operating procedures for this type of visit/activity? Does this cover all of the hazards/safety measures for this visit and group? Yes Ensure there is a copy of the risk assessment for the visit on file. Ensure safety measures are implemented and make sure those involved in the visit understand their role in managing safety. Yes Identify significant hazards and risks associated with the visit / activity and the safety measures needed to reduce risk to a tolerable level.

Does the employer have a generic risk assessment/standard operating procedures for this type of visit/activity? Does this cover all of the hazards/safety measures for this visit and group? Yes Specific risk assessment for additional hazards used in conjunction with Generic risk assessment/standard operating procedures. Ensure there is a copy of the risk assessment for the visit on file. Ensure safety measures are implemented and make sure those involved in the visit understand their role in managing safety. No Identify significant hazards and risks associated with the visit / activity and the safety measures needed to reduce risk to a tolerable level. Yes

Does the employer have a generic risk assessment/standard operating procedures for this type of visit/activity? Start from scratch! Risk assess the significant hazards and identify the safety measures Ensure there is a copy of the risk assessment for the visit on file. Ensure safety measures are implemented and make sure those involved in the visit understand their role in managing safety. No Identify significant hazards and risks associated with the visit / activity and the safety measures needed to reduce risk to a tolerable level. Yes Does this cover all of the hazards/safety measures for this visit and group? No Specific risk assessment for additional hazards used in conjunction with Generic risk assessment/S.O.P.

Does the employer have a generic risk assessment/standard operating procedures for this type of visit/activity? Does this cover all of the hazards/safety measures for this visit and group? Yes Start from scratch! Risk assess the significant hazards and identify the safety measures Specific risk assessment for additional hazards used in conjunction with Generic risk assessment/S.O.P. Ensure there is a copy of the risk assessment for the visit on file. Ensure safety measures are implemented and make sure those involved in the visit understand their role in managing safety. Ongoing risk management during visit. Change plans if needed but re- assess risk and safety measures before doing so. YesNo After the visit – do we need to update the generic RA? Identify significant hazards and risks associated with the visit / activity and the safety measures needed to reduce risk to a tolerable level.

Checklist of Possible Injuries /Outcomes Falls: objects / people Collisions Drowning Cold related: frost bite / hypothermia Smoke inhalation Fractures Concussion / head injuries Amputations Asphyxiation / gassing Cuts / open wounds Internal injuries Asthma Sight / hearing loss Sprains / strains Electrical injury Burns: heat / chemical Scalds Poisoning Psychological Disease Diabetes / Epilepsy Dehydration Stings / Bites / Allergies Abuse Getting Lost

Task 1) Generic risk assessment/standard operating procedures for off site visits As a group, draw up a generic risk assessment/S.O.P. to cover the typical significant risks involved in any off-site visit/activity (5 minutes). [N.B Significant = likely to cause serious harm unless something is done to reduce the risk.] 2) Specific risk assessment for a visit Using the scenario given to your group, identify any significant risks and safety measures that are not already covered in the generic risk assessment /S.O.P. (5 minutes).

Day visit (river study) with 15 young people (15/16 year olds). One young person has ADHD (controlled by medication). There are no toilet/café facilities at the venue. You have walked 15 minutes from your minibus in the car park on a rough riverside path to get to the waterfall area. You are 45 minutes drive from your base.

Walk up popular local hill (550m above sea level and 8 miles from your base) with 32 young people aged between 8 and 12 in May. Weather forecast is dry with sunny spells but cold, moderately Easterly wind. You have been dropped by coach at a car park where the photo has been taken and are following a major path from the road bend to the top – a 2 km walk.

Day visit to Gordale Scar in November to look at gorge and limestone pavement with 30 young people (13/14 year olds). One young person is deaf and another has a peanut allergy (requiring epipen to control). You have travelled by Coach for 2 hours to get to the venue and have then walked for 20 minutes on an increasingly rocky but mainly flat path to get to this point. Your plan is to look for fossils in the rocks at this point before returning the way you came to go to the visitor centre.

