the law, HEALTH AND SAFETY
Let me know if you've got more ideas, if there's anything else you need or if anything can be improved.
accidents waiting to happen
Did I find these just as they were, or did I set them up? Honestly? I'm not telling. But suffice to say these happen in churches all over the world. Have you seen them?
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Use these photos to test yourself or to train your team.
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Table blocking the fire exit
Always make sure all leaders know where fire exits are, how to operate them and where to meet after evacuation.
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Always make sure partitions have feet turned at right angles to the upright. That way, leaning on them doesn't make them fall.
Partition without feet extended
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Slip hazard
Music on the floor, especially more than one piece, and especially music contained in 'slippery fish' aka plastic wallets.
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Trip hazard
Watch any wires or ties laid on the floor. Plastic hoops are a classic, designed to step on with one foot, lift the hoop and trip with your other foot.
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Table supports not locked
The right leg support is not straight. If a young person leans on that side, the table will collapse, maybe depositing hot chocolate on them...
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Flip chart too vertical
Anything tall that is stored with insufficient angle, will easily fall over if knocked. Lean it more or store it on its side or better still, out of the way.
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Trip hazard
What could be worse than putting a solid box at low level? Leaving it at the top of the stairs.
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Chairs not tied down
It's a tall, heavy stack. What if someone climbs the stack? Make sure chairs are tied down to the trolley.
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Hot drinks on a handrail
Full? Yes. Hot? Yes. On a handrail above a stairwell? Yes. Is that in the top three of the most dangerous things I've seen? Yes.
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Imagine pulling the wire...
It even looks like a noose, but a wire solidly attached to the back of a very heavy speaker above head height, with a pull hanging down...
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Stone near table tennis table
Tricky one this one, but imagine playing 'Round the World'. You're running round the table, eye on the ball to take your shot and you run, straight into a solid stone, jutting out at head height.
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Metal wedge fits under safety barrier
Next level! Metal door wedge on a first floor landing in the stairwell. Look closely and there's a gap under the safety barrier. What if someone kicks the wedge under the barrier as someone is about to come up the stairs? Get a larger wedge.
It's really important that we take the safety of the young people in our care really seriously. If you haven't yet read my book 'Raising the Bar', do please buy it. The book has a chapter on The Law, Health and Safety. One of the reasons I wrote the book, was to pass on nearly 30 years of experience in one go.
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Please do consider the Worst Case Scenario, not to stop the young people having any fun, but to take preventative measures before something avoidable happens.
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You can download a blank risk assessment form here.​
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Buy Raising the Bar here.
critical incident analysis
Nobody gets it right every single time, but it's important that we learn from our mistakes, especially ones that were dangerous or could have been dangerous. We carry out a critical incident analysis when we make a big mistake, whether that's missing a school assembly that we should have been leading or having a child go missing for 10 minutes on a trip. It doesn't have to take a huge amount of time, but it's important to bring everyone involved together and to keep learning. Even if the rock missed the helmet-less young person this time, there's no guarantee it will miss next time.
WANT TO FIND OUT MORE?
Get more ideas and support for your youth ministry with my book: "RAISING THE BAR: Nearly Everything You Need to Know about Christian Youth Ministry." There's a whole chapter called 'The Law, Health and Safety'. I've tried to make the book as easy as possible to navigate!
