Nobody expects an emergency. Yet, emergencies can strike anyone, anytime, anywhere. Employers should establish effective health and safety management systems, and prepare their staff to handle emergencies before they arise.
When an emergency occurs in the workplace, seconds can often be the difference between life and death. The very nature of emergencies means you never know when you may need to act. So, understanding the types of emergencies that your staff may face in your swim school is crucial. The steps that you should take to handle them is much more important.
Preparing for emergencies is not something you should do – it’s something you must do. Safework Australia requires all workplaces to have systems and training in place. This is to prepare staff to respond to emergencies and is a legislative requirement.
Let’s have a look beyond legislation. Sure it’s a legal obligation, however, what is the true impact of not preparing to manage an emergency in your swim school. How will not being ready for emergencies impact your employees, the public, customers, your business and the community? Here, we discuss how nobody expects an emergency and the repercussions of it.
The True Impact of no Preparation
Staff Members:
Poor response to an emergency can leave staff feeling inadequate, guilty, stressed, anxious, depressed, isolated, embarrassed and suffer post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This will often lead to staff resigning, needing mental health support or ongoing medical support for months, and in some cases years. The impact on staff who are not ready to manage an emergency is massive. It may not only impact those involved but other staff members who could feel let down, mistreated and undervalued due to lack of training by management.
Customers:
When there are customers involved, they may get an injury, or worse, due to poor emergency responses. In the worst case scenario, customers may never return to your business, or they may tell others to keep away from your business. They may even speak to the media without all the facts, or take legal action against the business and staff involved.
Impact on the Community:
Public/community perception of your business can be destroyed by rumour, media, or disgruntled staff. Your business reputation can be destroyed forcing business closure. Swim School business owners/company directors can face bankruptcy, heavy fines in the hundreds of thousands, or jail time if found guilty of negligence.
Nobody Expects an Emergency so Planning is Key
ERR Co-Founder, Ross Smith, is an Emergency Risk Consultant. He has 20 years’ experience as a paramedic, and a further 20 years in the risk, safety and health sector. When he was a paramedic, his philosophy was plan, prepare and practice. He was responsible for responding to multiple types of emergencies. They ranged from trauma and medical to rescue and disasters. The only way he became an effective responder was by planning what might happen, preparing with the right response format and equipment, and practicing via ongoing training to meet the workplace emergency demands.
Efficient staff readiness to manage emergencies within your swim school will reduce the negative impact on your swim schools, staff, customers, public and your business. Emergency Risk Ready Training is the ideal format to induct staff, and provide ongoing training, which prepares all staff to become efficient and effective responders.
Preparation is the key, so contact World Wide Swim School today. Our ERR Training Modules provide Swim Schools with a simple way to conduct this training. Contact us here.
Swim Teachers can avail of our One-User catalogue purchase, which you can find out more info on here. To sign up to the catalogue, click here.
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