Explosion - Museum of Naval Firepower

School Visit Hazard Assessment

Explosion! has prepared the following information to assist teacher leaders in making their risk assessment prior to a school visit to the museum.

A preliminary visit by lead teachers is strongly recommended in order to carry out a risk assessment relating directly to their visit.

Lead teachers should ensure that their pupils/students are clothed appropriately. Distances between the car park, museum and classroom are considerable and seem to be more so in bad weather.

On arrival at Explosion!

You will be met and directed to your venue. Please check your school in at the front desk when you enter the museum.

Children should be encouraged to walk when in the museum and should be supervised at all times. Students should visit the galleries in groups of up to 10 with at least one adult per group.

Touring Explosion!

Your tour of the museum can be teacher led, when a pre visit will indicate the recognised, marked route through the museum and familiarise with the museum collections.

Alternatively, a museum volunteer guide may accompany you if pre booked.

In an Emergency

In the event of fire, while in the museum galleries, you will hear a continuous sounding alarm. Follow museum staff and/or exit via the green sign doors to leave the museum building.

Each Gallery has clearly defined escape routes and the mustering point is by the air raid shelter on the green outside the museum entrance. The majority of the staff have received training in Fire Safety.

A First Aid Box is located at the Reception Desk.

Accidents are recorded in the Accident Book, located at the reception Desk.

Uniformed museum staff should be contacted in case of an emergency.

CCTV cameras operate in the coffee shop and gift shop.

Lost children

Please notify the uniformed museum staff of any children who become isolated from their group. Procedures will then be activated to search for and reunite the found child with his/her adult.

Toilets

These are located in the museum next to the Coffee Shop. Groups of children should be supervised at all times. Individual unaccompanied toilet visits are discouraged.

The Education Centre

The building is housed in a 19th century shifting room a short walk away from the main museum buildings. Access is gained via the Camber although an alternative route, involving a longer walk, is also possible.

There are two fire exit doors in the Education Centre to use in case of an emergency. One exit leads along the Camber and back into the Coffee Shop. The second exit leads to the North Gate, which would be our usual mustering point.

Inside the Museum

The galleries have different floor surfaces. Some of the wooden floors are more than 200 years old and accordingly are slightly uneven in places. They are all safe to walk on. Children must walk at all times while touring the museum.

Short bursts of strobe lighting, loud explosive sounds and considerable darkness occur during the audio visual show in the Grand Magazine. Children should be warned about these and consideration made to those children who react to strobe lighting. The doors to the Magazine will stay open during the performance.

The Moving deck platforms in the Big Guns Gallery should each be limited to three students at one time. The children should stand inside the interactive and on no account lean backwards.

School Visits to Explosion!

A Guide for Teachers and Helpers

Please note the locations of the fire exits in the museum. A continuous sound denotes the fire alarm. If you hear it, leave the building by the nearest exit and muster on the green opposite the museum entrance.

At all times, children will be encouraged to ask questions about what they see and to compose questions to inform their own enquiry . Helpers should be encouraged to answer questions with a question, e.g. ‘How shall we find out?’ or ‘What do you think?’

Children will not be allowed to chew gum or sweets during their tour of the Museum or when working in the Education Centre.

1. Please ensure that at least one teacher has visited the Museum and passed on information to helpers.
2. Please try to be prompt.
3. Ensure that all adults know where the toilets are and that children are escorted there at all times.
4. Explosion! is an exciting place and adults should stay with their designated children, helping them focus on one aspect at a time before moving on. This is good practice for visiting any museum.
5. The touch screens and interactives are there to provide another layer of information. Please encourage the correct use of the touch screens, i.e. touch gently and wait. DO NOT HIT the screens.
6. For handling activities, children and adults will be asked to wear gloves, just as museum curators would, to protect and conserve the artefacts. The children will be encouraged to examine objects and look for clues, which will give information. Some artefacts, replicas or personal possessions will need special care when being handled and will be pointed out to the children. Closer looks are always possible if requested.
7. After each activity, the children should leave the objects tidy, wrapped if appropriate, and ready for the next group.
8. Explosion!’s environment is such that some outdoor walking is inevitable. When moving around the site, children should be discouraged from climbing on walls, the gun turrets and the air raid shelter. The buildings and objects outside are part of the museum and should be treated as artefacts.

