Risk Assessments
I am due to run a rally in early October so will be following government and CAMC announcements with interest. One of the conditions of the rally is that I produce a risk assessment which I have never done. Does anybody have a guide or proforma or can point me in the right direction please. Many thanks.
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I suppose the Club will have already done this for its own sites and wardens, and for its own CLs and their owners. Can the Club head office staff share their procedures and guides with you if you are running a rally for Club members?
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This might help bill. It can seem very daunting at first, but read through, and hopefully it will make sense. Most risk assessments are about probability and severity. I would also suggest asking Club HQ if the have any guidance they could give you, particularly anything documented about how they re opened Sites, as if nothing else, it might just be a memory jog for a lot of things to consider. Walk yourself through administering, arriving, spacing, living on the site, leaving the site, ralliers details, things like PPE, any specific new rules for attendees. It might help if you do it with someone else, maybe another person who might be organising a rally. It’s good to get a different point of view.
https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/risk-assessment-template-and-examples.htm
Edit this is a work related document, but it will give you an indication of the sort of things you will need to consider. It might be an idea to consider running it past the Club as well to see if there might be any legal implications for yourself, as being the named person organising the rally. Good luck with it.
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Risk assessments are a bit like Sod's Law in reverse! I think COVID introduces a completely new dimension to risk. It's not so much about injury risk but personal risk where you don't necessarily know where the risk will be. The real problem for you will be trying to work out what the health situation will be several months forward, will it be better or will it be worse. How happy will your rally goers be to comply with sensible restrictions like distancing and perhaps PPE? I don't envy your task. I help run a former employee pensioner group and we have come to the conclusion that the earliest we can recommence our monthly meetings is the new year but more likely late Spring. OK perhaps your rally goers are in a less vulnerable age group?
David
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The problem is that all the examples online are work related and are much more obvious than the risk of a virus. The interesting thing is that the rally is on a club site and they must have a risk assessment but have still asked me for one.
The only type of things I can think of to stop contamination are :-
Cash only in sealed envelopes
No welcoming Tea/coffee
No flag
Strict social distances
Regular hand washing
Strict adherence to site rules
Any Covid 19 symptoms to be reported to marshals and return home.Much of which seems like teaching your grandmother !
Bill
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Payments can be made in advance by bank transfer to avoid handling cash.
OH has had to help reorganise a Covid safe local fishing club. They set up a PayPal account, most managed to negotiate their way through new methods of doing things. If they couldn't at least the cash handling has been significantly reduced. Social distancing hasn't prevented social contact. People can take their own drinks and meet in smaller groups etc.
Hope you manage to sort something!
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Bill, you are thinking along the right lines. If it’s on a Club Site, then yes, the location will have a RA in place, and you can build on this.
Forgive me, but not familiar with rallies, but have camped at some organised events which I suppose are similar. Usually payment is upfront, via electronic means. Information sheets sent out to participants, including what will and won’t be allowed, arrangements for arrival, pitching up, safety on site, (get a copy of any instructions in place for Site, including toilet and shower usage, and stressing using own onboard facilities), what activities are happening, any emergency requirements (which in your case will be a list of those attending for track and trace purposes, and strict protocol on liaising with on site staff and yourself). Get as much written information from Site as you can, and give this out to ralliers. It’s stressing the no gatherings and communal activities that you need to concentrate on. On a Club Site most things will be in place all ready, you just need to provide everyone attending with this information, and the changes that need to happen in terms of normal rally protocol.
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I still consider that as governance is busy telling us what we can't do on a rally, why is it that if they know already the why don't they produce a generic RA, I appreciate that some rallies are different, but most if not all bases could be covered and then cross thru' the ones you don't need.
And then to state that a rally is considered pending until you have sent it in before the rally, and if they are not happy, another 7 days go by to get it corrected that could then place the rally in doubt ?
Why should the club put all this onus on the centres ?
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Thank you for your comments which I have appreciated. I agree that the CAMC should produce a generic rally risk assessment which could be modified by marshals as appropriate. The risk, as far as I am concerned as an organiser, is attendees catching the virus. All other physical risks are the site owners as I am not necessarily aware what they are doing to lessen risk.
One element of concern to avoid the spread of the virus is payment. The vast majority of rallies are cash on arrival. This is usually so that the marshals can pay the site owner on leaving so cheques, unless in the name of the site owner, are not helpful. Would be interested in any ideas people have as I am now looking at :-
- rounding off rally fee so no change
- cash in sealed envelope for 72 hours
- cheques in the name of the site owner
- bank transfer in advanceUnfortunately it does seem a lot of work and responsibility on the shoulders of marshals who are only volunteers anyway. Bill
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It would be best if you could set up something electronic, it is probably only a bit involved first time round, but once set up can be used again and again.
Only other thing I can suggest is cash handed over with gloves, checked by yourself in gloves, coins into a disinfection bowl, notes into quarantine (given that they are now plastic, it might be possible to wipe them over, you could check?) You bank everything, but pay the site owner via your card. Personally, I would go with the electronic set up.
If your rally is on a Club Site, can’t you liaise with the Club and arrange for fees to be paid directly to Club on arrival, by each rallier? Using a bank card? If the Club needs to sell pitches, then it might help you with this?
To be honest, it does seem a lot of faff to rally on a Club Site. Could those interested not simply book into the Club Site, you pass on a nod and a wink to the Site seeing if you can’t have a group of pitches all together, discard the tea, flag and any other large social interaction needs, but get on with being together? You are going to be bound by whatever is in place on the Club Site anyway, so the only difference is getting the pitches together, to my mind, perfectly reasonable under these circumstances. Rallies other than on Club Sites will need a lot more input.
