Hello everyone,

Would event organisers please note the attached Health & Safety guidance note.

While it arises out of a ‘near miss’ incident at an event on Forestry Commission land in Scotland, the guidance could equally apply to some of the events that we put on.

Thanks

Ian Gilliver

PS

On a somewhat related, though rather different matter...

...on the morning of the recent event in Horwich, as controller I had already checked that all the controls had been hung in the right place and I had therefore indicated that the event could proceed.

As the time of the first mass start approached I was walking towards a road-crossing where I would act as a marshal, when I passed by one of the controls.

Since my earlier visit less than an hour before, an electrical contractor had arrived, and by the time or my reappearance had already made three cuts in the tarmac with a circular saw. They were about to dig a trench less than 2ft away from the control.

Happily, when I explained why the flag had been placed there and that runners would be approaching within the next 10 minutes, they immediately agreed to dismantle the barriers around their proposed works, and the event therefore proceeded as planned.

The contractors had been scheduled to undertake the work the previous day, but they had been delayed...

Undeterred by all the festival-related road closures around Horwich town centre they had made their way inside the cordoned-off area in order to complete their week’s work.

I’m glad I spoke up when I did to avert a local difficulty – but if I had decided to stay at the Start, then it is highly likely that competitors arriving at this control would have had to negotiate their way across two men beginning to dig a trench.

It is apparent that no amount of prior liaison could have averted this situation, but that mustn’t stop us from taking into account all foreseeable hazards when preparing for our events.

From: noreply@britishorienteering.org.uk [mailto:noreply@britishorienteering.org.uk]
Sent: 24 June 2013 15:31
To: rigilliver@talktalk.net
Subject: Guidance document

Please find attached guidance written by Lynne Walker as a result of a near miss incident in Scotland on FC land. The scenario she suggests will be added to the Event Safety workshop in due course.

Please feel free to pass this on to whoever you think may benefit for reading it. Thanks

Helen Errington
Event Manager