Management Guidelines
For Adventurous Activity Equipment held by Establishments
Locally held Equipment
A number of establishments across the Authority hold small stocks of outdoor equipment. In broad terms this can be divided into:
Non-technical equipment
- camp cookware
- waterproofs
- hats
- gloves
- walking boots
- rucksacks
- fleece tops and bottoms
- orienteering kit
- maps
- compasses
Management of non technical equipment can be a relatively easy if time consuming task i.e. cleaning and drying after use, carrying out small repairs or making decisions on when to discard /replace items when they have reached the end of their useful life.
The condition of non-technical items may have implications for the comfort of the user but should not have major safety implications. An individual without high levels of experience or technical skill could reasonably make decisions on the item's suitability.
Technical equipment
Mountain Sports
- harnesses
- ropes
- other climbing gear including equipment for artificial rock walls
Caving equipment
Sub-aqua equipment
Paddlesports
- canoes
- kayaks
- rafts
- other inflatables and all associated equipment
Windsports
- sailing boats
- windsurfers
- powered rescue boats
- all associated equipment
- Parafoil kites, Blo-carts and other windsports equipment designed to propel or lift participants
Snowsports
- skis (Alpine & Nordic)
- snowboards
- blades
- boots and associated equipment
- bikes
- tents and stoves
Any other equipment designed for activities in which specialist training is normally required.
Technical equipment may need regular maintenance over and above the checks carried out prior to or after each use. Items may need adjustment by a qualified person before each use and for some items (eg climbing ropes), careful logging of each use. Failure or inappropriate use of an item is likely to have a direct impact on the safety of the individual user.
The management of technical equipment requires a higher level of skill, knowledge and experience and should only be undertaken by individuals who are trained and qualified in the activity that the equipment relates to and/or have had technical training in relation to the specific tasks involved in its maintenance and management.
Managing Equipment
General
Establishments must have robust systems to ensure that technical equipment may only be accessed where the staff member leading the activity has the necessary qualification to do so. (Refer to Safety and Good Practice in Adventurous Activities 2003) This may require to be checked.
More efficient management of equipment is likely if access to it is channelled through one or a small number of individuals.
Good management may require secure storage space and some system for booking/logging in/out.
Schedules for the preventative maintenance of technical and non-technical equipment are available from Adventure Scotland on request.
Non-technical equipment
Although there will be some differences between specific items, the management of non-technical equipment should be fairly straightforward. eg.
On issue check or ask individual users to check for any damage missed on previous return.
On return check for wear or damage, clean as appropriate, dry and store ready for next use.
Technical equipment
The requirements will be specific to the equipment used for different activities and advice may be sought from Adventure Scotland. All equipment must be checked by instructors before and after each use and defects or damage dealt with appropriately. A safety and condition check will be done annually by a Technical Advisor from Adventure Scotland.
