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We are Scouts, we hike, camp, climb, build fires, swim, canoe, rappel, sail, ski and take on any one of a hundred challenging activities. There will be accidents, there will be injuries.
I am not an alarmist, I am not worried about being sued, I am not obsessed with fear of accident or injury. But I am very, very careful to practice safe Scouting.
This post at Scoutmaster Musings reminds us of the importance of actually applying the health and safety measures in the light of several recent incidents.
19 Scouts and four adult leaders take a wrong turn and spend an unplanned night in the woods.
Two Scouts lost overnight at camp.
Scout leader spends a night in the woods when he is separated from his Troop.
Two Scouts spend a night in the woods separated from their group.
The reports don’t contain enough detail to judge exactly what went wrong in each scenario but the root causes seem reasonably simple: lack of basic gear, being unfamiliar with ones surroundings, not leaving a trip plan with someone and error in reading maps.
Thankfully these incidents ended without significant injuries.This, at least, is testimony to rapid response and some level of preparedness. Had the temperatures been lower or the situation been compounded by injury any one of the stories could have ended badly.
I analyze accident and incident reports carefully with an eye to avoiding the mistakes that caused them. I think that the BSA should publish an annual safety survey that includes reports with any identifying information expunged as a way of promoting awareness of the importance of following health and safety guidelines.
Scouting activities do have inherent dangers that are minimized by preparing ourselves thoroughly. Appropriate training along with studying and applying good health and safety practices are important to good Scouting and, incidentally, staying out of the newspapers.
Health and safety resources:
Guide to Safe Scouting
The policies and guidelines have been established because of the real need to protect members from known hazards that have been identified through 100 years of experience. Limitations on certain activities should not be viewed as stumbling blocks; rather, policies and guidelines are best described as stepping-stones toward safe and enjoyable adventures.
Safety Training
Overview of training available from the BSA.
Health and Safety Training Course Syllabus
Experience has shown that the vast majority of serious injuries and fatalities reported to
the National Health and Safety Service occurred in unit-related activities conducted off
council properties. This course introduces the concept of the “sandwich principle” with emphasis on the
importance of qualified supervision and discipline. The course also features the BSA
booklet Guide to Safe Scouting.
Scoutmaster Blog Risk Management related postings
Even though nobody was hurt in the events listed above, it is simply a case of “what could be?” Campers should not take this lightly because an unfortunate event could easily get you killed out in the wild. I agree with this post, that the BSA must increase awareness of campers by releasing an annual safety survey.