Carbon monoxide remains a foreseeable, potentially fatal hazard, particularly during nights away activities and when carbon-fuel-burning equipment is used in buildings or temporary settings.
On the whole, we know many of our volunteers are aware of the risks and are using gas appliances safely during their activities, but we’re sharing this notice directly with you as Lead Volunteers, Chairs of Trustee Boards, and other roles which support safe nights away, so you can review and action where additional support is needed locally.
Learning from incidents helps us to make sure we strengthen our processes and make improvements to our activities, making them even safer.
What you need to do
We’ve asked Lead Volunteers and Chairs to record and confirm within their Trustee Board and operational team meeting minutes, that they’ve:
- Received this notice
- Reviewed the information and guidance
- Taken any relevant actions
You’re not required to inform your District, County/Area/Region, National or UK HQ Scouts that you’ve done these actions.
Why this matters
This notice is to make sure that carbon monoxide safety is consistently applied in practice. Keeping people safe is a shared responsibility.
Every volunteer should feel confident to:
- Pause or stop an activity if something doesn’t feel right,
- Challenge unsafe setups,
- Take immediate action if there is any concern about carbon monoxide or other risks.
Creating an environment where people feel able to speak up and act is essential to keeping Scouts a safe and supportive place for everyone.
If you have any questions or need support, please speak to your County Safety Adviser at [email protected] or District Safety Lead in the first instance
