Eagle Scout project coaches, or other Scouters who review Eagle service project proposals or final plans, should help to ensure safety. Being familiarity with the Guide to Advancement, topic 9.0.2.14, “Risk Management and Eagle Scout Projects,” and also “Service Project Planning Guidelines” in the Guide to Safe Scouting will be helpful.
Although the unit adults present at the project must monitor safety, the Eagle candidate should include attention to safety in his planning. The unit leader and the project coach (if one has been provided) will want to review the Scout’s plan, and they should encourage him/her to cover safety with respect to issues such as tool usage, site or weather hazards, wildlife and insect concerns, controlling horseplay, and general conduct during the project. A safety briefing should be conducted before work starts, and regardless of who conducts the briefing, the Eagle candidate should have a thorough understanding of the safety issues involved.
Most every Eagle Scout candidate should include a first aid kit appropriate for the work he/she is planning. One may be available on location, or the troop’s kit may be taken to the site. A cell phone should be brought along to summon help if something more serious should happen.
It is important the Scout understands “Age Guidelines for Tool Use and Work at Elevations or Excavations”; that is, what tools may be used by a 14-year-old, a 16-year-old, or require an adult to operate. For example, all power saws are limited to adult use, and it is recommended that the saw operators be the saw owners. They are more likely to be familiar with the tool and how to operate it safely.
One risk Scouts may not consider is that related to chemicals. For paints, solvents, and cleaning products, the Scout should see that the package labeling is read, understood, and followed. In some cases, adult handling may be appropriate. When cleaning, sanding, painting, demolishing, or refurbishing any surface painted before 1978, the potential risks with lead poisoning must be considered. Similarly, pressure-treated lumber is no longer made with arsenic, but old lumber may be involved in the project, and even new lumber still has some special handling requirements. Information is available from most pressure-treated lumber retailers and at Natural Handyman.
Other common issues that should be considered are on-site risks ranging from buried utilities to plant or animal dangers (e.g., poison ivy, mosquitoes, ticks, and even bears, snakes, and alligators in some parts of the country). No matter where you are, weather, traffic, and sanitation issues should always be considered.
Many projects require some form of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as long sleeves or pants, work or protective gloves, closed-toe shoes or work boots, safety glasses, ear plugs or protectors, dust masks, etc. The candidate should understand the specific PPE needs for his project and have a plan to be sure the necessary equipment will be available and used properly.
Every Eagle Scout project should be carried out safely, but safety doesn’t happen by accident. Thorough advance guidance of the Scout will go a long way in helping ensure an accident-free project. Some councils even provide links for safety information on an Eagle Scout page of their websites to help their Scouts to “be prepared” from the time they first meet with their Eagle project coaches and project reviewers until the project is safely completed.
It must be noted that although a Scout is expected to be concerned with safety on his project, Scouts are minors. Adult unit leaders must take the responsibility for safety and they must be available and free to intervene if necessary. An Eagle project is defined by the BSA as a unit activity, and unit leaders have the same responsibility for health and safety during Eagle projects that they have with any other unit event. Additionally, project beneficiaries and or the property owners of a project site also have a responsibility for safety. For example, if digging is involved, the property owner must be forthcoming with information on the location of underground utilities and identification of any hazards specific to the site that the Scout or the unit leader may overlook.