Emergencies and Reporting
It is important to know what to do in an emergency and for all involved in an activity to be on the same page with what is going to happen. It is also important to have clear processes for reporting of incidents, both locally, nationally and where appropriate to other agencies.
Reporting
- Name of injured person, membership type, Group/Unit, District and County
- Date of incident
- Activity being undertaken
- Nature of the injury and severity (were they kept in hospital overnight)
- Any external agencies involved
- Who is reporting the incident and how can they be contacted
As well as reporting incidents where injuries occur it is also important to log and track incidents which could have resulted in significant injury or impact or could have been much worse given a few minor changes to the situation.
The Scout Association have an online near miss form which allows members to share information about these incidents which can then be learned from to prevent future incidents.
It is important to make local records of any incidents, this will allow you to pass relevant information to parents following an incident. Recording of incidents needs to be done in a sensitive way and meeting all data protection regulations.
- employees are directly employed and managed by the premises owner (for example a Scout Group who own their own hall and employ a cleaner or a campsite who employ freelance instructors during their busy season)
- contractors who are employed regularly by the premises owner (for example a Scout Campsite who employ a contractor to clean their buildings once a week or once a month)
- with the above examples, any incidents which occur on the property regardless of who is involved (it doesn't need to be involving the employee) which meet the reporting criteria will need to be RIDDOR reported.
You will need to have an accident book in your meeting place and a record should be kept of all accidents that occur.
What to do in an emergency
Chapter 7 of Policy, Organisation and Rules (POR) lays out the procedures to be followed in the event of an emergency involving a member of The Scout Association.
This contains essential Information to help you plan safe activities and the necessary prompts to aid you in the event of an accident.
Planning and organisation for safety
Four key topics which form a part of your planning and organisation for safety:
- Leader in charge – what you need to consider for this vital strategic role for all Scouting activity.
- Safety on the Agenda – thinking about safety happens all the time and should be discussed at all meetings – Tips for items that pick it up but aren’t at first obvious.
- Near Miss reporting – most of the time these just need to come to the attention of the Leaders meeting or Executive to be reviewed and a possible fix put in place. Sometimes it is helpful to let Headquarters know as it could have a wider reaching affect if not picked up.
- Accident Books – helps you put together a simple recording process and explains how/when you may need to report it further.