New safety rules

[alwaysinjured]

I do organise races and have done since 1967 longer than most people. First of all before the Fra and rules even existed and then under several revisions and updating of rules brought in by the Fra. No one has defined hazards and most long standing hazards these days have been looked at and changes made not because the rules said so but because race organisers are generally sensible people and have the interests of the people they organise races for at heart. You previously mentioned the Borrowdale race. The previous start up Bessyboot was a definite hazard, it was changed, there are now no real hazards only natural obstacles to be overcome, the same encountered by any individual walker or runner. A barbed wire fence might well be considered a hazard, a bull in field or a farmer with a shotgun yes but a stony path or a narrow lane come off it they are part of the natural landscape, an obstacle to be encountered and overcome, all part of the challenge of the event.

I take my hat off to organisers, and I agree about bessyboot speaking as a victim of a falling rock.

I suggest you take advice.

You may not have defined " hazard" but , you do not have to. The law certainly has done as endless precedents and compensation payments for victims of "hazards" when the risk came true have proved.

The committee should have said " unusual" or "extraordinary" hazards to protect people like you. They did not, and now you are very exposed. A rabbit hole for example , particularly concealed , is a dangerous Hazard everywhere, yet you are certifying to say there are none on your course. How? If someone then trips and breaks their skull on the wall next, a coroners court may have to debate the meaning and your undertaking that there were no hazards, where somebod found one, which at very least puts you on difficult ground legally. The police will look at breaches of rules to determine whether to press manslaughter charged. UKA if they are true to form will consider it valuable to point out to the coroner And police all of the rules you broke, and never once mention that fell racing is risky.

The FRA will sit on the sidelines pontificating uselessly about its even harsher rules, when the current ones are already impractical.

Are you still comfortable?

This is not over - it has not even started - as a stream of cancelled races for anything less than perfect weather will prove if organisers are to comply with that piece of inadequate drafting too. Safety law demands that the person is taken in to account assesing danger or risk. What is dangerous for you, may not be for me, but even lesser conditions can be lethal for someone else. Nightmare. How the flick are you able to make such a judgement? So I expect to see a lot of races cancelled, and I suspect many for good.

All because of drafting of rules.

We shall see.

I give up asking for the committee to take advice, all I can do now is reinforce what I said.
Take advice before organising under these rules. Ask your solicitor for example what your exposure is if you say there are no hazards on your course, and someone has an accident there.

The FRA are so confident they have high tailed it for cover to a limited company in double quick time,and their exposure As only a counter party is less than yours.

I hope it never happens again. History says you can count on history repeating, all we can change is the outcome.