Day visit to a castle with a group of 30 young people (10/11 year olds). One young person has asthma (controlled by ventolin inhaler) and another is confined to a wheelchair. There is a small gift shop and toilets on site but no café. Parking is in the car park shown in the picture and you have travelled an hour to the venue by coach.

Overnight camp with a group of 27 young people (8/9 year olds). You are staying on a public camp site with toilet facilities and a village shop nearby. You have walked 1 mile on a footpath from your base to get to the campsite.

Benefits of this approach - shared knowledge / good practice – involve visit leaders writing generic RA/standard operating procedures - reduces duplication of effort - focuses visit leaders on specific issues (SAGED) - EVC can use the risk assessment as a monitoring tool - creates a useful induction tool for new visit leaders

Risk assessment responsibilities – who does what? Our staff risk assess the areas that they are responsible for. Independent providers risk assess what they are responsible for. If there are any grey areas these should be resolved through discussion with the independent provider. Where provision is collaborative (ie shared between more than one establishment), who is responsible for what, including risk assessment? This can only be confirmed if all parties share the risk assessment process. This should be confirmed through standard checks before booking with a provider. Our staff still retain duty of care relating to pastoral care of young people.

Managing risk

Key ingredients for effective risk management Experienced and competent leaders Activity and visit appropriate for the group Participants appropriately trained / prepared Suitable clothing and equipment (Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required?) Appropriate level of supervision Suitable conditions for the activity If uncomfortable: alternative method/activity? If not resolved: discontinue the activity? Knowing when to turn back or move to Plan B

Young person involvement in risk management an important life skill more likely to understand and follow safety measures understand leader’s decisions Curriculum requirement in all subject areas

BENSON AND LEDGES NINE boys risked their lives scaling a 45ft block of flats – before having a cigarette on the roof. The lads – aged 11 to 14 – clambered up the four storey building balcony by balcony... Police released this picture to deter others from doing it. Hampshire Police spokesman Lucy Dibden: “This climb could easily have been fatal for the children involved” Last night the mother of one of the kids who did not want to be named, said: “My lad’s a good boy. All they are trying to do is to have a bit of fun because they are bored to tears” The SUN Nov 2002

Who said this? ‘Health and safety law is often used as an excuse to stop children taking part in exciting activities, but well-managed risk is good for them. They won’t understand about risk if they’re wrapped in cotton wool. Risk itself won’t damage children, but ill-managed and overprotective actions could!’ November 2008

"We do not believe in extremist health and safety ideas which would keep children wrapped in cotton wool. Our argument is that a skinned knee or a twisted ankle in a challenging and exciting play environment is not just acceptable, it is a positive necessity. We need to prepare children for a complex, dangerous world in which healthy, robust activity is more a national need than ever before. We think people should climb mountains, and sail boats..." Tom Mullarkey, Chief Executive RoSPA November 2007

Play time, 1930s style!

Top Tips 1.Think of risk assessments as the minutes of a meeting where issues regarding safety were raised and discussed 2. It is the discussion and sharing of ideas, experience and knowledge which will enhance safety and reduce risk – not the piece of paper 3. Try to keep the form simple 4. Include yourself in ‘who might be harmed’

Top Tips 5.Use existing risk assessments carefully- not as a substitute for thinking 6. Don’t let your risk assessments become static – review them regularly (eg annually) and after any incidents 7. Use other peoples’ accidents as a ‘near miss’ for your groups and revisit your risk assessments – anything to change or add?

Top Tips 8.There is no ‘right way’ to do risk assessments. A dozen different R/As could be done for one activity and they all could be equally valid 9. Most accidents occur on the activities that were considered to be the lowest risk 10.It’s not what you write which drives safety, it’s what you do. Merely writing a risk assessment will not protect people from harm Thanks to Marcus Bailie of AALA for these last 3

If you don’t risk much, then you don’t lose much, but winning isn’t very exciting either Sipri Cuthbert