Risk Assesments

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RogueDrone

House Bee
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Apr 12, 2011
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Location
Wet Wales
Hive Type
National
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Don't want to stir up a hornets nest. But do any Societies out there have any formal risk assesments for Activities such as Apiary days, foundation course, candle making...

Are they a requirment for insurance?

Just for personal interest.
 
I had to do one for the Apiary development on the roof of Manchester Cathedral.



I don't claim it was perfect, mind......



...... and I didn't include Acts of God, for obvious reasons!


Dusty
 
Funnily enough, we had the annual Judges' Service at the Cathedral a few weeks ago.

I'd been involved with the early service and was going up to feed the gals before the main event.

The security issues occurred to me on the way up - that the police might wonder about someone going up to the roof above the main entrance, carrying strange coloured fluid, then donning a full boiler suit, covering his face with a hood, putting on rubber gloves and starting a small fire. Didn't fancy having a trigger-happy cop getting me in his sights.

So I descended to inform our Canon theologian - a man of great wit (I'm only half the wit he is....). He thought it hilarious that the Rapid Reaction Group might be on its way. Till I reminded him that this is the Church of England. When anything is urgent, we swing into action a mere 50 years after it comes to mind.

Forgot to include security implications in the Risk Assessments.


Dusty
 
Yes and Yes.
But I'm not involved so have no details but we have def. had to do this.
 
Don't want to stir up a hornets nest. But do any Societies out there have any formal risk assesments for Activities such as Apiary days, foundation course, candle making...

Are they a requirment for insurance?

Just for personal interest.

We helped a local school set up an apiary last season and part of their "due diligence" was to complete Health and Safety/Risk Assessments. The problem with leaving it to common sense is that it's in really short supply and you can't guarantee who is going to do that one "stooopid thing" that gets everyone in trouble.
It's also a worthwhile process to complete just to identify that everything IS as you want it and that there are very few opportunities for someone to cock it up!

Drop me a PM if you want some contact details of our member who completed the forms and I'll have a word.

Stewart
 
Don't want to stir up a hornets nest. But do any Societies out there have any formal risk assesments for Activities such as Apiary days...

Just for personal interest.

Yes. Don't stir up a hornets nest.

;)
 
A formal written risk assessment is simply the evidence of a common sense approach, to cover one's backside in the event of an incident. The first common sense piece of knowledge is that most don't have any.

New people, different scent, loose long hair, flapping hands, etc comes to mind immediately. Getting stung by bees in that situation is quite predictable. A verbal warning of the risk is infinitely better than saying 'they are safe, and will not sting because they like you', but supply of PPE would be far, far better.
 
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It shouldn't be too difficult or onerous to do the risk assessments yourself. As has been pointed out they are only written evidence of common sense.

Follow 5 steps.

Identify the hazard, a hazard is anything that may cause harm, such as chemicals, electricity, working from ladders, an open drawer, etc.

Decide who might be harmed and how.

Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions. I was taught that to evaluate the risks give the hazard a number 1 to 5 5 being fatal and 1 trivial. Then give the risk (likelihood) a number 1 to 5 (the larger the number the more likely. Multiply the two numbers together and if greater than about 12 you need to take some precautions. If greater than 17or 18 then stop that activity until you can reduce the number by some precautions.

Record your findings and implement them.

Review as necessary.

I once attended a seminar where a very qualified H & S man did a risk assessment in about a dozen words on a flipchart. They don't have to be terribly complicated.
 
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Let me have your email address and I'll send you a copy of ours. Amazing how many "funny" comments your sesible thread has produced. Risk assessments are required by the owner of our association apiary site (Bodnant Estate).
We don't have one for our candlemaking courses, but will consider doing one.
Regards.
peter mcfadden
C0nwy BKA, north Wales.
 
It shouldn't be too difficult or onerous to do the risk assessments yourself. As has been pointed out they are only written evidence of common sense.

Follow 5 steps.

Identify the hazard, a hazard is anything that may cause harm, such as chemicals, electricity, working from ladders, an open drawer, etc.

Decide who might be harmed and how.

Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions. I was taught that to evaluate the risks give the hazard a number 1 to 5 5 being fatal and 1 trivial. Then give the risk (likelihood) a number 1 to 5 (the larger the number the more likely. Multiply the two numbers together and if greater than about 12 you need to take some precautions. If greater than 17or 18 then stop that activity until you can reduce the number by some precautions.

Record your findings and implement them.

Review as necessary.

I once attended a seminar where a very qualified H & S man did a risk assessment in about a dozen words on a flipchart. They don't have to be terribly complicated.

If I was you I would do a risk assessment of the likelihoods of your pen running out :sorry:
 
The first common sense piece of knowledge is that most don't have any.

Correct, That's why we have ended up with it PPE COSHH PUWER LOLER RIDDOR just a few
 
we did a risk asssement on my apairy on a sedum roof of the local University, 20m by 30m flat roof surrounded by a 3 ft parapete

....the Uni wanted us tethered to a line before we could inspect...eventuia agreed not on roof above wind force 4 all vistors PPE, gloves and wellies and no one within 3 metres of the edge etc....on the inspection for confirmation of the risk assesment we arrived late to find the risk assessmnet officer was on the roof and had turned up in shorts and open toed sandals and the Enviremental biulding manger had a crop top, short skirt( very) and high heals..and was bending over the parapete...look i can see my car......do as i say not as i do
 
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