Focus

Focus Archive

Sports and leisure: How Safe and Healthy are Your Activities?

January 1999
Sheila Pantry, OBE

Just by looking at the statistics, particularly from the hospitals, we can see that sports and leisure activities are not immune from accidents and injuries, some of which can be long term. The sports and leisure industries come under the same health and safety legislation as do other industries, with responsibility for employers and visitors who include participants and spectators.

It is essential that knowledge of the legislation and guidance and advice in the many thousands of references from UK and worldwide sources are easily available to managers and workers in the industries, as well as those partaking in sports and leisure activities.

To help in this quest for information a partnership of Sports and Leisure and Health and Safety information providers:

• the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA)
• the Institute of Leisure and Amenity Management (ILAM).

have joined together with Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd and SilverPlatter Information Ltd to produce, and update on a quarterly basis the Sport and Leisure Health & Safety Plus CD-ROM. For the first time the essential data has been brought together to keep up to date those who are responsible for securing good standards in health and safety in Sports and Leisure industries.

If you need access to Sports and Leisure occupational health and safety information, the new CD-ROM will give you the full text of all the appropriate legislation, plus access to two complementary bibliographic databases containing thousands of references.

The CD-ROM provides quick and easy access to the increasing amount of data, for all Sports and Leisure industries and organisations, including those within local authorities, government departments and agencies.

The user has access, via a personal computer, to a wealth of authoritative information in the databases which have previously not been publicly available. Sports and Leisure Health and Safety Plus CD contains two full text databases of legislation:

1. appropriate UK Acts
   
   
2. appropriate UK Statutory Instruments, includes the health and safety legislation such as Manual Handling Regulations, COSHH etc.

Plus two complementary bibliographic databases containing thousands of references:

1. From RoSPA references to UK and Worldwide health and safety legislation, codes of practice, circulars, reviews, reports, journal articles, conference proceedings. References to RoSPA's own publications and journals including Care on the Road, Occupational Safety and Health, OSH Bulletin (formerly RoSPA Bulletin), Safety Education, Safety Express, and Staying Alive
   
   
2. From ILAM references to a wide range of leisure and amenities management information from UK and Worldwide sources include: data sheets, reports, information papers, digests, conference papers, research reports, books, journal articles, conference proceedings and references to the Institute of Leisure and Amenity Management's own publications and journals including Leisure Bulletin and Leisure Manager

The information in the databases is validated and authoritative and would also benefit those in other countries, particularly those wishing to achieve good health and safety standards. Both organisations will be able to assist in locating the actual documents.

What kind of software is used?

SilverPlatter Information Ltd's powerful WinSPIRS software which is Windows based software gives the user quick and easy access to a wealth of important publications. The user will be able to download data and print out required references and the full text of the legislation.

It is also possible to network CD-ROMs to enable simultaneous access by multiple users in an organisation. Users will be able to use their own personal computers to give authoritative and validated answers to questions on all aspects of sports and leisure health and safety. If printouts are needed then a printer would be attached to the computer.

Who should use the Sports and Leisure Health and Safety Plus CD?

The following will find the CD useful in their daily work:

• sports councils and associated organisations in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland
• sports governing bodies
• organisations concerned with sport, physical education and recreation
• sports and leisure organisations, including hotel groups which have sports and leisure facilities
• education authorities
• operators of sports arenas, particularly those for professional football etc
• manufacturers and suppliers
• government departments/agencies
• local authorities, including Environmental Health Departments,
• consultants
• universities
• information services and libraries
• organisations in the private sector
• consumer groups
• trade associations
• other countries - worldwide which have similar interests as above
• international organisations

The products mentioned in this article are available for a free trial. Why not try these for yourself and check out the contents of these exciting sources of information against your own workplace needs?