Health & Safety - Risk Assesments

[ajtony]

In setting up an Association apiary for Moray Beekeepers we have had to carry out a 'risk assessment' and it really is a 'can of worms'. Fortunately, one of our members is a Health & Safety Inspector otherwise we would really be struggling. She thought SBA would already have generic risk assessments done for Association Training days, open meetings and the like but I can't find any on the web site. So, do SBA have any such documents? Or have other Local Associations done a risk assessment? If not it is my opinion that they are long overdue. cheers!

[gavin]

I can't recall ever seeing such risk assessments, and yes, there ought to be generic ones available. Perhaps this is something for the next re-write of the local association secretaries manual:

http://www.scottishbeekeepers.org.uk/contacts/documents/manual.pdf

We'll confer and get back to you.

G.

[Trog]

I can't recall ever seeing such risk assessments, and yes, there ought to be generic ones available. Perhaps this is something for the next re-write of the local association secretaries manual
G.

Good idea! [reminder to self: check to see if any of our members have first aid qualification!]

[kevboab]

You've got to laugh ay. Risk assess this, risk assess that and risk assess the next thing. Its such a shame that we now live in such a world. I doubt the bees would let us even lift the lid on there boxes if the little blighters could carry out risk assessments themselves.

[AlexJ]

I had presumed that SBA and individual associations’ public indemnity insurance would have required some sort of measures to be put in place when training or sighting association apiaries. I can't imagine a claims assessor being impressed by the thought of the assembled ranks of the great and good staring at each other and shuffling their feet uneasily as the new start goes into anaphylactic shock. Though having read the post about minimum age of those attending association meetings it appears there is little in the way of prescriptive guidance - thankfully as it may have precluded my wee one from association training days.

If there is nothing in place I know a Health & Safety/Risk manager who would probably assist if needed.

[Jimbo]

I don't remember anything at the SBA level on risk assessment, however Ayr beekeepers have put on public demonstrations and I remember one of their members mentioning it. If anybody needs to do a risk assessment if you look at the Health and Safety Executive web site they have published a 5 step plan to producing a risk assessment

[Easy beesy]

Pretty sure I saw one on Edinburgh Beek website. I'll have a look and see if I can find it again.

Eb

[gavin]

There certainly used to be. There is also a draft SBA one kicking about which needs some attention before the new season gets underway.

[Calum]

did a great risk assessment today at a honey training event (that you have to attend more or less to legally sell honey).
It was great, I'll try to recreate a bit to give an idea of it.

550

similar to FMEAs really very good indeed to improve quality in processes!

[HensandBees]

I am pretty sure the BBKA has produced a guide on this .....is there any exchange of info between the bodies?

[gavin]

They have a guide to organising an apiary meeting, but for the risk assessment readers are pointed to the HSE.

http://www.britishbee.org.uk/information_leaflets.php

Several local associations have done their own but they vary in the level of detail and the scope quite markedly.

PS - And, is there an exchange of information between the BBKA and the SBA? Yes, there is a forum (CONBA) to bring together the four national BKAs and some useful business is done there. The BBKA is the big brother though, and to my mind there is insufficient consultation before organising apparently UK-wide initiatives and sponsorship deals.

[soozin]

I was interested to see your message re risk assessments which you posted last year. I am involved in setting up a community apiary and wonder if you completed a risk assessment in the end? If so are you willing to share it?

[gavin]

Hi Soozin

Welcome to the forum. Good luck with your community apiary .. and do tell us all about it! There is a Blog facility on this site if that is of any interest.

The SBA was going to write its own guidance on apiary visit RAs but has now adopted the very comprehensive document produced by Allison Laws of the Moray Beekeepers Association. You can read it at this link (http://www.scottishbeekeepers.org.uk/learning/documents/number%2017%20risk%20assessments.pdf).

It might be nice if the Executive could let us know on the forum when it makes progress like this - especially on a topic that was raised on here for action by the Executive.

