Tag Archives: Trip

The Prevention of Slips, Trips, Falls and Other Accidents

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We’ve all done it at some time or another; slipped on some wet flooring or stubbed a toe. Most of these accidents aren’t important and we think nothing of them, but in health and safety terms, slips, trips and falls are deadly serious. They caused over 40 fatalities in 2010-11, and are responsible for over half the major workplace accidents in the UK.

Slip and trip prevention
Preventing slips and trips is easier than you might think. In essence, you need to remove things that people can slip or trip on, or if this isn’t possible, make sure they are clearly visible. This means ensuring cables don’t cross walkways, signposting wet floors and marking steps with paint or tape. It’s also important to check surfaces are in good repair. Paving that is uneven or cracked can be particularly dangerous. Other hazards to look out for include:

• Highly polished floors
• Ice and snow
• Loose carpets
• Chair legs and open drawers
If you see this sort of hazard, it may be possible to sort it out yourself, but if not you should make it as safe as possible and get whoever is in charge of health and safety to fix it.

Fall prevention
While slips and trips are frightening, it is falling that causes injury. Falls are more likely and serious as you grow older, and those from higher up can be extremely dangerous. In some cases preventing falls is as simple as not working at height. If the same job (or part of it) can be done on the ground, this is much safer. However, this may not be possible. If it is necessary to work high off the ground, on a roof for example, using properly maintained ladders or platforms, harnesses, ropes and other safety equipment makes a big difference.

A lot of falls happen in everyday situations, with stairs a major hazard. Poor lighting, loose (or no) handrails and clutter left on the steps can all cause serious accidents.

Legislation
For employers, the prevention of slips, trips and falls is important to keep staff and the public safe, but is also a legal requirement. These sorts of accidents are not usually deemed to be the fault of the person who had the accident, and are often avoidable. Employers can be held accountable if their health and safety practices aren’t up to scratch.

Online training
The easiest way to guarantee the prevention of slips, trips and falls in the workplace is to make sure all staff have adequate training. While this may sound complicated, it’s no longer necessary to hire a speaker or attend classes off-site. Online and computer-based training can often be more effective, affordable and practical.

Online health and safety courses are delivered either over the internet or on CD-ROM, and can be accessed from any PC. This means staff can complete the training in their own time, so it isn’t necessary to get everyone together. The software also records who has completed the training.

A Dance Based School Trip to Learn the Capoeira

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When you think of a school trip focused around dance and learning more about the different styles, you may not immediately think of taking students to a lake in Italy. But with its close proximity to some of the major Italian cities and a stunning setting, Lake Garda is an ideal place to learn about dance – Capoeira, specifically.

Situated in the northern part of the country between Milan and Venice, Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy. Fringed by numerous towns and villages, it is a vibrant and creative region. Students on a dance focused school trip to Lake Garda can learn about the wonderful Capoeira form of dance – its history, its moves and its intricate relationship with martial arts.

Capoeira

Originating in Brazil, probably in the 16th century, Capoeira is a form of artistic expression combining music with dance in a way that evolved from the movements of traditional Brazilian natives and African slaves. Over the years, Capoeira was used not only as a dance, but as a martial arts style of movement. It was adopted by a variety of bodyguards and fighters as it gained recognition across the country. Since the 1970s, while hip-hop was forming in New York City, Capoeira was moving away from Brazil and across the world, and it has since gained massive momentum.

The moves

The moves of Capoeira can be broken down in to three main ones: the ginga, the attacks and the defence. The ginga is the motion of rocking back and forth. In doing this, it keeps the Capoeirista in motion so that they do not get stuck in a still state and become an easy target for their opponent. Students must also learn about attacks and how and when to use them. Most of the moves involved in an attack are completed using the legs and the knees, with the long round-kicks playing a big role in most of the direct hits and takedowns. In defence, the Capoeirista is not focused on blocking the attack so much as moving to avoid the attack, and this is where the basic movement of the ginga comes into play. The avoidances are called esquivas, and are made by moving, bending, and leaning on the floor, and a Capoeirista should only block the hit if avoiding it is impossible.

An experience abroad on a school trip

While the basic moves of Capoeira can, of course, be learned in a studio setting in the UK, travelling on a school trip to a foreign country to learn more about this, and other, dances can be an invaluable experience for young, up-and-coming performers. In a different context, and with varying cultural differences, any form of dance can take on new meaning for performers. As well as assisting in their creative evolution, students can explore a new culture, meet new people and extend their education beyond a mere classroom situation.

A Dance Based School Trip to Learn the Capoeira

Posted on by

When you think of a school trip focused around dance and learning more about the different styles, you may not immediately think of taking students to a lake in Italy. But with its close proximity to some of the major Italian cities and a stunning setting, Lake Garda is an ideal place to learn about dance – Capoeira, specifically.

Situated in the northern part of the country between Milan and Venice, Lake Garda is the largest lake in Italy. Fringed by numerous towns and villages, it is a vibrant and creative region. Students on a dance focused school trip to Lake Garda can learn about the wonderful Capoeira form of dance – its history, its moves and its intricate relationship with martial arts.

Capoeira

Originating in Brazil, probably in the 16th century, Capoeira is a form of artistic expression combining music with dance in a way that evolved from the movements of traditional Brazilian natives and African slaves. Over the years, Capoeira was used not only as a dance, but as a martial arts style of movement. It was adopted by a variety of bodyguards and fighters as it gained recognition across the country. Since the 1970s, while hip-hop was forming in New York City, Capoeira was moving away from Brazil and across the world, and it has since gained massive momentum.

The moves

The moves of Capoeira can be broken down in to three main ones: the ginga, the attacks and the defence. The ginga is the motion of rocking back and forth. In doing this, it keeps the Capoeirista in motion so that they do not get stuck in a still state and become an easy target for their opponent. Students must also learn about attacks and how and when to use them. Most of the moves involved in an attack are completed using the legs and the knees, with the long round-kicks playing a big role in most of the direct hits and takedowns. In defence, the Capoeirista is not focused on blocking the attack so much as moving to avoid the attack, and this is where the basic movement of the ginga comes into play. The avoidances are called esquivas, and are made by moving, bending, and leaning on the floor, and a Capoeirista should only block the hit if avoiding it is impossible.

An experience abroad on a school trip

While the basic moves of Capoeira can, of course, be learned in a studio setting in the UK, travelling on a school trip to a foreign country to learn more about this, and other, dances can be an invaluable experience for young, up-and-coming performers. In a different context, and with varying cultural differences, any form of dance can take on new meaning for performers. As well as assisting in their creative evolution, students can explore a new culture, meet new people and extend their education beyond a mere classroom situation.