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Safe in the Countryside
A day out in the country is one of the safest ways to enjoy your leisure time. Visitors to our manned countryside properties are much more likely to be injured on the journey there!
(There are 1.85 accidents for every million hours spent by visitors on the properties compared to 3.4 on a bus or coach and 10 per million hours for a passenger in a car.)
This remarkable safety record has been achieved by members of the Visitor Safety in the Countryside Group (VSCG) following guiding principles that they first set out in 2003.
Clearly some activities in the countryside carry higher levels of risk. But by following the VSCG principles these can be reduced to an acceptable level. For example, the risk of injury to mountain bikers at a Forestry Commission centre is about the same as playing a game of cricket. (375 accidents for every million hours mountain biking, compared to 400 for cricket.)
The VSCG has drawn on all the experience of its members to produce a new book “Managing Visitor Safety in the Countryside, principles and practice”. The guiding principles and practical risk management techniques covered in this book have proved their worth in practice and have been endorsed by the Health and Safety Executive and recognised by courts as the basis for sensible risk management.
The opening section of the book lays out the guiding principles that give managers the confidence to make decisions and includes the latest thinking about balancing benefits with risk.
It then shows you how to set about it in practice, with chapters on planning & organising and risk assessment.
There are supporting chapters covering:
Fully illustrated, its 90 full-colour pages contain a wealth of case studies and examples of successful safety management. Copies are available from York Publishing Services, 01904 431213, www.yps-publishing.co.uk/
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Ken Dodd
Chairman
Visitor Safety in the Countryside Group
ken dodd associates ltd
kendodd@kda.org.uk
01491 682 744
07711 762 850