RAMS - Overnight camping
Potential Risks (the things that could go wrong)
- Head/neck/spinal injury
- Break/sprain
- Death
- Medical emergency
- Loss of self-esteem/confidence
- Lost students
- 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