Safety
A sense of adventure lies at the heart of our movement and doing things safely is fundamental to everything we do. Knowing about the safety policy is a crucial part of keeping scouts safe, and there are lots of tools and resources to support you with this.
Over half of all incidents reported to UK headquarters are from activities in or outside the meeting place, not from adventurous activities. People being used to their surroundings can lead to them not identifying hazards and risks.
We are committed to being a leading organisation in health and safety management. Together, we can all help to ensure the health and safety of ourselves and others. This is why you are expected to follow the association’s safety policy and the national safety in scouting guidance which is detailed in the ‘staying safe checklist’ and can we downloaded here.
You can get the full details by reading POR chapter 2.
Everyone involved in scouting must, so far as is reasonably practicable (taken from the health and safety at work act 1974) and to the extent of their role, ability and understanding:
Risk assess every activity in scouting
Properly assess the risk of every activity undertaken in the Scouts. This assessment should be suitable for the activity being undertaken, it must be communicated to all those involved, and it needs to be documented.
Every activity has a leader in charge
The leader in charge makes sure that the activity’s run safely. The leader in charge can change depending on the activity.
Do things safely
People are provided with clear instructions and information in relation to supervising young people, running activities and managing buildings.
Maintain safe conditions
Make sure where you meet is safe and the equipment you use is stored, used and maintained properly.
Review risk assessments
Don’t leave them on the shelf. Review them to make sure they’re still relevant and make changes when you need to.
Never be afraid to change or stop an activity if risk increases
As an adult in our movement, you’re responsible for making sure we deliver scouting in as safe a way as possible, so never be afraid to change or stop an activity.
Make sure you explain this to everyone and include the reasons why.
Understand emergency procedures and be able to put them into action
Understand emergency procedures and be able to put them into action
Know what to do in an emergency and make sure others are also aware, including young people.
Report incidents
You have a duty to record and report incidents. Don’t worry, though – there’s a step by step guide in the 'purple card' to help you do this. The purple card provides guidance on what to do in an emergency. You can download the purple card here,
Reporting potential accidents
If you see an activity, premises or equipment which is potentially dangerous, report it to the premises manager, your volunteer line manager or the activity organiser immediately.
If your concerns are ignored, contact the responsible group scout leader, commissioner or body.
Safe scouting and what to do in an emergency...
The 'purple card' provides support for safe scouting and guidance in the procedures for dealing with an emergency.
Staying safe
The staying safe safety checklist is a pocket checklist aimed to help all adults working with young people to fulfil their role and responsibilities in managing and supporting safety in scouting.