Safety is everybody’s business; my role is to keep it uppermost in the club’s practice and member’s minds.
- Overview/ monitoring- Keep informed of current practice amongst members, follow up any incidents/ reports from leaders (behavior causing concern, hazards encountered, advise individuals if practice requires it, suggest training, National as well as within club). Have regular contact with other groups and agencies- SCA, RNLI, MCA (v good contact there) and pass on advice given.
- Engage members in safety issues:
- Advise committee on measures to adopt (e.g. recent decision to make emergency contact cards mandatory).
- Advise members through awareness raising by email (e.g. recent Mull fatality prompts renewing efforts to ensure kit marked), and links/advice on website
- Promote & support those organizing sessions/events to address needs (e.g. wet sessions, training courses/ group, vhf training, RNLI exercises)
- Promote climate of openness and transparency to ensure learning takes place following incidents/ mishaps.
This is not a clear task related role, and requires a good network of contacts and a profile within the club. It requires judgment and sensitivity combined with trenchant upholding of standards. Most concerns arise from lack of awareness or simply sloppiness. Both require a supportive not high-handed approach. Safety is compromised when messages are not clearly imparted and received.