Balloon Modelling Academy Diploma
Module 5 : Health & Safety and Risk Assessments
Duration: Approx 0 minutes
In this module you will learn:
- What goes into a good risk assessment
- How to carry out a risk assessment
- How to rate a hazard in terms of severity and probability
- General ways to be safer in your work place
- Who you need to protect in terms of health and safety
5.1: Introduction
All large companies will have to carry out risk assessments for their employees and the workplace, but don't think that just because there is only one of you, that you will not have to complete risk assessments for your own business. Risk assessments are an extremely important part of running your own company, even if you are the only employee. They help you to identify any potential hazards to you and your clients, they ensure that you have evaluated the risk which is associated with that hazard or potential hazard and they allow you to start thinking about ways in which you can control or eliminate the hazard before it causes you any problems.
5.2: Risk Assessments
Risk assessments can seem like an arbitrary piece of paper, but they will start to make you think about the way in which you conduct your business and if there are things that you could do to make your job safer for you and your customers. They will highlight the areas of your work which you could make safer in order to protect both you and those you work with. This will help you to alter your practices and start to work in a way which keeps you and your clients happy, healthy and safe. Adhering to these standards will make you look like a true professional and will protect your reputation as a balloon modeller and children's entertainer.
Keep a copy of your risk assessment on you at all times
You should make sure that you have a risk assessment for your shows, and that you keep a copy on you at all times in case someone asks to see one. It is recommendable to have two separate risk assessments: one for entertaining children and one for entertaining adults. There are certain things which are more likely to happen or could be more dangerous if they did happen when you are working with children which would have a different outcome or probability if they happen when you work with adults. Children, for example, are much more likely to pick up a balloon or other small item and place it in their mouth, increasing the risk of choking. This is much less likely to happen when working with adults and therefore wouldn't rank as highly on your risk assessment.
It is fairly simple to carry out a risk assessment, although it might take you a while to complete the first time you do it.
The first thing that you will need to do is to take a look at your day-to-day actions in your line of work and to identify potential risk areas. These could be risks to you, such as dropping your equipment box on your foot, or risks to the people you perform to, such as a child swallowing a balloon.
5.3: Dealing with each Hazard
You should give each hazard its own heading, detailing underneath who is at risk of being hurt by this hazard and what sort of injuries or damage could be done if the hazard was not to be dealt with. You should then outline the activities which you would perform which could lead to this situation becoming a reality. Underneath this, you should then list action points which you will take if you are to carry out the activity which could cause the accident. These action points should aim to reduce, if not completely eliminate, the hazard to make your job safer for you and others around you.
5.4: Rating risk
You will need to rate every risk with a score from 1 to 3 in terms of the severity of the risk i.e. whether it would cause mild, moderate or serious harm if it were to happen. You then have to rank all of the risks out of 3 again, but this time in terms of the probability of them happening. If something is not very likely to ever happen then you rate it as 1; if it is fairly likely then you write a number 2 next to it; and if it is very likely then you rate it 3.
When you have finished doing this, you should have two numbers next to each of the risks that you have identified. Take those two numbers and multiply them together to create the risk's overall score. In the last line of the entry for each hazard you should write both the individual scores for severity and probability, as well as its amalgamated final score.
5.5: Analysing the risk
You shouldn't have any hazard which ranks higher than 9 overall. If you have any risks which have a combined score which is higher than this then you will need to go back and double check your calculations, as you will have made a mistake somewhere down the line.
If a hazard is very severe and very likely to happen then you are doing something unsafe in your line of work. You will need to take a detailed look at your practices and put concrete actions in place to reduce this risk drastically. Most of the hazards on your risk assessment should not rate higher than 3.
- Include everything you can think of, don't worry about making the assessment too long, it is much better to have something written down than to leave it out.
- Plan for situations which are out of the ordinary, as well as for everyday ones.
