Event Safety, BOF Training

[redkite]

one more fact about Crocs.
when Wankie game reserve (Zimbabwe) was established many years ago there was no water for many miles so the keen, new warden dug a big hole to make a waterhole (now the safari lodge). A couple of days later, the warden taking a swim as no crocs were within 100 miles, was a wee bit suprised to find he was sharing the water with a big daddy of a croc.
The widely held view of the 'experts' was that it had been hibernating for many a year since the last really, really wet rainy season decades before.
So the moral to this story is
'just because you cannot see the crocs, or have never seen the crocs before, doesn't mean they are not there'

Now back to that risk assesment for hte next event, or shall i just use the one prepared earlier!!!

[seabird]

Not quite sure what the changing age-profile has to do with changing attitudes PKJ, Although perhaps a thorough risk assessment last night might have persuaded this M60 to desist from wallowing through the snow drifts high on Ilkley Moor from 7.30-9.00 last night. Only mitigating factor an ever vigilant swat and running partner bounding back at regular intervals to ensure my continued survival.

I know many of my age group and older who still scoff at the risk assessment form - and see the answers to most of the potential hazards as being "the competitor to read the map".

Like Eddie, for fear of appearing reckless with others safety, I need to emphasis I have always seen it as my task as planner, organiser, and controller to assess risk and minimise it, taking into account the needs of the different age groups and levels of experiece of competitors, while still providing an good adventure sport for those competitors. Only this weekend, had to assess the appearance of snow on the ground in November in relation to 2 events I was controlling. The only danger identified - somewhat iced up roads in a showground for the day event. On the day action; warn the competitors on courses affected at the start.

I am happy to complete the BOF risk assessment form - but completion of that has never adequately conveyed the myriad of discussions and considerations that happen regarding safety for each event.

I do not feel adequately qualified to complete the kind of risk assessment, sometimes given to me by organisers who come from a risk assesment work background, with their mathematical formulas to evaluate level of risk. However, I have considerable doubt that these very professional pieces of work have produced any actions that would not have occurred without them. But I am very sure they would have impressed the insurers.

[Mrs H]

So I obviously did get it wrong, that's depressing. How are they ever going to get the PPJR risk managed? Sutton Park at night is full of dodgy characters and large amounts of water

I remember one year it was at an army camp or something and Young Nevile being quite useful on short night stuff mistook a structure over water as a bridge - it turned out to be one of those bars to climb over or swing from on an assault course - needless to say he went for a dip He didn't mention any crocodiles - perhaps they don't come out at night.

[awk]

So I obviously did get it wrong, that's depressing.

I don't think you did. Unless you really did ignore the risk of crocodiles?

[AndyO]

weather-related, but I cancelled an event I was organising some years ago now, when a huge overnight dump of snow had completely obscured tracks and paths in the forest. My reasoning then was that TD1-3 courses relied on some of these paths, and they were not otherwise recogniseable (e.g. by wide margins or gaps between trees to indicate their position). I suppose I could have simply continued with TD4 and 5 courses only, but it was supposed to be a fun event (on Boxing Day). Anyone who turned up was able to take a map and go for a run without controls being set out. That was in the days before formal risk assessments.

I imagine that some events over this spell will face similar dilemma.

[Midlands Planner]

Snow, ice, crocodiles, we had them all...

I had to carefully assess if orienteers would cross the icy stepping stones or brave the crocodiles: -

(A Nopeist in action)

I spent most of the event watching, filming (and laughing). Of course there was a team of divers on stand by

More pictures at the bottom of the results page http://www.leioc.org.uk/results/2010/bagworth10/index.html

[lorenzo601]

THow do you risk assess something when part of the attraction is taking the risk? Or is a risk only a risk when it is likely to result in a court case?

Mike has said most of it, but if you look at the sports you have highlighted: the top proponents are there partly because they know what the risks are, and how to reduce (manage) them, including when to take them to gain a competitive edge. The ones who are the dangers are those who don't and can't. I remember watching a fascinating programme about one of the world's top stunt performers. It was pretty much all about how he managed the risks.

[madmike]

Loenzo - spot on about benefits v risk balancing - could not agree more

[awk]

A key word which has not been mentioned thus far in this interesting discussion is benefits. Arguably the most serious deficiency in risk assessment to date in the context of public activities is the failure to be explicit about the benefits of the activity (enjoyment, health, etc). This is crucial as without this there is nothing to act as a counterbalance to the risk minimisation approach.

Thanks lorenzo - that said it so much better.
Reminds me of one of the issues surrounding commuting by bicycle. Many people don't because of the risk of injury/death from cars. However, a British Medical Council survey indicated that the bigger risk was not cycling - because the longer term health advantages compared to other forms of transport (other than walking/running) provided greater benefits than the risk of being hit by a car.

[EddieH]

That is good news - maybe the culture can slowly reverse.

Lorenzo601 is spot on including his last paragraph. Unfortunately it is all too easy to say "no", and it is hard to challeng one beaurocrat who says no as a matter of course because they can't get any flack if there is any problem.

For example on a parallel theme, HOC invited the English Nature guy for the Wyre Forestto give us a talk. The talk was interesting but the reason we invited him was never going to work. Just one sentence in his talk said it all. "I don't believe that orienteers do any significant harm, but it is more than my job's worth to allow orienteering in case someone complains about some plant that we didn't know about" or words to that effect.

[graeme]

That would be the Lord Young who was fired just over a month after the report came out, for saying that just before the cuts come in, we've never had it so good. Obviously failed to do his risk-assessment there!
The daftest comment since Alastair Darling nearly got fired in 2008 for suggesting that the UK is facing its worst economic crisis in 60 years.

[Red Adder]

On the plus side I see Cameroon may be back-tracking on the School Sports Partnerships. Whilst I doubt whether they are perfect but I've seen they do do a lot of excellent work trying to get children in to sports, especially the non-mainstream ones which is very good if the child is not inclined towards the normal football/hockey
/netball rugby conmpetitive team games. This includes orienteering with about a quarter of my county's schools now mapped under initiatives started by the Senior Outdoor Education Advisor and the SSPs.

In these straightened times Govts should NOT replace existing, working schemes because a lot more money will be wasted on teh beauocracy of change - so lets hope they see sence here.

[Big Jon]

"n these straightened times Govts should NOT replace existing, working schemes because a lot more money will be wasted on teh beauocracy of change - so lets hope they see sence here."

I couldn't agree more, but the existing idea is a Labour policy, and it works, therefore it is evil and must be destroyed.

[Gross]

I couldn't agree more, but the existing idea is a Labour policy, and it works, therefore it is evil and must be destroyed.

Quite right too

[DIDSCO]

The problem you've got in Britain is the blame culture, that the Americans have infected you with. People in Britain can't take responsibility for their own actions, when something goes wrong you have to blame someone else and in some instances try and make a bit of cash out of it. You only have to read Nopesport after a major event to see you all blaming a "bad map"," bad planning", "bad organisation" for your poor performances, when in actual fact your poor performance is probably more to do with that you're not actually that good at orienteering, that the course was too hard for your technique, and you didnt read the event details.

A well known doctor told me the other day that he and his collegues that regulary travel to the states never announce the fact that they are doctors on the plane, simply because they don't want to risk being sued by ungrateful money-making Americans. Reading the British papers suggests thats the way Britains going too. Who is actually going to want to organise an orienteering event in the future when this type of blame culture exists and is only getting stronger.