AWG Risk Assessment

PLEASE READ THIS SHEET IF YOU ARE INTENDING TO COME ON A FIELD TRIP OR ANY OTHER ALNWICK WILDLIFE GROUP (AWG) OUTDOOR ACTIVITY

AWG, as with any responsible organisation that arranges outdoor activities, must make every effort to ensure the safety of its members and guests. It is important that people intending to join in with outdoor activities are informed of any potential risks and that they are advised of the precautions that both the organiser and the participants should take to minimise the risks.

The leaders of field trips will assess the risks associated with each trip. However, some of the risks can only be fully assessed on the day of the trip. Since members and friends are able to attend the trip without advance booking, the risk assessment can only be made available on the day. When handed a risk assessment sheet, those attending must be responsible for reading the assessments and for making their own decisions about continuing with their involvement in the light of the information provided.

There are, however, some general risks that are likely to be met on any field trip. These are outlined below with the advice of AWG of the precautions to be taken by anyone attending.

Normally you should wear walking boots or suitable stout shoes.
If Wellington boots are likely to be needed, the trip information given in advance in the AWG newsletter will include advice on this.
Suitably warm and waterproof clothing should be worn.
It is strongly advised that you should carry some water to drink.
In the unlikely event that a hard hat or other special equipment may be needed, the trip information given in advance in the AWG newsletter will include advice on this.

The sites visited on AWG field trips have been assessed as normally "no more dangerous than daily life". If the leader of a trip considers a particular site has a higher element of risk then that information will be provided both in the AWG newsletter and at the start of the event and those thinking of attending will need to consider whether the trip is suitable for them before they join in.

Identified Risk	Procedures to be adopted to minimise Risk
Rough and uneven ground	Wear recommended footwear and look where you walk
Wet and slippery conditions	(As above)
Possible bad weather and cold conditions	Wear or have with you suitable clothing
Possibility of danger from incoming tides, from soft wet quicksands, from cliff edges or other similar hazards	Listen to and comply with the advice of the leader
Danger of getting lost	Stay with the leader and the group. Do not go off on your own.
Any medical condition known in advance that may limit your ability to participate fully in the activity	Inform the leader in advance and discuss possible solutions (such as the use of pre-planned short-cuts)
The development of a medical condition during the activity that may affect your continued participation or completion of the walk	Inform the leader immediately and discuss possible solutions

Finally, it is unfortunately the case that the cost of insurance to cover children on field trips or other outdoor activities is prohibitively expensive. AWG's insurance covers only adults and the invitation to members to attend field trips cannot, therefore, be extended to include children under the age of 16. We are not pleased with this situation but we can see no way round it.