I think we're in danger of missing the point here. Simon's point is an important one and I think he is coming from the same angle as I.
As a Tournament Directors I have a duty of care to all those present at my event. I am all too aware that as such I am legally responsible for these people's safety whilst they are in my care [within the realms of common sense of course]. When I complete my risk assessments I want to be able to put a tick in the "risk adequately controlled" box under 1st Aid and the only way to do that is to hire a company in - thus passing the legal obligation on to them. It is costing me the best part of £600 to provide a 4x4 ambulance with 2 1st aiders for Tour 1B which is the minimum cover I would expect to see at an event of this size. If I fail to provide adequate cover and the unthinkable happens then I run the risk of legal action or - worse still - sleepless nights for ever. I am not prepared to risk this for a measly few hundred quid. If we could set up a system of members to cover this then these people collectively would then take on the liability for the event. I have some questions that need answering: 1. Do we think that those medical people amongst us - who are basically away on holiday - are willing to take on this responsibility? 2. Do we think that is fair to the individuals in involved? 3. Also how much would this cost? We'd need a lot of people per event to ensure adequate cover? 4. Who would manage the individual 1st aiders and make sure that there were always 2 "on call" at any given moment? This person could also be for the chop if anything went wrong. 5. Some of us bring Juniors along to these events. We promise their parents that the event is of an acceptable standard & that we will take care of them. What if something happens to one of the kids in your care as a result of this? Who here could live that down? Finally I would say that this is The Tour which, as a sport, is our top event. I think we should really be taking the provision of good services very seriously indeed. -- Regards, ______________ Ed Blockley Captain Devon Ultimate 07974 977313 __________________________________________________ BritDisc mailing list [email protected] http://ai.ranulf.net:8080/mailman/listinfo/britdisc Staying informed - http://www.ukultimate.com/informed.asp