Lunches may be consumed in the Education Centre if arranged at the time of booking.

Hazard Assessment Control Grid for Explosion!

Hazard	People Harmed	Hazard Control	Further Action
Fire in the museum or surrounding environment	Pupils/students Staff Adult helpers	On hearing the alarm, follow a member of the museum staff or follow the designated green exit signs. Follow any instructions that may be given by a member of the museum staff The rear fire exit from the Education Centre exits on to the Camber – an additional hazard. The Camber may be full of water at high tide or deep mud at low tide when there is a deep drop. All persons using this emergency exit should follow a member of the museum staff to a place of safety.	Visiting group given an induction brief
Museum floors Slips, trips and falls	Pupils/students Staff Adult helpers	There are various types of flooring throughout the museum galleries – Wood, glass, metal. All are safe.	Museum staff check the condition of the floors daily, prior to the museum’s opening.
Museum Audio Visual Show	Pupils/students Staff Adult helpers	This presentation uses strobe lighting (a few short bursts), loud explosive sounds and darkness to create atmosphere. A verbal warning and signage are given prior to entry	A verbal warning/reminder offered at the preliminary visit to the teacher leader.
Big Guns Gallery	Pupils/students Staff Adult helpers	The moving deck platform: Limit the number of children to 4 per deck platform at any one time. Shoelaces to be tied. Loose belongings not to be taken on to the platforms. The shell loader: Care to be taken where fingers could be pinched. Children watching should stand clear	A verbal warning/reminder offered at the preliminary visit to the teacher leader. Warning given at the site of the interactive
Outdoor Spaces	Pupils/students Staff Adult helpers	A variety of hazards: Water from ingoing/outgoing tide Mud at the base of the Camber when the tide is out Large drop from Camber: potential fall from height Vehicle movement within the car parking and roadway area outside the museum fence. Delivery vehicles on site Air Raid shelter within the site has some hidden areas where persons could fall and injure themselves	A verbal warning/reminder offered at the preliminary visit to the teacher leader. Warning signs are posted advising of some hazards but not all Teacher decision whether children use the Camber

Hazard	People Harmed	Hazard Control	Further Action
Young person becomes lost	Pupils/students	Pupils/students to stay in designated groups with group leader. The museum will advise the main reception area as a meeting place for lost/found individuals.	A verbal reminder to be given at the beginning of the visit.
Young person becomes a victim or perpetrator of crime	Pupils/students	Pupils/students to stay in designated groups with an adult group leader. Museum staff to patrol the galleries.	Visiting staff vigilance throughout the visit.

Classroom

Hazard	People Harmed	Hazard Control	Further Action
Fire in the Classroom	Pupils, students and adults	In the event of fire, exit the classroom through the entrance/fire exit. Follow any instructions that may be given by a member of the museum staff. The door exits on to the perimeter path. All adults and children should muster on the Museum Green adjacent to the air raid shelter.	Teachers making a preliminary visit are offered a site map indicating the emergency exit and safety route. Visiting group will be given an induction brief.
Anderson Shelter – slips, trips and falls The entrance/exit is via a step. Darkness. The simulated air raid lasts for 4.5 minutes and is fairly loud	Pupils/students Adult helpers	The children are to stay in designated small groups with a school adult leader. The steps are painted with anti slip paint. Sound is delivered through 2 speakers and can be controlled and can be adjusted if required.	A verbal reminder about care when negotiating the step will be given to each individual group before using the shelter. A verbal warning about the darkness will be given before using the shelter. A reminder of the simulation will also be given. The activity will always be supervised by an Education Volunteer
Fire fighting activity – nips, slips, trips and falls	Pupils/students Adult helpers	Stirrup pump: if used incorrectly may nip the skin. Risk of getting wet. The children are to stay in designated groups with school adult and work in pairs with the Explosion Education volunteer.	Demonstration of correct use will be given to each group. A verbal warning about aiming the water jet will be given to each individual group. The activity will always be supervised by an Education Volunteer.
‘C’ Magazine	Pupils/students Adult helpers	Isolated building Single entrance /exit Low lighting levels	A verbal reminder about access to the building. Children to stay in designated groups and to walk at all times.