1 Definition & Purpose
- Hazard is anything that has the potential to cause harm, such as a road walking
- Risk is the likelihood of it causing harm and the degree of harm it could cause, such as contact with a moving vehicle or other object, which could lead to an injury or fatality
Risk assessment
- Risk assessment is a technique for identifying and controlling hazards of an organisation’s activities
- The written risk assessment is the first step in planning an event and helps to have adequate health and safety measures in place
- Assessing risk requires detailed knowledge of your organisation’s activities and working practices
- Risk assessment should involve everybody taking part at an event no matter if it’s about employees, volunteers, visitors, or experts
- It is possessed by the people who do the work
1.1 Some facts:
- Trail crews have one of the highest rates of injury among public employees and industrial laborers
- Some of these injuries reflect the nature of the work – outdoors
- Rugged terrain, variable conditions, physically demanding, and working with tools that can inflict serious injury
- Trail workers are frequently young and inexperienced, and enthusiastically tackle their work with great vigour and without considering the potential for injury to themselves and others
- Volunteer crews can be unprepared for how physically demanding trail work can be and are unfamiliar with basic hand tool use or how to work safely as a crew
- Worksites may also be frequented by members of the public
1.2 Environmental Considerations
- Heat, cold, rain, wind, and extreme dryness can cause or contribute to illness and injury
- A heavy rain can generate a flash flood and slippery work conditions; high winds can present a danger from falling trees or limbs; and thunderstorms can create lightning hazards.
- The crew must have a plan for safe evacuation or retreat until the hazard passes
- Stinging and biting insects, poisonous or aggressive animals, and noxious plants are frequent sources of injury
- Some injuries that are unreported at the time of incident have had life-altering and even deadly consequences
- For example, a tick bite can cause Lyme’s disease
- “Minor” injuries are often not reported because they can seem relatively minor and routine