Please feel free to read this; it’s our way of having safety “out there” rather than something hidden. It could be boring, though.
We need a public risk assessment – one that satisfies the legislation, but one that also means instructors, and trainees understand the risks and what is expected from them.
1) Health of client : in line with current gym management, the client is to assume responsibility for their own health http://crossfitlondonuk.com/2010/09/the-parq-vs-health-commitment-statement/ )
( the original was amended 20th Sept 2010 from:” Clients must have submitted a PARQ, and if need be, been signed off by their doctor or have signed a disclaimer” to all clients to follow the recommendations of their health professionals and take responsibility for their own health)
2) Slippery floor (sweat created, drink spills): Instructors to check area safe, clients to manage and observe during the session.
3) Equipment check: weekly, in-depth check by Crossfit LondonUK officers system to be set up, spotting loose screwsbolts, fraying bands/ropes/buckles, etc. A visual inspection before each session by the instructors as part of warm up. Clients to be aware.
4) Running outside the gym (as part of a WOD): The facility opens on to a road – albeit a quiet one, but a road never the less. Emphasise walking in and walking out.
open the door to right angles, and clients to run towards bethnal green road ( ie turn right). If possible blue gate to be half closed.
6) First aid: A first aider to be on-site when training is taking place.
7) Instructors to hold insurance cover, Crossfit London to take an interest in such cover.
Movement specific warm ups must preceed dense or intense sessions (dense = typical fast CF work out, intense = heavy weight)
9) Client must know the move and be coached. Trainer must offer an adaptation or scaling alternative if required
10) To avoid over-training and possible injury by failure to consentrate, regular trainees must have a week off from training every 12th week
11) Trainees must have access to water, and be reminded that they may stop and rest at anytime
12) The dangers of rhabdomyolisis must be emphasized and clients taught to watch for danger signs. Intense eccentric training in dense conditions should not be deployed
13) All incidents/suspicions of disrepair, must be written up in comments below
14) A first aid box is required, to be formally checked every quarter by a CrossFit Londonofficer.
15) A member of the group must have an active working mobile phone incase of emergencies.( incase instructor has forgotten their one)
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lessons from last nights incident,
During Helen last night, one of our participants left the box and slammed into the side of a van travelling down Gales gardens.
This resulted in some cuts and bruises, but thankfully nothing more serious (but let me say, cuts and bruises are not fun)
Firstly it was great to notice the team spirit of all concerned, that ensured 1st aid and comfort was applied immediately , and an ambulance and police were called.
Our casualty tells me he is ok, and will be back at training next week. (phew)
As a result of this, when a WOD calls for a run out, half of the gate by unit 8 ( on the arch side) will be drawn closed, which means any approaching vehicle will have to stop and climb out to open it, also the door on the box will be weighted open at 90 degrees, so that it also acts as a physical barrier to vehicles.
We have written to the landlord, and via him, rail track, to point out that this is really a pedestrian alley, and whilst vehicles may come up it, it should be seen as something occasional, and done very slowly.
We will continue to emphasize the “walk in the gym, walk out of the gym ” rule”
On a personal level, I noticed I was not as familiar with the content of our 1st aid kit a I thought I was, and I struggled to remember the Post code of the gym, which has now been written on the 1st aid kit
Pull Up Bar Maintenance update.
The fixing bolts were inspected and tightening turns were applied on the following joints.
4,5,15,13,6,11
PULL UP BAR MAINTENANCE.
TESTED IN CHRISTMAS BREAK. NO TURNS REQUIRED ON ANY FIXING BOLT.
GENERAL EQUIPMENT CHECK. ONE 5K weight plate taken out of service due to loose screws on fixing plate.
several bars needed the end screws tightening, which was done.
Incident report for injury to left index finger of client during 0630 session on 5th January 2010
Situation:
Client was jumping onto 20″ box during warm up and struck her hand on the edge of the box whilst swinging arms for momentum prior to jumping.
Injury:
Small cut/bruising on left index finger. Treated with sticking paster. Client was able to continue warm-up and workout unhindered.
Analysis:
I checked with the client prior to the warm up what hight of box she would be comfortable doing a warm up on. She suggested the 20″ box (ours are in fact currently 19″ without the mats on top) and stated that she this is what she used at her gym in Chicago.