- Make sure you consider the health and safety of everyone around you when you work: You, the children at a party, cleaners who will clear up, the parents of the children. If you can think of anyone at all who could be put at risk when you carry out your job, write them down on the risk assessment.
- Keep the assessment updated as you go along. Things will change as you go through your career as a balloon modeller and you should always ensure that your risk assessment reflects these changes accordingly.
5.6: Consider all aspects of your work
When you are carrying out a risk assessment for your business, you will need to take into account all areas of your work. It is not only the time in which you are performing which is important to assess, but all of your preparation time and clearing up time too. The loading, transporting, carrying and unpacking of equipment are all important processes to consider; as well as the types of hazards which might arise at different locations in which you are asked to perform.
5.7: Why you shouldn't ignore food hygiene
Even if you are not dealing with food, hygiene is a crucial area to examine.
Children will often try to blow up balloons using their mouths, and it is important that you don't allow germs to spread from one child to the next. Here, you would have to assess the risk of this happening and come up with an action plan to deal with it effectively and gently.
Taking care to keep all of your balloons on your persona or contained within your equipment box would be a good start, as would using pumps to inflate the balloons so that the children do not see you using your mouth and don't follow suit.
The exact action points that you include in your risk assessment would differ depending on what the hazards are that you are addressing, but there are several practices which you should do your best to employ generally to make your job safer for you and those around you.
5.8: Safe Lifting
If your equipment is heavy, make sure that you transport it safely. Invest in a small trolley with wheels so that you don't have to carry heavy items from place to place.
5.9: Keeping your work space tidy
Keep your work area tidy. Don't leave things unattended in places where people are likely to walk or need access. Don't block fire doors or fire exits and don't place anything anywhere where someone could trip over it.
Module Summary
Lessons Learned
Health and safety is very important in any business, and you should always be aware of potential risks and do your best to be safe, responsible, and professional at all times.
You'll need to draw up two comprehensive risk assessments: one for children and one for adults, that you should keep a copy of on you at all times when you are working. The risk assessment should list all possible risks to you and others, rating each according to severity and probability out of 3, and multiplying the two scores to get an overall rating for each hazard.
Learning Topics
- About the balloon modelling industry
- What it takes to make it in this line of work
- Why you must be able to separate your personal problems from your public performance
- Why setting up your own business is the only way to make it as a balloon modeller
Learning Topics
- Why children’s parties are the most common types of work for a balloon modeller
- About adult entertainment at both formal and informal occasions
- How to make sure that you are up-to-date with the latest crazes and trends to keep yourself competitive
- About the different ways you sell your services
Learning Topics
- What the best type of balloons are for making models
- How marker pens can make all the difference to your work
- About the equipment you can buy to help keep your bookings more organised
- Why it is a good idea to have your own transport
Learning Topics
- Why it is important to arrive early to all of your booked events
- How to make sure that you appear professional at all times
- What is in the code of conduct laid out by Equity
- How to adhere to child protection standards
Learning Topics
- What goes into a good risk assessment
- How to carry out a risk assessment
- How to rate a hazard in terms of severity and probability
- Who you need to protect in terms of health and safety
Learning Topics
- What information you need to gather from your client when taking a booking
- The tools available to help you manage and keep on track of your bookings
- Ways to manage your time more effectively
- Why you should consider making clients sign a booking contract
Learning Topics
- How to set different pricing strategies
- The sort of costs which you will face as a balloon modeller
- How to keep on track of your income and expenditure
