PADI RTO First Aid Student Manual

the emergency response. Managing communication protects those involved in the accident/ incident, assists with maintaining smooth operations, and makes rumour control possible. Every accident/incident has its own unique set of circumstances, but comprehensive planning should include the critical (but oft forgot) component of effective follow-up. Contr bute to the review of workplace polici s and procedures in accordance with risk assessment and evaluation of first aid person Contingency planning Contingency planning can be defined as problem solving in advance of your event to mitigate the effects of potential emergencies or unexpected occurrences. A contingency plan is an alternative plan to be put into operation when required to address issues such as changes to weather conditions, unexpected staff shortages, sudden equipment or communication failure, large variation in expected crowd sizes, problems with traffic or crowd congestion, theft, damage, vandalism and lost children. The contingency response should demonstrate ‘what will be done if things happen, despite our best efforts’. A contingency plan for an event identifies what needs to be done, and by whom, in response to an incident. Incidents can range from fence-jumping to fainting, theft and assault. Fire, accidents and other emergencies are contingencies that also need to be planned for and for which procedures need to be developed that give direction, if an incident occurs. Contingency plans are developed within the context of each event. Factors that play a major role include the nature of the event, how many and what type of people are expected to attend, the type of entertainment provided and when and how long the event is expected to last. Developing a contingency plan is a process that occurs after risks have been identified in terms of their likelihood and consequence of occurring. Where risks carry consequences that will result in injury or financial loss, or where they have an environmental impact, a contingency plan must be developed in the event that the problem eventuates. A contingency plan should contain the following: • Identification of the possible occurrence • Actions to be taken • Roles and responsibilities of the staff and services involved in those actions • Reporting requirements. In developing a contingency plan, one needs to consider regulatory requirements such as keeping records and reporting to the authorities. There may also be different levels of response to a situation or incident. A contingency response may describe the response to an incident or describe alternate arrangements that may be put in place (e.g. responses to adverse weather conditions). Critical incident responses can detail the type of response to a situation that is life threatening or an emergency. It is also essential to decide who can deal with these situations — as, in some cases, police and other emergency services personnel are the only people who can deal with the situation adequately. In the event industry, this is known as ‘escalation’ and it is important to write policies and procedures that show event staff when to escalate a problem that they are unqualified to deal with, and how to communicate it up the chain of command (event organisational structure). Case in point In the case of a youth music festival, there are a number of risks associated with such events. Consider the risk of crowd crush near the stage. Control measures to limit the risk may include sectioning off (isolating) the ‘mosh pit’ and positioning security at the entrance and

HLTAID008 MANAGE FIRST AID SERVICES AND RESOURCES

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PADI RTO