Client’s jumping style was slightly unorthodox. Rather than making a vertical jump to land on the box, she tended to make a horizontal jump (at the box) whilst tucking her legs to land in a squat position. As a result of the horizontal jump her arms swung closer to the box than would be the case in a vertical jump i.e. they swung at the box.
The top edge of the box is wooden, and although not sharp to the touch, it is pointed and hard enough to break the skin during a hard impact. It is possible, had the box been equipped with a rubber mat on top that the injury would have been lessened to bruising only.
Action taken:
Treated injury with sticking plaster. Shared observations on jumping style with client. Emphasised need to get to full extension of hips in the jumping motion, and jump upwards rather than forwards. Remainder of jumping was incident free and more in line with orthodox vertical jumping style.
Suggested further action to take:
1. Cover tops of box with rubber matting to cover the wooden top edge of the boxes
20 jan, pull up bar check. 1/2 turns on 3 and 2.
pull up bar check
tiny turn needed on 1, 11 half turn on 6
checked high bar. ok.
ends of all bars checked, all nuts tight.
Accident report from Thursday 28th Jan
1. Client strained/tore muscle in upper arm/shoulder performing kipping pull-ups
Treated will cold/wet towels to reduce inflammation and sent home.
Lessons learned: Client was in second round of pull-ups, following two rounds of thrusters and was warm at the time of injury. Was possibly pushing self a little too hard.
2. Client tore calluses on hands during pull-ups
Washed chalk and dirt from hands with cold water, and covered with bandages. Client went home to continue treatment of injuries.
Lessons learned: check calluses at end of each workout (before the next) and advise on hard maintenance i.e. shave down calluses.
bar systems checked. no turns required. no visible causes for concern.
need wipes for the 1st aid kit and formal written callus maintenance advise.
mislaid report, from oct/nov, client missed a box jump in FGB , and scrapped shin. nastt scrap, plaster applied, continued training. Can scar quite badly
bar system check. 1/2 turn on number 1
bar system check turns on 14, 13, 6
Bar check 25 march.
no turns required
bar check, turns on 6, 2, 11.
have been doing weekly checks, but forgetting to record on line.
last checked on 29th april, no turns required
client scrapped, twisted ankle during an abortive snatch drop. had been snatching beautifully weights between 10 to 25kg. lost balance backwards.
first aid applied (RICE).
analysis. she not only landed badly but pulled the bar close and managed to land the bar on her foot as she turned it. had the wooden ends been on the bar, any impact from the bar would have been less; ( assuming that that the disk itself did not land on the foot!).l
whilst its common practise to practise snatching with the bar + fractional weight, perhaps we should insist that technique wooden disks be used.
obviously this cannot apply to the collection of 5 to 10kg bars we have. this is the 1st time ive seen anything like this is 5 years of teaching.
perhaps more dumping practise?
10 may bar check . no turns required
there was apparantly a no injury incident on saturday with a collapsing saw bench. in the squats. can someone write it up?
Saturday 8 May
Client was performing max effort back squats on the heavy rack with two saw horses providing cover for a dropped lift.
Client descended into the squat too quickly to recover and lost control of load (130kg?). Right side of barbell dipped first and struck saw horse, causing the device to experience total failure (smashed). Spotters were able to hold barbell and rescue client.
No injury.
Plastic saw horses are not designed to deal with a dynamic load, especially a dropped one. Suggestion: full squat rack or power cage.
plaster stock take.
I noticed we have gone through a lot of plasters mainly for callus 1st aid.
ill leave a note book on the top of the 1st aid box and would like you to record name with the word “callus”.
we are aware that callus rips happen, but i want to make sure we have some note of it.
olympic bar ends.
please check the bolts at the end of the olympic bars to make sure they are tightened.
ill check once each week.
One of the bolts from 20kg bar came out. The bar is now in pieces at the back of the gym safely tucked away!
This happened on Thursday 13th may.
handstand spotting accident. i managed to clonk sally on the side of the head falling out of a handstand. need to emphasise possibility of leg falling when teaching spotting technique. cold towel applied. no obvious bruising, but a good chance of a black eye. sorry sally
While not paying full attention to one of the weight racks I managed to crush my finger! Swelling and bruising makes for good story to tell this wkend though.
To prevent further injuries in the future no day-dreaming in the gym!!!!!!!!!!!!
4th June, pull up bar system check. no turns required. i checked last week too, but forgot to record. probably need a tick box record at the gym and write up very month
olympic bars check… a lot of loose bolts, made easier to fix as the bottom of the old fashioned wrench has a 12mm allen type square that fits the bolt. new allan key has also arrived but seems a bit loose.
weekly checks carried out, no turns required.
last check on monday 21st June.
