Ensuring safety during service projects

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Abstract

Environmental and human factors can contribute to the potential for accidents during a service project. Good planning and education beforehand can lead to a successful, injury-free event. Hands On Network submitted this effective practice in fall of 2006.

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Issue

Doing all you can to secure the safety of life and property is critical. By reviewing a service project for possible hazards and educating volunteers about safety, you can reduce the chance of accidents involving people or property.

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Action

The following tips are from Hands On Network:

Speak to your community service organization (CSO) representative about their incident policies and procedures, as well as their insurance policy.

Protect yourself and your volunteers by having everyone sign a release waiver on or before the project date. You can send the waiver with the project information sheet or with any pre-registration information you may send out to volunteers. If you are unable to get waivers in advance, you should have some extra waivers at the sign-in table on the day of the project.

Review the safety/emergency plan with your project leaders. Know of all nearby emergency exits, fire alarms, first-aid kits, and/or location of all automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Assign a safety point person for the day of the event. Always have a first aid kit on hand and a phone to call 911.

The safety tips below may be useful while on site at an outdoors project. You can share this list when appropriate and advise your volunteers to take these precautions, if applicable.

  • When outside, wear sunscreen.
  • Drink plenty of water, even if you don't feel thirsty. Remain hydrated!
  • Where appropriate, wear gloves, goggles, and dust masks (these last two items must be worn when scraping, sanding or spray painting), safety vests, and sturdy-closed toed shoes.
  • Watch out for sharp or dangerous objects such as broken glass or needles. Be cautious around bio-medical waste if encountered. Don't ever pick these items up. Have volunteers stand by the object(s) while another gets the project leader, team leader, or agency representative.
  • When finished with tools, be sure to put them in an appropriate place and pointed downward. Do not leave tools lying around haphazardly as someone may injure themselves.
  • Clean all materials/equipment before you leave.
  • If children are present, watch them closely to be certain they are not playing with dangerous or inappropriate items.
  • If using a ladder, make sure that all the rungs are intact. When on a ladder, have a spotter. Make sure you are going up the ladder on the right side and do not stand on the top rung of the ladder.
  • If using scaffolding, always have a spotter.
  • Stay away from any electrical feeds.
  • Do not intentionally inhale chemical/gaseous fumes.
  • Be on the lookout for poisonous insects, snakes, scorpions, etc. and keep your distance from them.
  • Turn rocks away from you, not toward you. (Critters like to hide under them!)
  • Do not wander away from the project, volunteer group, trail or area that you are working in.
  • Report all incidents immediately to the project or team leader.

 

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Context

It is important to analyze potential accidents from a "what if" perspective. Ask yourself what the worst case scenario could be. Then ask yourself what you can do to reduce the possibilities of such a mishap occurring.

Record keeping is an important part of any safety program. If an accident should happen, keeping records and reports allows program directors and supervisors to find trends in situations that may lead to changes in training for leaders, equipment, activities, and so forth.

Know your limits and the limits of your volunteers. And above all, remember that one of the most important tenets of safety is sound judgment.

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Citation

Some of the information in this effective practice was excerpted from the 1995, article, Outdoor Action Guide to Outdoor Safety Management, written by Rick Curtis, director of the Outdoor Action Program at Princeton, University.

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Posted On

May 30, 2007

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For More Information

Lori Jean Mantooth
Hands On Network
600 Means Street, Suite 210
Atlanta, GE 30318
Phone: (404) 979-2938
Fax: (404) 979-2901

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Resources

This effective practice is number fifteen in a series on volunteer leveraging from the Hands On Network. To read the next practice in the series, see Thinking through the details of a service project: a checklist.

See the previous effective practices in the series:

For more information, consult Hands On Network's On-Site Project Management Guidebook.

See also the online resource, Safety Tips for Hiking the Trails of New Hampshire.

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