- How to go about determining the prices that you charge for your events
Learning Topics
- How to conduct market research
- What goes into a business plan
- Why it is important to be flexible
- How to add value to the service you provide
Learning Topics
- About the types of insurance policies which you will need to take out when you set up a balloon modelling business
- What public liability insurance is
- Whether you need to pay national insurance
- How to fill out a tax return for your business
Learning Topics
- How to make the most of social media and online marketing tools
- Why networking is still important
- Other ways to market your business which do not involve the internet
- What to include on your advertising material
Learning Topics
- How to correctly deal with complaints
- How to approach every problem with the appropriate context
- What you should do if you haven’t taken many bookings in a while
- How to deal with last minute damage to equipment
Learning Topics
- What the basic techniques of balloon modelling are
- How to twist balloons
- How to correctly pump and tie balloons
- Includes video tutorials
Learning Topics
- How to make a balloon dog - picture tutorial
- How to make a balloon dog - video tutorial
Learning Topics
- How to make a balloon elephant - picture tutorial
- How to make a balloon elephant - video tutorial
Learning Topics
- How to make a balloon rabbit - picture tutorial
- How to make a balloon rabbit - video tutorial
Learning Topics
- How to make a balloon parrot - picture tutorial
- How to make a balloon parrot - video tutorial
Learning Topics
- How to make a balloon crocodile - picture tutorial
- How to make a balloon crocodile - video tutorial
Learning Topics
- How to make a balloon reindeer - picture tutorial
- How to make a balloon reindeer - video tutorial
Learning Topics
- How to make a balloon turtle - picture tutorial
- How to make a balloon turtle - video tutorial
Learning Topics
- How to make a balloon monkey in a tree - picture tutorial
- How to make a balloon monkey in a tree - video tutorial
Learning Topics
- How to make a balloon teddy bear - picture tutorial
- How to make a balloon teddy bear - video tutorial
Learning Topics
- How to make a balloon biplane - picture tutorial
- How to make a balloon biplane - video tutorial
Learning Topics
- How to make a balloon flower - picture tutorial
- How to make a balloon flower - video tutorial
Learning Topics
- How to make balloon fairy wings - picture tutorial
- How to make balloon fairy wings - video tutorial
Learning Topics
- How to make a balloon sword - picture tutorial
- How to make a balloon sword - video tutorial
Learning Topics
- How to make a balloon twisty hat - picture tutorial
- How to make a balloon twisty hat - video tutorial
Module 6 : Taking / Managing Bookings – Establishing Job Requirements – and Time Planning
find out what clients wants puppets magic how many puppets
Module 2 : The Types of Work/Jobs Balloon Modellers Do
Keep up to date with trends. Incorporate jokes, games, competitions and stories into the "act". Don't just nice up the birthday girl/boy, ensure the other children have a great time and will want to ask their parents to book you for their party.
Module 3 : The Equipment and Materials You Will Need for Balloon Modelling
Possibly a tool chest to store different colour balloons, pens, ribbons accessories. A costume or two with deep pockets.
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Worksheets
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Module PDF's
Module 1: Your Introduction to Becoming a Balloon Modeller
Module 2 : The Types of Work/Jobs Balloon Modellers Do
Module 3 : The Equipment and Materials You Will Need for Balloon Modelling
Module 4 : Code of Conduct / Child Protection
Module 5 : Health & Safety and Risk Assessments
Module 6 : Taking / Managing Bookings – Establishing Job Requirements – and Time Planning
Module 8 : Starting / Running Your Own Business
Module 9 : Insurance, Accounting and Tax
Module 10 : Marketing Your Business & Social Media
Module 11 : The Do’s and Don’ts and What to Do When Things Don’t Go to Plan
Module 12 : Balloon Modelling Techniques: The Basics
Module 13 : How to Make a Balloon Dog
Module 14 : How to Make a Balloon Elephant
Module 15: How to Make a Balloon Rabbit
Module 16: How to Make a Balloon Parrot
Module 17: How to Make a Balloon Crocodile
Module 18: How to Make a Balloon Reindeer
Module 19: How to Make a Balloon Turtle
Module 20: How to Make a Balloon Monkey in a Tree
Module 21: How to Make a Balloon Teddy Bear
Module 22: How to Make a Balloon Biplane
Module 23: How to Make a Balloon Flower
Module 24: How to Make Balloon Fairy Wings