Nantwich RC: A proactive approach to health and safety

Cheshire club Nantwich Running Club recently showed a proactive approach to a health and safety incident, working with our Club Support team to work to prevent future incidents of the same kind.

During a club training run, one of their members tripped on a raised grid, falling on their side. They hurt their shoulder, scuffed their elbow and sustained a cut and graze to their wrist. After experiencing pain, they visited A&E the following morning and were diagnosed with a fractured humerus.

After further inspection it was established there was a hole near the grid which the club member had tripped in. There were concerns that this hazard could lead to further falls for other members of the club and the local community.

The accident was reported by the club on the UKA incident reporting page, and our Club Support team reached out to the club to ask for photographs of the hazard so that it could be reported to the local council, which club Health and Safety Officer, Fiona Roche, said was key to future prevention:

"It was important to report this issue so it could be repaired by the council to prevent further slips/trips/falls to users of the pathway."

Fiona spoke to us about how she worked with our Club Support team to address the issue promptly:

"England Athletics’ Club Support Team assisted by reporting the hazard to Cheshire East council.  The council carried out the repair promptly.  Having the support of England Athletics Club Support Team helped to get this issue addressed quickly."

After raising the issue with the local council, the hazard was eliminated promptly. Fiona said it was reassuring to see that when issues are reported, they can be rectified quickly:

"Any future issues with council pathways can be reported in the knowledge that they will be addressed."

Fiona also kindly offered advice to other clubs that encounter safety, access or risk management issues in their local area. Her advice was to:

• Report issues to the relevant authorities
• Share useful information with other running clubs and the wider community
• Ensure club members are aware of any issues
• Change running routes until issues have been rectified
• Review risk assessments to capture any known hazards