If it’s not urgent you shouldn’t be using the 999 system that’s what 101 & 111 are for.
Not strictly true.
Finding ordnance on the beach for example (not an uncommon occurrence down here) is 999 for HM Coastguard.
It’s an emergency but there’s no massive rush, such that my taking a moment to try 911 instead of going straight to 999 isn’t going to cause an issue if it doesn’t work and I have to dial again.
I wouldn’t consider a medical emergency to be the appropriate time to test out the theory, but something like that could be acceptable is what I’m saying really.
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I would advocate that requirements for bomb disposal is always a 999!
Well, yes it is. As I say.
But it’s been laying there for 80 years… The additional 7 or 8 seconds it might take me to dial 911, find that it doesn’t work, and then redial 999 is really not a concern. If I hadn’t spotted it, it’d still be laying there, quietly minding its own business.
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Reading your comment made me remember a video from Scot Squad. Makes me chuckle every time
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Coming back to this…
Is there a set of GRAs on SharePoint? If so, could someone point me towards them?
There’s 8 in Key Documents -> Risk Assessments, alongside a 2016 “Risk Register”. Is that it?
My confusion continues.
The 2019 document “Risk Assessment” (Key Documents -> HSEP Procedures):
- Safe Place - one where those controls necessary to enable authorised training to be conducted safely have been identified by a site-specific RA or directed through appropriate standing orders eg. range standing orders.
- Confirmation that the SST is applicable - … If all elements of the SST are in place, a site-specific RA will not be required
For the Safe System of Training (SST) to be in place, a site specific RA is required. But if the SST is in place, a site-specific RA is not required.
Go to the shop to buy apples, but if there are apples, do not buy apples.
Separately, ACTO 10 requires an RA to be attached to every SMS activity. The RA document:
- An RA must be included as an insertion to all Exercise Instructions. If all the elements of the SST are in place, the Exercise Instruction should simply state “SST in place”. If not, an Exercise Instruction RA must be produced using the standard HSEP Form 002.
So, to take my previous example of a (face-to-face) bronze cyber course… can my “risk assessment” be a document containing only the text “SST in place”?
Separately again - ACP5 - Part 1:
- Prior to carrying out a RA, all hazards must be identified and separated into “insignificant” hazards, which may be recorded with no further action and “significant” hazards, which must progress to the full risk assessment process.
Where do I record insignificant (also referred to as “borderline” in “Hazard Assessment”) hazards? There isn’t a place for that on HSEP002, AFAIK.
Ah, well, you see… That’s anybody’s guess.
The MOD of course had a proper form for the “Hazard Survey” - MOD Form 5010b, aptly named “MOD Hazard Survey Form” which was separate to the MOD Form 5010a “MOD Risk Assessment Form”.
It looks like this:
You write the hazard in. If it’s insignificant you mark “RA Req” as “N” and move on. If it’s significant you mark it “Y” and follow it up with your risk assessment.
EDIT - They don’t use this format any more.
We on the other hand have taken the usual RAFAC approach and published conflicting information and directed people to policy which doesn’t exist…
ACP 5 Part 1 - “Directive” states:
Prior to carrying out a RA, all hazards must be identified and separated into “insignificant” hazards, which may be recorded with no further action and “significant” hazards, which must progress to the full risk assessment process. The procedure for hazard assessment may be viewed at ACP 5 - Part 2 - Guidance.
But then Part 2 - Guidance states:
NB: The assessor is not required to register insignificant hazards
So we are required to conduct a hazard survey and we may record insignificant hazards to show that we have considered them; but we’re also not required to record insignificant hazards… And even though we may record insignificant hazards we are not actually provided with a place to record them, but that’s okay because we’re not required to record them.
ACP 5 Part 1 though tells us that the procedure is available in Part 2; but the procedure in Part 2 doesn’t really tell us what we’re supposed to do…
Then where significant hazards have been identified we carry out the formal Risk Assessment process as taught… But then the following para tells us that where significant hazards have been identified we must seek the guidance of our RSA via Wing HQ…
Nice and simple… How could that possibly be misunderstood? 
It seems that in trying to “simplify” our process to make it easier for volunteers we’ve successfully achieved the polar opposite.
The MOD process couldn’t be simpler and I don’t know why we haven’t adopted it practically verbatim.
- WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE (The 5 Steps)
5.1 Risk assessment is a subjective but logical process which can be broken down into 5 Steps:
• Step 1 Identify the hazard
• Step 2 Decide who might be harmed and how
• Step 3 Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions
• Step 4 Record your findings and implement them
• Step 5 Review your assessment and update if necessary
Obviously we are required to follow the procedures published in ACP 5, but I recommend that anyone who is involved in risk management read Leaflet 39 from the old JSP 375 Vol 2 - It’s probably out of date now (I may look for the updated) but the concept remains the same and it explains it far better than our own regulations do.
Para 5.4 alone is worth the read - It’s exactly what I was complaining about earlier:
In answer:
If insignificant hazards need to be recorded I’d be inclined to use the old MOD hazard survey form in lieu of the nothing with which HQAC provides us.
If I knew how to upload files here I’d share Leaflet 39.
EDIT - The Government has helpfully published the latest version of JSP 375 online for us all. Here’s chapter 8 on RA.
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/488822/20160101-375_2016_P2_Vol1_Chapter_08_V1-0_Risk_Assessment.pdf
And here’s the latest Form 5010 for reference:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/601277/20160303-MOD_Form_5010_V-1-3__2_.doc
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Just a little update.
We have started conducting ELA over Teams; making the course a bit more relevant. Seems to have gone down fairly well with the cadets. Workbooks off for assessment soon - I’d say that is a positive forum outcome.
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I am personally thankful that you’ve had a good course and made the best of it.
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