Safety

Our group is currently at RED level.

We follow strict guidelines set out by the Scouting Association in line with the National Youth Organisation. More details on these general guidelines and latest information can be found here.

Each Section at 1st St Johns has its own Covid Risk Assessment which has been approved by our Exec Committee and District before we run our sessions, there are individual Assessments for Outdoor and Indoor activities.

A Covid-19 specific Risk Assessment for your age group must be read and understood before each meeting takes place. Where this risk assessment contradicts points noted in the Master Risk Assessment, this Covid-19 Risk Assessment takes priority.

This document contains a list of all risks that have been identified, with the exception of Covid-19 specific risks, which are documented separately.

Risk Assessment Link

To review this document, click on the link above to open it. You can filter the first column
per activity type. For example, if you are doing an arts & crafts activity inside the hut, you
would apply the following filters to the first column:

Activity – (At Hut – Inside & Outside)
Activity – (At Hut – Inside)
Arts & Crafts

This document is not exhaustive. It is a living document, which is updated at least quarterly. You will not find every activity on here. For instance, although risks associated with cooking and
baking are not currently on the list, leaders will identify the risks before the activity is run,
and this document will be updated at the next quarterly update.

This risk assessment is reviewed by the Group Executive Committee at least once a year. All
adults involved in running meetings must review the relevant parts of this document
before every meeting.

Note: You may need to download the spreadsheet in order to use the filter option.

When choosing to do a new activity, you will need to carry out a risk assessment before you
do it, and then monitor it throughout. Following the meeting, you’ll need to let us know what
you recorded so that we can add it to the Master Risk Assessment document.

While carrying out activities already on the Master Risk Assessment, you may spot other
risks. You will use your own initiative to manage these in the moment.

After the meeting, if you believe the Master Risk Assessment or our Covid-19 Risk
Assessment needs amending, please let us know by emailing
1stStJohnsBeavers@gmail.com.

Please include the following:

What is the hazard?
Who is at risk? E.g. Children / Leaders / Visitors / Everyone
What can we do to control the risk?
Keep a paper/electronic record of the risks in case you run the activity again, until the
Master Risk Assessment is updated, which is every quarter.

Take a look at this checklist.

The first three pages contain useful information, which all
leaders should be aware of. The final page contains a handy checklist.

Accidents

Once you’ve administered first aid, and if necessary contacted the emergency services
and followed the procedures outlined in the Purple card, your next step is to make a note
of the accident.
You will find an accident book in the first aid kit. You must complete one of the slips, tear
it out of the book and then store it in a locked cabinet at the hut or hand it to GSL.

Always notify the Group Scout Leader.

Near-misses

If something happens that almost results in an accident, consider whether the Risk
Assessment needs to be updated.
Send an email to 1stStJohnsGSL@gmail.com explaining what happened. Do
not use the name of the young person.

What the Group Executive Committee will do next

At each Group Executive Committee meeting, accidents and near-misses will be
discussed, and changes or training implemented if needed.

The Purple card provides support for safe Scouting and guidance in the procedures for
dealing with an emergency. All leaders will have a copy of the Purple card on them.

Click here to find out more about what to do in an emergency, and who to contact.