Why is it the organiser's job to do the risk assessment?

[redkite]

It will be interesting to see what is proposed as there is no way that an organiser of one of our summer evening events, who is probbaly only an occassional orienteer, is going to agree to any form of formal training.

[roadrunner]

I've been on the organising committee for a road race. Certainly, someone (not me) had to do a risk assessment - somewhat easier than orienteering because it doesn't change much from year to year - and I'm quite sure they didn't have to receive training beforehand.

[greywolf]

"MH noted that British Orienteering were to be left with no choice but to demand training of those volunteers holding responsibility at every level of activity or event e.g. coach, controller, organiser etc… Insurance requirements were making it a necessity for official training of volunteers taking responsibility."

Perhaps someone from BOF might like to clarify whether this means that every volunteer holding any kind of responsibility at an event or activity needs formal training, which would have huge repercussions* ... or whether it means that at every event / activity there needs to be an indivdual who has received formal training...in which case, is it that big a deal given that the event guidelines say that for even the most lowly event:
For insurance purposes either a named controller or BOF-approved coach must be registered for each event. As a minimum requirement this individual must review and sign off the risk assessment undertaken by the Organiser.
Haven't Controllers & Coaches already received formal training?

[*or maybe not...because a lot of folk will just ignore this and carry on as usual, as they have with a number of other BOF edicts ... and not that BOF isn't beyond waiving its own rules when convenient ]

[AndyO]

Let's wait and see what is proposed in the Autumn edition of Focus before the doom merchants get too excited.

There are resources available in the form of manuals that have been developed by Scottish Clubs on the SOA website. As RJ notes, it is really working through a checklist (with a common sense head on).

[cbg]

"MH noted that British Orienteering were to be left with no choice but to demand training of those volunteers holding responsibility at every level of activity or event e.g. coach, controller, organiser etc… Insurance requirements were making it a necessity for official training of volunteers taking responsibility."[/i]

Has there been a rise in insurance claims? I've never heard of one occurring, but of course BOF will have record. How many of those are due to officals' neglect, that should be ameliorated by training, rather than personality? I bet that the insurer is making a profit year on year.

[paul]

I seem to recall offical courses (level 1,2,3) being implemented to planners and organisers in the early 90s (as well as for controllers). Whatever happened to them then?