RAMS - Caving

Potential Risks (the things that could go wrong)

  1. Death – drowning

  2. Hypothermia and or fatigue

  3. Loss of self esteem/confidence

  4. Break/sprain

  5. Damage to environment

  6. Medical emergency

  7. Lost

Causal Factors

Management Strategies

Hazards caused by people

Risks not known

Instructions not followed

Inability to swim

Poor instruction/group management

Preexisting medical condition

Phobias of small spaces/anxious participant

Tied, wet and cold


Hazards caused by equipment

Inadequate safety equipment

Clothing not fit for purpose

Students lack of respect or understanding of

importance of gear

Lack of first aid


Hazards caused by the environment

Heavy rain/deep water/Caves prone to flooding

Poor Cell phone coverage

Dark/wet/cold/small spaces

Uneven/Rocky /steep/slippery surfaces

Fragile formations

Eels, cave weta, koura (fresh water crayfish) living in

caves

No toilets at cave site

Hazard management strategies

Brief students on risks

Students to follow all instructions

Ensure that all students are competent swimmers, put non swimmers near trip leaders

Communication systems to be established before entering the cave with a leader and tail end Charlie being

identified and the understanding that we are to always stay together

Time allowed for brief and debrief

Pre trip medical form to be completed by each participant and any medical conditions to be made know to

instructors by head teacher prior to entering the cave. Personal medications to be taken

Challenge by choice philosophy, allow students to choose which passageways they would like to go through

Brief participants on what they are about to experience before they enter the cave and give them the opportunity

to disclose any fears/issues before entering the cave so that the leaders can better support them

Give participants time to a just to the darkness when they first enter

Instructors to set an achievable walking/crawling pace for the level of groups fitness

Instructors to carry spare warm clothing


Hazard management strategies

All students issued with helmets, waterproof lights, caving overalls, & caving gumboots

Remind students to bring a warm clothing, not to wear any cotton

Educate students on correct use of equipment. All students to be fitted with helmet and head lamp and briefed

to wear it at all times when inside the cave

Instructor to check first aid kits are replenished and packed prior to trip


Hazard management strategies

Instructor to check weather leading up to trip and check water levels before trip, if there has been rain.

Postpone trip if water levels may be too high.

Activity leader to be aware of areas where cell phone coverage can be established

Participants’ to be briefed on what they are going into. Issued with lights. Students bring thermal wear.

Brief to include the need to take your time, only walking in the caves and letting each other know where the

ground is uneven, unstable or slippery

Before entering the cave brief the participants why and how we respect the cave environment

Brief students of all the creatures found in caves and talk about it before entering


Notify students that there is no toilet on site prior to leaving school so that they can best plan/take care of business

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

Risk

1. Hypothermia and or

fatigue


Loss of self

esteem/confidence


Break/sprain



Damage to

environment


Medical emergency


Lost


Procedures to deal with emergency

Group to stop and instructor to put extra thermal clothing on casualty, if needed get group to

gather around casualty in a huddle to warm up. Access patients' abilities and proceed to exist

keeping out of water as much as possible

Take time to stop and debrief the group and individual, comfort

and assess. Once the group has finished trip make sure head teacher is aware of the situation and

that it is followed up

Stop group and apply first aid. Assess the ability of the injured person and where possible continue

as a group. If the injured person cannot continue and the group is unable to assist them out of the

cave, if possible get them out of water, keep warm and send one instructor to get help

Assess the damage and make sure the group understands any effect this

will have to their safety and/or the long term effects this will have on other groups coming through.

If the damage is a safety issue notify Whangarei District Council asap

Apply first aid. Call for help.


Established who is lost:-

1. You as a whole group = try to establish where you have gone wrong and correct it, follow the

stream to the exit.

2. Individual = establish who is lost and when they were last seen. Stay as group and back track to

the last point where they were seen. If you are unable to locate the lost person, instructors to take

rest of group out of cave and raise the alarm to get assistance from search and rescue


Emergency gear required

Thermals, emergency blanket



Nil



First aid kit



Phone, Whangarei District Council

Ph: 430 4200


Personal medications, antihistamines,

adrenaline

Map, phone, whistle