1/4 turn on 7
1/2 turn on 12
check, friday 2nd july no turns,
temporary, 5 sec, light failure in sallys 7.30pm class. attributed to temporary network failure. no internal fault.
Bar system checked by AS today. No turns required
Bar check by AS this afternoon.
Small turn on 6 and 7
Bar check: Half turn on 13
Shoulder injury – 18 Sept
First Class. Pre Declared condition of asthma but self manages with inhaler, no other issues declared, attended in a class of 3 others. All did Squat clinic followed by ring work including front support, all three scaled versions, ring dips with bands, muscle up progressions. All completed successfully no incidents. Moved on to KBS with 8 KG weight. No problems. Last 15 mins was to be an AMRAP wod for 10 mins of 10 RD, 15 KBS, and 20 SQ. All were considered nice and warm from all the drills. Cassie on her first attempt to get into the rings felt a “pull” in her left shoulder. She complained of feeling a little faint. I sat her down offered her a drink of water, she declined. Looked at her shoulder. Complained of pain to rear and outside of the shoulder. No obvious bruising. Could not lift shoulder to the front above head height. Looked for ice pack or cold spray but could not find any. Used a wet cloth of cold water. After about five minutes stated she no longer felt light headed or sick. Advised to monitor and self treat with ice and rest. If worsens to see her doctor. She did say that “I always hurt myself when training, thats why I never exercise” She left in good spirits. All others completed the WOD no issues.
Ive put the freeze spray in a more obvious place, but we will get some chemical ice packs. Can we follow this up with an invitation to look at her shoulder next week as part of our massage sessions
chemical ice packs in cupboard, client fine.
bar check, slight turn on 3 and 1
october 23rd, bar check, all ok. had checked week before, but forgot to record.
reminder of running procedure.
if your wod requires a run out of the box, clients must run to the right ( towards bethnal green road/the furniture arch)
The door must be propped open at 90 degrees to act as a barrier to on coming traffic. you must offer a sub to those who don’t want to run.
If there is a new person in the group you must do a slow jog around to point out hazards, and the fact that doing a cf wod does not mean pushing prams out of the way if there is alot of congestion, clients need to walk that bit: emphasise taking care on corners, make sure you count out, and get everyone back.
Injury Report – Thurs 18 Novemeber -
At the end of the session I programmed 3 x 100m row sprints as a finisher. During his last sprint, Alex came off the seat and landed on the bar hurting his coccyx. He’s since told us that he is still having pain from it and has had to cancel his sessions this week.
Take-home: whilst our rower does seem a little shaky even when weighed down, Alex did do a sub 15s 100m sprint so was going like the clappers. Should I programme this again I would get class to concentrate on reducing the strokes and making each one more powerful rather than lots of strokes at speed. Thus making less erratic, thus reducing the chance of injury. In addition, I’ll also check the footing positions with the clients more thoroughly to ensure they are as stable as they can be. As the new kid – other thoughts on this welcome?
ill get the rower looked at too.
as Im writing, Ive done a pull up bar check every week, but forgotten to record it! no turns required
I think it’s more a technique issue to be honest it happens to me all the time and not just on the C2 in the box
Health and safety log:
Tuesday November 30-2010
5:30 PM Class
Time of incident: Around 5:45.
One of our athletes was putting away a barbell in the vertical rack we have while I was at the front of the class giving instructions. She sworn and grabbed her hand, saying that she had hurt herself. I thought she had just pinched her finger but I noticed that there was blood on the floor and when I went over to see her hand, I noticed that she was bleeding quite a bit and immediately went to grab toilet paper and the first aid kit. One of our other members is first aid qualified and I asked him to help me control the situation. While he administered basic first aid, (lay her down, got her feet, head and injury elevated and kept her warm.) I asked that a friend of hers contact her emergency contact (her boyfriend) to let him know what had happened and I called an ambulance to take the injured athlete to the hospital. After the ambulance was on it’s way, I also called Andrew Stemler (the gym’s owner) to inform him of the incident.
