Ask Gavin: Am I keeping my outdoor activities safe for customers?

This anonymous employer was worried about their safety practices for managing outdoor water sports for the public. So they asked Gavin Scarr Hall, Peninsula’s Director of Health & Safety, for expert advice.

Here’s what they had to say…

Hi Gavin, I manage a water sports activity centre outdoors. I’m always extremely conscious about following health & safety to a T. However, I am worried about the possibility of some of my employees forgetting important protocols or trying to take shortcuts. I’ve read awful news stories about businesses who have been negligent, and it’s lead to some serious accidents down the line. I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night unless I knew we were taking all the right precautions. So can you confirm everything I need to be doing? Thanks.Anon

Gavin’s reply was…

Hi Anon,

I’m really glad to hear that you’ve made health & safety compliance a priority. The rules are there to keep people safe after all, so you should never cut corners.

“I’m always extremely conscious about following health & safety to a T”

Health and safety laws exist for a reason. So, if you’re ever in doubt, there are certain safety fundamentals you need to be aware of.

You can feel confident you’re taking the right steps as long as you make sure:

• Your staff are competent in their role. This includes making sure they’ve had the necessary safety training and have the knowledge and experience to work safely. For any new hires, that means supervising them until you can be confident they’ve reached the level they need to be at.
• There’s a risk assessment in place for the activity and any staff involved have received clear communication about it.
• Your staff have an effective means of communication with you (and each other) if there’s an emergency. Everyone involved needs to be clear on the emergency procedures in place in order for them to be effective.
• You supply safe equipment and carry out regular checks. You want to make sure the equipment you have is suitable for use and replace any defective equipment.
• You monitor the weather and are ready to cancel or modify activities if there is a safety risk.

“I am worried about the possibility of some of my employees forgetting important protocols or trying to take shortcuts”

As I mentioned above, you need to make sure your employees are competent. So that means providing safety training and sharing safety information is a must. You should always take every opportunity to remind your staff to follow essential protocols.

Your staff should be prepared for an emergency at any time. So, they should know your emergency procedures back to front. They need to be more than confident that they can apply them quickly when they need to.

You should have your emergency procedure clearly laid out in a written document that your workforce have easy access to.

It’s also a good idea to have clear signage or put up posters around your workplace. This gives both staff and participants the essential safety information they need. So, you want to make sure there are visible reminders in prominent locations of your workplace.

“I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night unless I knew we were taking all the right precautions. So can you confirm everything I need to be doing?”

When you’re dealing with a natural element like water that can be totally unpredictable, you need to be ready to manage the hazards.

There are certain things you can’t control. But you can take steps to try and manage or reduce the risks where possible.

This is why it’s important to have a safe system of work in place and that you effectively communicate and uphold.

"So can you confirm everything I need to be doing?"

As part of your risk assessment, you should think about:

• Hazards associated with water. Consider things like infection, contact with hidden hazards in the water (like broken bottles) and of course, drowning.
• Adverse weather conditions. Think about possible floods or the risk of carrying out activities in high winds or heavy rain.
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). What personal protective equipment do you need? You’re likely to require life jackets, protective clothing and sun protection.
• Equipment Safety. Make sure the equipment you provide for participants and employees for water sports is safe. You need to regularly check the equipment and keep a record of these checks. Stop using any defective equipment. This includes any rescue equipment you have, like life belts and rings.
• Deep water. You should have suitable signs that tell people about the dangers. Also, have in place any barriers or fencing to prevent access where practical.
• Practice drills for your emergency procedures.
• Having first aid arrangements.
• Supervising participants.
• Giving participants important safety information and rules.
• Setting up rescue arrangements and procedures.

You will also need to keep a record of all your completed risk assessments, training and inventory of PPE.

There’s something else I would also advise that you do. Check the requirements of your employers and public liability insurance policies. You’ll need to make sure you’re following their rules as well as health and safety law.

Safety management is stressful. And it’s even more so, when you manage a business where there’s a higher level of risk.

So if you’d like to speak to one of our Health & Safety advisers over the phone, we’d be happy to discuss any queries. I’ll pop a link to our free consultation form below:

Hope this was helpful and any questions, let us know!

All the best,

Gavin