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On the payment front couldn't you canvass members of the group to establish how many would be willing to do a BACS transfer for rally fees? There is surely very few people around now who don't have some form of internet banking.
David
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That’s what I was thinking DK. Very simple to do. Although I suspect there are a lot more non users of online banking than you might think!
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The club has sent a risk assessment form to the centres afaik. Naturally non of it completed. Most of the information is going to be generic. For example the actions that should be taken if someone comes down with Covid symptoms shouldn’t be any different if it is a Rally or a Clubsite. Really I can see no reason why the club can’t, shouldn’t publish the risk assesments it has carried out for its sites. It should also supply Bill with a copy of the specific risk assessment for the site on which the rally is on. What if a second rally risk assessment contradicts the club assessment which takes precedence?
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Very good point, must admit I had not thought of it that way!!! We could also add the full account name as well!!!
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Yes I am the main marshal for the rally.
I just assume that there is little I can do except for adhere to all CAMC site rules and adhere to government guidance, rules and regulations. I also assume that the law re no more than 30 in a gathering is still in operation so my rally can't go ahead until that is rescinded.
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I have a separate account with my bank for the very purpose. For many years I ran a singles group called 'Friends Nearby' and I have an account with the letters FN after my name. Although there were no membership fees it was an easy way to take money for foreign holiday bookings from members.
I still keep it as it does come in handy from time to time
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Hi bill, its disappointing that you have received a lack of guidance but not surprising.
I was asked just yesterday for my risk assessment of my work activity yet, when I started to explain about the principles of risk management, it became clear that this was, for them, a tick box exercise.
As others have said there is plenty out there to use as examples but my advice is to keep it simple and brief.
We are due to attend a club centre rally in September on a commercial site which will be open and operating in line with guidance.
My enquiry response,as to it going ahead, mentioned the fact that as a commercial site the limit on gatherings is irrelevant until you arrange something, such as flag.
As the clubs own sites are no different my RA would mention this and then the steps, that you have touched on, that apply to the rally specifically.
We always attend flag as we feel its a small way of showing our appreciation of the stewards work and, with all the Covid issues on top, anyone continuing to be a steward deserves praise and all the assistance the club can, and should, give.
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What's the point of rallies if there are no social / group activities?
i admit I only went to one rally, and that was by mistake - but it seemed rather jolly. There was a quiz night, a communal meal for about 40 of them, a lot of drinking in big groups at an open air bar, some singing, and a bonfire barbecue that went on rather late into the night. The next day they said they had hired a coach and were going to the sea. That was at a campsite where we arrived unannounced and found ourselves in the middle of a Motorhome Fun crowd - all lovely people and very welcoming to a newcomer. I liked the whole thing, but a decent risk assessment would have probably put a stop to most of it.
What's the fun in rallies with risk assessments in the middle of Coronavirus without social / group activities?
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Not everyone wants to stay on camp sites, one of the pleasant things about rallies is their varied locations often away from the crowds on camp sites. During the present circumstances it would be a welcome thought even if social gatherings can't take place.
It's difficult to see the safety differences between a small rally and 200 pitch site.
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"What's the fun in rallies with risk assessments in the middle of Coronavirus without social / group activities?"
Hi euror, well as Paul Daniels might have said "not a lot" BUT that presumes that this is your reason for attending rallies in the first place.
Its not our reason but, if these 'fun events' are available, we may participate-the emphasis on may.
We have attended many rallies and our main reason is that it gave us access to decent sites at a reasonable price.
We have come to know many people on a passing basis, and one or two that we would choose for their company, but that's not why we do it its just incidental to rallying with a centre that attracts centre members to its rallies.
As for costs, we are booked on a rally in Cornwall run by the Wilts Centre in September. Cost per night is £13.87.
If you could book direct with the site, which you cant as they are full, the price would be, for me,£32.10.
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Hi Bill,
You can contact your Centre Committee who now have all the guidance on running a Covid secure rally and information on completing a risk assessment. This has been has been sent out to Centre committees from the Club’s Governance Office.
I hope this helps and that you are able to have a fantastic rally.
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Hi Rowena
My Centre has now supplied me with a rally pack which is helpful but the risk assessment is just a blank suggested format supplied by the CAMC. I was assuming that somebody, with experience, would produce a generic rally risk assessment that could be modified as appropriate. I've not seen the CAMC risk assessment for the site that I am using but concerned that I might contradict their one.
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The point is to keep in touch with other caravanners who you’ve met up with and become good friends with, sometimes for many years. By continuing to rally together, the bond between Centre members will hopefully remain until we are able to meet up in happier and less restricted times.
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I’ve read through the comments above which sadly reflect the lack of support and general disinterest that the Club now seems to have adopted towards Centres. We are all members of the CAMC and all pay our annual membership fee in order to be able to caravan in the way we prefer. It would have been sensible and logical for the club to produce a standard risk assessment document for the use of all Centres in running their rallies but it seems that for whatever reason this has either not happened or has been communicated poorly. The instruction issued to Centres are themselves pretty unhelpful and in some cases more draconian than those issued to members booked on club sites. Below is an extract of the advice to Centre members travelling to a rally
‘Travelling to a rally
● If possible, when travelling to the rally avoid busy transport hubs such as motorway services - toilets, food service areas and petrol pumps – to reduce the risk of contamination.‘ Are these instructions issued to members travelling to a club site? I certainly didn’t receive anything like this when we stayed on a site a couple of weeks ago.Rally organisers are not permitted to distribute rally plaques on site, presumably because of the risk of transmitting the virus. I quote:
‘No rally plaques should be distributed at the rally but can be ordered and distributed when restrictions are lifted.’
On the club site we stayed on a couple of weeks ago, we were able to purchase a plaque direct from the wardens. Seems to me that there are two sets of rules going on here!
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