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The Risk Factory - 17 November 2013 |
 The
Guild meeting on Monday 17 November welcomed Margaret Mackay from the
Risk Factory in Edinburgh. The 'Factory' is aimed at Primary 7 age
children and provides an interactive safety centre, where everyday
risks are manufactured in a safe environment. The aim is to teach
people how to deal with or avoid risks altogether.
 Margaret
explained that children come from across Edinburgh, Borders, and the
Lothian's, with pupils from other local authorities welcome to visit.
The centre can cope with groups up to 70 at a time with on occasion two
groups visiting at the one time. There are 59 volunteers available to
guide the visitors round the risk areas.
The Risk
Factory is situated at Chesser in Edinburgh, behind the Asda store, has
11 different 'Risk' areas which enable up to 12 different scenarios
that children, or indeed adults, will be at risk. The children are
split into working groups and a volunteer takes them on a journey
around each 'area'. The visits to each area are designed to stimulate
the thinking of what could happen, while at the same time trying to
make the activity fun.
 The
area covering the home, includes the hazards of overloaded electrical
outlets, iPods left on charge, power extension cables left in the
bathroom on a damp floor, as well as what to do when you smell gas.
Many children do not know what gas smells like, so scratch and sniff
cards are used to help them. Simple things like open a window, to let
the gas escape, and don't switch anything on or off, to avoid spark ignition
risk, all seem straight forward but not knowing can lead to
disaster.
Common causes of fire in the home, such as
chip pan fires, overheating electric blankets, and at this time
of year, Christmas tree fires are dealt with. The fire officer who is on hand to
speak to visitors will tell you that in a smoke filled room two breaths
and your unconscious, another three and your dead! Better know how to
get out quick before being overcome.
Further scenarios cover
building site risks, and electricity sub station risks. Knowing what to
do if you come across someone lying in a substation can save not only
their life but save yours too. Again many children would reach out to
the injured person, or prod them with a stick to see if they move, not
realising that high voltage electricity can jump over and through them
to earth, so making them a casualty as well.
The
street scene has another accident, with a person on the road injured,
and a car that is obviously involved. Again how do you approach the
injured person, and do you give anything to drink, have no obvious
answers if you have not been exposed to the situation before. Even
crossing in front of a bus at the crossing. Can the driver see you as
you rush to beat the red man? The driver high up may not see a young
child who is below the bottom of the windscreen.
Not
all risks are so obvious. Walking home and taking a shortcut down a
dark lonely alley may seem a good way to save 5 minutes, especially if
late. What if you see a stranger in the gloom half way down? Could be perfectly innocent, BUT. Better to
take the long way round in the light and take an extra few minutes than
find yourself in real trouble.
Each child receives a certificate on completion of the visit.
Finally we were show a series of short videos showing the devastating effect of fire in the home.
The
Risk centre is funded by four local authorities; City of Edinburgh
Council, East Lothian, Midlothian, and West Lothian
Councils. Although funded by four local authorities the centre adopts
the practices and policies of City of Edinburgh Council.
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