It is important to know what to do in an emergency and for everyone involved in an activity to know what is going to happen if there is an emergency.
It is also important to have clear processes for reporting of incidents, both locally, nationally and where appropriate to other agencies.
Safe Scouting and What to do in an Emergency (Purple Card)
This contains essential Information to help you plan safe activities and the necessary prompts to aid you in the event of an accident. You can also get a handy pocket sized card free from Scout Store.
When reporting an incident to the Info Centre at HQ, Gilwell please provide the following information:
- Name of injured person, membership type, Group/Unit, District and County
- Date of incident
- Activity being undertaken
- Nature of the injury and severity (were they kept in hospital overnight?)
- Any external agencies involved
- Who is reporting the incident and how can they be contacted.
Chapter 7 of Policy, Organisation and Rules (POR) lays out the procedures to be followed in the event of an emergency involving a member of The Scout Association.
FS320012 Safety – Practical Tips (PDF)
Four key topics which should form part of your planning and organisation for safety:
- Leader in charge– you must have a nominated person in charge and what you need to consider for this vital strategic role for all Scouting activity.
- Safety on the Agenda– thinking about safety happens all the time and should be discussed at all meetings. Tips for items that pick up safety issues but aren’t at first obvious.
- Near Miss reporting– most of the time these just need to come to the attention of the Leaders meeting or Executive to be reviewed and a possible fix put in place. Sometimes it is helpful to let Headquarters know as it could have a wider reaching affect if not picked up.
- Accident Book– you should have one you put together a simple recording process and explains how/when you may need to report it further.
Near Miss Reporting
As well as reporting incidents where injuries occur it is also important to log and track incidents which could have resulted in significant injury or impact or could have been much worse given a few minor changes to the situation.
The Scout Association have an online near miss form which allows members to share information about these incidents which can then be learned from to prevent future incidents.
Local Recording
It is important to make local records of any incidents. This will allow you to pass relevant information to parents following an incident. Recording of incidents needs to be done in a sensitive way and meeting all data protection regulations.