When the ambulance arrived, the EMT’s came in and took a look at her hand and told us that she’d be ok but that she needed to be brought to the hospital to be safe. While the injured athlete was still concious, she was in mild shock and couldn’t walk to the ambulance on her own without feeling like she was going to faint. The EMT stated that this was due to low blood pressure and his partner and I went to get the wheelchair out of the ambulance, as well as putting her bags in the ambulance so she could take it all to the hospital with her. Once in the wheelchair, I walked her out to the ambulance and made sure she was all set and comfortable before going back to the class.
The time was approximatly 6:05, we cleaned up the blood that was on the floor and put away the first aid equipment. By this time I had received a call from Steven Shrago (gym co-owner) as and informed him of the situation, I also confirmed to both him and Andrew that I was not in shock myself and still fit to give class, which was confirmed by the member who was first aid qualified. I gave all the remaining (3 gym members.) the option of ending the session there in case they felt negatively affected by the incident but each one felt up to a quick training session so we finished the class normally at 6:30.
Once I finished my day I called the injured athlete to make sure she was ok, she was back from the hospital and was in good spirits.
Feedback: Unfortunatly, I did not see the incident so I could not determine exactly how the injury happened. This means there is no way to determine is this accident is readily avoidable. It should be noted that the equipement where the injury happened is used dozens of times of day and has been for years and no such injury of this sort has ever happened before.
The main issue was with the organization of the first aid kit. The various pieces of equipement weren’t clearly identified, for example: We couldn’t find gloves to use as a protective barrier (due to the amount of exposed blood.) and if they were in the first aid box they weren’t clearly marked. The bandages in the case seemed a little dated as well.
Client is ok, but off training for a month or so.
Id like to say, well done to everyone on the scene who contributed.
The immediate action has been to submit a RIDDOR report to the health and safety executive, which was done last night.
i checked the 1st aid box this morning and noticed that shelf is very confusing. there is a new small 1st aid kit and a big old one which was used last night. there are gloves in a box, but not in the kit. Tomorrow, ill rationalise everything down to one or 2 kits with an audit list, and basic proper contents. The rest of the stuff ill throw out.
Ill add a basic 1st aid drill to the coaching academy so everyone knows where everything is.
Re auditing, i notice that i don’t have a full physical record of everyones Crossfit certificate and 1st aid certificate so ill ask all the trainers to drop in photocopy of both so I have one consolidated file.
we will give some thought as to whether our trainers need an appointed persons 1st aid/CPR certificate, or the full 3 day first aid certificate.
re the actual incident, the client felt they had “zoned out” when putting the bar away, so I suppose and general emphasise on staying switched on through the session needs to be emphasised. The bar racks are the normal commercially available ones.
I looked at the area quickly this morning and suggest we make sure the bar racks are easily available from all side, without the need to lean over at odd angles.
I suspect we may need to end up with a formal document/ H&S quizz that we give to new clients. Im loath to put up lots of warning signs as it wont be long before we get to information overload.
We had one bit of feedback from a class member that could we have oxygen onsite. Im not sure this is necessary but ill talk to a doctor over the weekend and see if its viable.
well done all concerned
To give more detail on the injury as documented above;
Firstly, I want to say thank you to all helped me on the night.
I was replacing the olympic bar to the upright stands. Due to a lack of full attention on the activity I released the bar from my grip not realising it had about inch or so to go before it fully slid into place. The bar drop down the inch and my right index finger was caught between the lip of the olympic bar and the lip of the bar adjacent to it. The impact caused a split through the flesh of the finger down close to the bone but causing no break.
Thoughts on avoiding incident in the future:
The main issue was human error on my part. In a gym with moveable equipment there will always be a small amount of risk of injury that is unavoidable.
However, there are some things that could be looked at;
I agree with Andrew’s comments that the area around the base of the olympic bar stacks could be cleared allowing easier access to the stack without having to lean over the bench/weights.
One of the reasons my finger was able to be caught was in part because the bars are different heights and therefore the lips are at different levels. A system could be encouraged where all 20kg bars are kept together, 18′s in another grouping, and so on to reduce this risk. However, I am reluctant to suggest unnecessary systems for the sake of it.
Arend, was brilliant at administering first aid, however, regardless of first aid certification it may be worth ensuring that all trainers feel confident they could deal with a similar situation on their own if it occurred.
Overall, I would say that this incident merely serves as a reminder to us all to focus on the immediate activity we are undertaking whenever we are in the gym.
ill look into dividing the 2 holders with different height bars, but, i suspect that as the bar has to be lifted up before being placed in to the holder, the same error could occur…..but ill try it tomorrow.
i think we could run an injury scenario at each coaching academy to enhance peoples experience.
as Im running around consolidating stuff, i thought id add my fire review to this thread as well so i can have it all in teh same place. although they rae different enforcing authorities.