Having just read through the document it seems useful and comprehensive. In practice, apiary visit organisers need to know the things in the document and need to act on some of them. We ask visitors (on the bigger visits rather than just a few folk assembling to work at the apiary) informally the question on allergies, and make sure that we have a medically qualified person on site. That is fairly easy for us as we have several retired medical practitioners around plus others trained in First Aid.

I would have liked to have seen something in the document on the appropriate recovery position for someone rendered unconscious by anaphylaxis, as that is the single greatest risk of serious harm and it is not that unlikely if you are hosting groups of people at an apiary. Very prompt action can save lives.

best wishes

Gavin

[gavin]

Regarding Anaphylaxis, this may be useful:

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Anaphylaxis/Pages/Treatment.aspx

The horizontal position is important for a potentially fatal condition such as this where the blood pressure may crash. Of course, becoming prostrate is a natural consequence of losing consciousness!

Using an EpiPen on someone is not something for the untrained, and that is recognised in the Moray document. For one thing you would need to be sure that you were observing anaphylaxis rather than a cardiac or stroke event.

If you don't have a recently trained First Aider available (or medical professional) I would consider training:

http://www.firstaid.org.uk/anaphylaxis-course-details.htm

[Alvearium]

Yes, I agree the Moray document is excellent and we have adopted it for the West Fife meetings after asking their permission, though this has been given. I agree with Gavin about the safe position for collapsed individuals. At the start of every meeting it is prudent to enquire about allergies and whether anyone is carrying an epipen and what their specific instructions are regarding its use in the event of sting, followed by collapse. You can never be too sure; 99% of the time everything goes fine and then.......! I was working at the apiary on maintenance and left a cup of tea on the bench well away from the bees and there were none flying about. A little later I returned feeling thirsty, took a quick swig and was promptly stung on the tongue well to the back by a half drowned bee. I can tell you it was very painful. I dashed to the car and by some contorted efforts managed to pull my tongue out a good way and just spot the sting in the driver's mirror and pull the sting out. Thankfully I did not suffer any tongue or laryngeal swelling. Incidentally a useful addition to a beekeeper's box, especially, if working alone would be a little pocket mirror for seeing and removing stings from the face area.

Several years ago I checked through our association records and found one record of a beekeeper collapsing and dying from a sting reaction, but this was in the 1950's. Simple things save lives, such as checking on mobile phone connectivity, describing the apiary situation clearly if help need be summoned and making sure access is possible. All well documented in the Moray document. We now insist that beekeepers pull on their veils when entering the apiary at a demonstration and signing a register of attendance as well as confirming they have understood the risks. It is worth remembering that at this time of the year there can be a lot of wasps around the apiary and those who do not react to bee stings can still suffer a nasty reaction to wasp stings.
Alvearium

[gavin]

Many thanks for that Alvearium. Perhaps I could add for those reading that Alvearium is a highly experienced member of the medical profession. I have no medical training.

The point about wasps is a good one, and the unexpected events that can cause trouble.

The idea of a register of attendees with explicit consideration of the risks is a good one. Perhaps we will adopt that for our association meetings.

I have been diagnosed as being fully allergic to bee venom after an incident some years ago and a subsequent blood test. The lovely people at Ninewells hospital in Dundee have cured me of that by a desensitisation course. I do recall at the time the nurse at my local practice telling me as she took the blood sample of a very recent death of a beekeeper in Fife from this. I think that he had recently moved into the area so he may not have made himself known to the local association. Anaphylaxis is a really serious issue for beekeepers. We do let our beginners know about this before they commit themselves to buying equipment and bees.

[Apiarist]

The SBA has published a RA document some months ago based on the MBKA one, which is acknowledged with thanks. See Technical Data Sheet no 17 at http://scottishbeekeepers.org.uk/PracticalBeekeeping/Downloads.aspx