RAMS - Overnight camping

Potential Risks (the things that could go wrong)

  1. Head/neck/spinal injury
  2. Break/sprain
  3. Death
  4. Medical emergency
  5. Loss of self-esteem/confidence
  6. Lost students
  7. Hypothermia

Causal Factors

Management Strategies

Hazards caused by people

Risks not known

Instructions not followed

Personal medical conditions/special needs

Students too far out of their comfort zone

Lack of skill - instructors/teachers

Lack of knowledge and experience regarding cooking

and working camp cookers

Lack of respect for knives

Attacking or chasing animals

Not layering clothing well

Not bringing enough warm clothing

Setting up a poor shelter

Failing to be safe with food

Hazards caused by equipment

Lack of sleeping bag, clothing, sleeping mat, shelter

etc

Top-heavy cookers

Lack of food

Inappropriate food

Lack of water


Hazards caused by the environment

Winter conditions

Rain

Cyclones/storms

Possums/pigs

Dead branches/widow-makers


Rivers


Depressions in the ground

Rock-fall

Hazard management strategies

Brief students on risks

Students to follow all instructions

Medical information obtained and understood by trip leader. Students to have their medications on hand

Encourage challenge by choice

Instructors/teachers to have sufficient knowledge, skills, and experience to lead the trip

Training and practice given regarding safe camp cooking practices


Explain safe knife use techniques

Leave all wildlife alone

Teach students the importance of layering

Give students a gear list, create it with them

Check all shelters before they go to bed

Sanitise hands, clean and sanitise utensils


Hazard management strategies

Create a gear list with students, go through list on the morning of the walk


Use remote bottle, low cookers

Check that all food is packed and taken before departing

Plan meals with students prior to leaving

Check that all students have sufficient water


Hazard management strategies

Bring appropriate clothing

Bring wet weather gear

Postpone trip if severe weather warnings are in place

Leave wildlife alone

Camp site selection is in a place away from potential tree-fall, rivers, ground depressions or areas

where landslides or rock-falls may occur

Stay up to date with weather forecasts, be aware of the catchment area, see local knowledge about

how the river behaves in times of high rainfall. Camp well away from rivers which may swell.

Don't set up camp in a depression

Set up camp sites in areas where rock falls can't happen

Emergency Protocols (if management strategies fail and an incident happens)

Risk

1. Neck/spinal injury

2. Break/sprain

3. Death

4.. Medical emergency


5. Loss of confidence

6. Lost students


7. Hypothermia

Procedures to deal with emergency

Stabilise patient, call for an ambulance, apply first aid

Stabilise effected area, call for an ambulance, apply first aid

Cover body, remove students from area, contact school and emergency services

Give medication, call for an ambulance

Coach and support student, remind them about "challenge by choice" to empower them

Student to stay where they are and call for help, activity lead to assess situation and take actions to

find the student; whistle blasts, call out, send for help, notify police/search and rescue

Remove student from cold environment (bothy bag), feed them, stabilise them, evacuate if needed

Emergency gear required

Cell phone

First aid kit, cell phone

Nil

Personal medications, antihistamines,

adrenaline

Nil

Cell phone, whistle


Tarpaulin