At the moment, our fire assessment is basic as we have quite a reduced risk. We do not store flammable stuff, nor allow naked flames within the premises. We maintain our electrics to NIEC standards ( certificate in cupboard door). Any extension to the system is done by a properly qualified electrician.
There is a glow in the dark exit marker over the door way, and some water based extinguishers onsite. however, having chatted to trevor recently, im thinking of locating a wall hung extinguisher away from the fuse board/ extension, on the basis that those items could be a source of fire, which we would have to control to get out of the building. I suppose, also, that if someone wanted to be nasty, they could throw something in through the door so we need to anticipate a fire in that area and have equipment stored that could be brought in.
will get some extra extinguishers.
re bar holders:
split into 2 groups, the 20kg 7ft bar, plus ladies 15kg bar, and the smaller 6ft bars in the other holder.
Both sides cleared.
1st aid kit restocked. i have a small pile of callous treatment stuff, but the main kit is in the big plastic green container. with ample spares.
Injury client attended the second class tonight. No injuries pre conditions disclosed. Participated in the warm up, Burgner warm with dislocates to start. We moved on to the skills session. Kipping and dishes. Established dish level and demonstrated how this translated to the kipping action. Then all progressed to the pull up bars. Instructed to hang from the bar and activate the core and try to obtain a dish shape with shoulders behind the bar. I noticed Erin stood to one side holding her left Lat area on her back. I asked if she was ok she said she felt she had pulled something. Explained she felt it go but carried on then it got worse. It was now like a dull ache. Asked if she needed to sit down. She did not. But decided to sit out the rest of the skills session offered ice but declined. We shortly moved on to the WOD. Burpees and Thrusters. Erin wanted to participate. I asked to demonstrate she could do do these. She did and seemed ok. But about 5 minutes into the WOD she stopped, complaining the pain was worse. I offered ice again she accepted. Supplied with a cold pack. But Erin wanted to continue with some sort of WOD so tasked with jumping squats and sit ups as an AMRAP. Afterwards advised to rest and ice, if pain gets worse or bruising appears to go to her doctor. Left in good spirits. No other incidents in the class or from other attendees.
Hi all,
just a quick update on procedure. when you have to write up a report, email me a version, and post it here, leave the clients name off the version you post here, In short substitute the word client for the post. but the versions must be the same otherwise.
Do not worry about “spinning it”. It is what it is. Even if observations or comments make us look bad, will need to learn from every incident
Saturday 4th December 2010. Client injury. Started class with full briefing no disclosed injuries or problems. All completed warm up. Paid attention to including the WOD movements. No problems. Allowed to set up for WOD and experiment with the correct weight. Once ready WOD 12 minute AMRAP of 7x thrusters, 7x burpees 7x SDLHP. About 5 minutes into WOD saw client bent over holding back. Stated felt his back “Go” Never experienced this before. Was visibly stiff and moved awkwardly. Offered a seat and cold pack. We may need some more. Sat out the rest of the WOD. Client explained that when they cleaned the bar from the floor to start the thrusters felt the back round out and then the pain. Recognises this was poor form. Advised to rest but be proactive in getting dome muscle release around the injury. If condition deteriorates then see doctor.
general housekeeping completed last friday. all pull up bar/scaffold joints tested. all ok. caught up on cleaning after water cut off.
Riddor report re 1 dec incident submitted yesterday by post.
put separate container in 1st aid area for callus repair
Saturday 18th December 2010 Client Injury
Class warm up then strength session of suggested body weight dead lifts. 5 reps on the minute every minute for 12 minutes. Clients instructed to warm wit increasing weight and reps and to ensure they are comfortable with their chosen weight. In the second minute client complained of lower back pain. Stated he rounded out his back as he lifted and felt the pain. Offered first aid but declined. Examined the area some marbling bruising in the area across his spine in the lower lumbar area. Advised to be proactive in in getting it treated and not to just rest it. Offered to arrange lift home but declined and made own way home. No pre WOd declared issues. No other incidents.
1) all weekly checks carried out, but not recorded here. No turns required.
2) new emergency light installed
3) water failure. landlord has lagged external pipes properly. have contacted Thames water to egt supply reviewed.
4) new extinguishers on order. old ones checked and worked, but now out of regulation.
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