Technical Advisor Services

Introduction

VLM Adventure Consultants provide adventure sports consultancy services throughout the UK, Europe and Asia.

We undertake technical advisor consultancy for schools and outdoor centres. This includes advice and work on residential trips, outdoor activities and training as well as facilities management e.g. climbing walls and ropes courses.

Nominated Technical Advisors
Working as Nominated Technical Advisors for Outdoor Education and Adventure Sports, we work closely with schools and outdoor centres to produce Standard Operating Procedures, Risk Assessments and Control Measures for outdoor activity work with young persons. Our UK and overseas technical advisor visits can assist with outdoor education departments and residential trips in schools as well as helping manage, in an efficient and productive way, adventure facilities on site e.g. climbing walls and high ropes courses.

We recognise the flexibility required to work in areas of the world where there may be little or no National Governing Body remits in a country's outdoor education sector. We also encourage schools and their providers to look at “best preferred practice” which may exceed minimum standards required in their region but enable the client to make appropriately informed management decisions and develop outdoor education ethos of learning through adventure and experience.

 

We have proven systems in Risk Management and Emergency Action Plans for school trips and expeditions and activities and an excellent track record. In practice putting into place proven systems for managing and controlling the risk which forms the integral part of learning through adventure can the school or centre with a more stable platform to excel at outdoor education and adventure expeditions.

Trips Awareness Training
An introduction for best preferred practice in leading residential, expeditionary and adventure trips. The training will cover registering and planning the trip, third party providers, dynamic risk assessment, heuristic traps, AIN reporting, incident management and communication.

Duty Manager System
Using our experience from other industries such as aviation and critical care, we provide guidance in setting up and running an internal on call system for education, outdoor centres and other organisations. The DM system is a key part of the Emergency Action Plan of any workplace and we helped deliver this role for over 20 years. Priority is placed on systems, checklists, listening and crew resource management.

Site Specific Training

VLM Adventure Consultants are pleased to offer training packages for adventure activities undertaken on specific sites. This might apply to a school or centre climbing wall, ropes course, abseil tower or assault course. Training usually consists of a consultation visit followed by a 1, 2 or 3 day training & validation package which requires a 1 day refresher every 12 months. This can be linked in with safety inspections for climbing walls, ropes courses and personal protection equipment. 

 

 

PPE & FPE Inspectors and Advisory Service
VLM provide an inspection service for Fall Protection Equipment and other Personal Protection Equipment within the Adventure Sports sector. This can include climbing wall and ropes course equipment and watersports equipment. Guidance is given towards Shelf Life and Active Life as well as PPE and Work At Height Regulations within the Activity Sector. Fall Protection Equipment (harness, ropes etc) as well as facility (ropes course and climbing wall) inspections are available and should be completed in conjunction with staff training on an annual basis as a minimum. These services are provided by FPE Inspectors to PRCA (ANSI Ropes Course Standards 2014), EN15567 (Ropes Courses), EN12572 (Artificial Climbing Structures) and also PPE EN 341-365 Falls From Height & 564-569 Mountaineering Equipment & LOLER Regs. Standard Operating procedures which include risk assessments and technical advisor updates are available as part of this service.

Definitions Of Inspections:

a) Routine visual inspection: The routine visual inspection enables the identification of obvious hazards that can result from vandalism, use or weather conditions, e.g. the hazards can take the form of broken or loose parts. For facilities subject to heavy use or vandalism, daily inspection of this type can be necessary. Examples of visual and operational inspection points are cleanliness, loose holds, obstacle placed in the free space, missing parts, excessive wear (to be completed by the operator)


b) Operational inspection: The operational inspection is a more detailed inspection to check the operation and stability of the equipment, and for the wear of components. This should be carried out every 1 to 3 months, or as indicated by the manufacturer's instructions (to be completed by the operator)


c) Annual main inspection: The annual main inspection is done to establish, at intervals not exceeding 12 months, if the manufacturer is not giving a specific frequency, the overall level of safety of the structure, its structural frame and wall surfaces, e.g. effects of weather, evidence of rotting or corrosion, and any change in the level of safety of the equipment as a result of repairs made, or of added or replaced components. Special attention should be given to all protection systems and the structural frame (to be completed by a nominated certified EN/PRCA/ACCT/FPE inspectorate)

For a full information pack on the Technical Advisor Service please email us.