Risk-benefit assessment template

Den building

Heavy things, lifted by children, in teams. Almost everything about it is good for them, and none of it assesses itself.

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Free. Edit it, sign it and use it on your sessions.

This one is adapted from a real training assessment rather than invented, which is why the hazards read like things that actually happen: the branch that comes down while it is being lashed, the child who goes inside before the den is finished.

Dead wood only. Nothing living, ever, and that is a lesson as much as a control.

Benefits of the experience

Write yours before you write the hazards.

Problem solving, planning and cooperation, all of it self-directed rather than instructed.
Physically active, whole-body work of a kind children get less and less of.
Genuine risk-taking, judged by the child and supported by the adult.
Resilience: the den that falls down and gets rebuilt teaches more than the one that works first time.
A real sense of achievement in something they made together and can stand inside.

Hazards, controls and residual risk

Severity (S) and Likelihood (L) are each scored 1–3 and multiplied into a Risk Rating (RR). Low is 1–3, Medium 4–6, Significant 7–9. The final column is what is left after your controls, which is the number that matters.

Experience / activity	Hazards	Associated risks	S	L	RR	Control actions	Risk after controls
Building a den	Sharp branches Falling branches Unstable structure	Cuts and stabs Thorns and splinters Bruises Head injury	1	3	3	Gloves when handling rough sticks and thorns. Leader monitoring for unstable branches throughout, not just at the start. Logs no bigger than your forearm. Nobody goes into the den or shelter before it is finished. Low ratio of adults to children for this activity. When lashing to a tree, one person supports the log while another ties. Let go slowly and test the lashing before trusting it.	Low (1)
Moving heavy timber	Heavy logs Awkward lifting	Back injury Crush injuries Bumps and bruises	2	2	4	Leaders carry and position anything a child cannot manage. Do not let willingness substitute for capability. Clear space around the lift; grippy gloves. Timber hitch to drag a log along the ground if it is too heavy to carry. Two or more people to lift anything substantial. Follow your manual handling procedure. Adults included, especially adults.	Low (2)
Dismantling the den	Collapsing structure Falling logs	Crush injury Head injury Bruises	2	2	4	Nobody inside while it is being dismantled. Remove sticks in reverse order to the way they went on. When removing lashed logs, one person supports the log while the lashing is untied, and both lower it to the ground together.	Low (2)

The scoring key

Severity (S)

3 Death or major injury
2 Permanent disability or serious injury
1 Minor injury

Likelihood (L)

3 Occurs repeatedly
2 Will or could occur
1 Unlikely, though conceivable

Risk Rating (RR = S × L)

7–9 Significant
4–6 Medium
1–3 Low

What this template cannot know

Risk assessments are site-specific. This one is a starting point, so don't copy it unchanged. Before you sign anything, work out the following for your wood and your group:

What dead wood is actually available on your site, and whether the landowner permits its use.
Which trees may be lashed to, and which may not.
The ground where dens get built: slope, roots, what is underfoot if a structure comes down.
Your group: age, size, and who can safely lift what.

Then put your name on it, date it, and set a review date. The assessment belongs to the person who signs it, which is you.

The paperwork around it

The taught form has a header before the table: the activity, the group, who carried the assessment out, the date it was written, the review frequency (annually is typical), the date it was last reviewed, a signature, and any other assessments it refers to. Your site assessment sits under all of your activity assessments, so name it here.

An assessment nobody has signed or reviewed won't stand up if anyone asks. At the review, use the near-misses you logged during the term to make next year's version better.

Write it once. Stack it on every session.

Keep your assessments as a reusable library, stack the right ones onto each session (the session keeps a copy of the version you used), and log the calls you make on the day, offline. Free for practitioners, never per child.

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