Activities and Risk Assessments

Covid-19

Please read our Club Safety and Social Distancing Procedures

Overall in the UK, canoeing has a good track record for event safety management; however there have been a number of accidents which has demonstrated that more could be done to improve this. In order to support clubs and canoeing activity at all levels, British Canoeing now requires a club to have an Event Safety Officer whose responsibility includes highlighting ‘duty of care’ issues and offers simple and effective solutions to safety management issues.

Specifically for Braintree Canoeing Club, we generally only run Club Activities; a Club Activity is defined as “Any paddling or non-paddling activity that is advertised, planned, coordinated and executed solely by and for the benefit of members of the Club. Non-paddling activities will include, but not limited to, committee meetings, The Club AGM and social gatherings of members of The Club.” The important qualification is highlighted which says we only run activities for our members. In order for someone to attend such an activity they are required to become a member of The Club.

On the rare occasion that an Event is proposed to be run by The Club, the Event Safety Officer will review the event with the organisers and seek approval from the Executive Committee.

If you have any questions on this, please contact a member of the committee.

Risk Assessments

The H.S.E. promote a Five Steps to Risk Assessment model which provides us with a working model that aids us in identifying hazards , who might be at risk and the controls needed to safeguard those who might be harmed.

  • Step 1 – Look for the hazard

  • Step 2 – Decide who might be harmed

  • Step 3 – Evaluate the risks arising from the hazards and decide whether existing precautions are adequate, or should more be done

  • Step 4 – Record your findings

  • Step 5 – Review your assessment from time to time

Braintree Canoeing Club have defined some Generic and Site / Activity Risk Assessment for use in regular activities that are run by the club. Generic risk assessment is important because it formalizes our thinking and gives consistency to the way an organisation works or an event or activity might take place. They offer basic core principles, which can then be applied and adapted. They can encourage a more proactive approach to preparation, through training and equipment that might be carried. Site / Activity specific risks are really quite unique to a specific location – given the overall range of other factors which may possibly prevail on that location.

It is important to be realistic about risk assessment in paddlesport activity, therefore it is sensible to identify only the significant hazard/s which are present in the actual activity and the chances of these being harmful (i.e a risk.) .

Our Risk Assessment document can be found here BCC_Ltd_Risk_Assessment-Template