Pennine Guide Services: Risk Assessment for the activities of fly-fishing, invertebrate sampling in rivers, streams, ponds, reservoirs & lakes. Fly-tying and entomology demonstrations, workshops & presentations.

Activity	Hazard	Hazard effect	Minimise risk by
General walking/fishing outdoors	Sunlight	Sunburn	Wear sun cream/block, even when cloudy Wear a sunhat and sunglasses to protect eyes from glare
General walking/fishing outdoors	Insects	Bites and stings	Keep well clear of wasp, hornet nests and beehives. Wear insect repellent to deter biting bugs. MAKE YOUR GUIDE AWARE IF YOU HAVE ANY ALLERGIES TO STINGS
General walking/fishing outdoors	Attack by adders	Poisonous bites	Do not touch snakes Do not insert any part of the body into any burrow or hole in stone walls and/or bankings
General walking/fishing outdoors	Lyme’s disease from ticks	Potential illness	Check body for ticks immediately after returning from the field. Remove any ticks and swab the area with alcohol Report any unexplained fever or rash at the bite site to your doctor as soon as possible
Walking to field sites and fishing areas around rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs & ponds	Poor or extreme weather conditions	Potential injury/illness	Take appropriate warm outdoor clothing and waterproofs Take spare clothes, extra food and water, a First Aid kit and a mobile phone (but don’t expect it to work in all areas)
Walking to field sites and fishing areas around rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs & ponds	Falling or slipping on slippery, unstable and uneven ground	Potential injury/risk of drowning	Plan the route, watch footing and wear adequate footwear with ankle support
Walking to field sites and fishing areas around rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs & ponds	Attack by farm animals	Potential injury	Avoid fields with cows and young calves, bulls, rams and farm dogs
Walking to field sites and fishing areas around rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs & ponds	Falling off bridges	Potential injury/illness/risk of drowning	Take care crossing bridges, particularly on uneven or slippery ground, or where guard rails are low
Fly Fishing or sampling rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs and ponds from the bank or in the water	Falling into water	Drowning/getting wet and cold	Be careful and watch your footing in the water and on the riverbanks. Beware of undercut banks and steep drop-offs. Do not enter the water if flows are very high. Be aware of slippery rocks and hazards, particularly in poor weather conditions. In rivers, be aware of flash flooding. Wear suitable waterproof clothing. A life preserver is always recommended.
Fly Fishing or sampling rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs and ponds from the bank or in the water	Contracting Weil’s disease or infectious hepatitis	Potential illness	Wash your hands as soon as possible after fishing or sampling and before eating, drinking or smoking. Cover all wounds with waterproof plasters and wash all new cuts with alcohol before covering with a waterproof plaster. Report all instances of unexplained fever to your doctor
Fly Fishing or sampling rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs and ponds from the bank or in the water	Being poisoned or suffering dermatitis from poisonous plants and fungi	Potential illness	Do not touch any part of Giant Hogweed (unless wearing protective gloves). Do not lick or chew any plant, or eat unidentified berries or fungi
Fly Fishing or sampling rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs and ponds from the bank or in the water	Being poisoned by blue-green algae	Potential illness	Do not sample in water that has a bright blue-green algal scum. If contact is made with such scum, wash off immediately. Do not drink the water
Fly Fishing or sampling rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs and ponds from the bank or in the water	Medical conditions	Physical weakness endangering yourself and others Minor cuts and abrasions	Your duty of care to advise others of medical conditions. Be sure to advise others of what to look out for and what to do Carry First Aid kit or medication appropriate to your condition
Fly Fishing in general	Electrocution	Severe burns or Death	Do not fish or walk with a fishing rod in the air during electrical storms. Always keep well clear of overhead power lines
Fly Fishing in general	Casting and handling fly fishing tackle	Cuts and abrasions	Beware fishing hooks are sharp and lines can cut deep. Keep well clear of others that are casting. If you need to approach others that are casting make them aware of your presence as you approach. Always where glasses to protect your eyes.
Fly Fishing in general	Fishing from boats	Drowning/getting wet and cold	Take care when embarking and disembarking the boat and be aware of slippery or uneven pontoons. A life preserver must be always be worn at all times when fishing from a boat
Identifying invertebrates in collecting trays either indoors or outdoors	Contracting Weil’s disease or infectious hepatitis	Potential illness	Wash your hands as soon as possible after working with samples and always before eating, drinking or smoking. Cover all wounds with waterproof plasters and wash all new cuts with alcohol before covering with a waterproof plaster. Report all instances of unexplained fever to your doctor.
Presentations, identifying invertebrates in collecting trays indoors or outdoors & fly tying workshops	Contact with sharp laboratory and fly tying type tools and equipment	Potential injury/infection	Use appropriate tools and equipment for each task.
Presentations, identifying invertebrates in collecting trays indoors or outdoors & fly tying workshops	Emergency evacuation	Potential injury	Establish the location of emergency exits, procedures and assembly points.
Presentations, identifying invertebrates in collecting trays indoors or outdoors & fly tying workshops	Falling or slipping on slippery floors, tripping over equipment and/or power cables	Potential injury	Wipe up spills and endeavour to keep power cables tidy, do not block or clutter work area and exits with equipment/power cables

This is a general risk assessment and risk factors will vary depending on the activity, venue, time of year and the weather/water conditions.

Always be aware that local circumstances can change and vigilance should be maintained and any concerns raised.

IF YOU REQUIRE A MORE SPECIFIC RISK ASSESSMENT FROM THE GUIDE ON YOUR DAY PLEASE ASK

Risk Assessment by Stuart Crofts, last reviewed May 2009

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