Health and safety gets a bad reputation but when it comes to camping it’s just plain common sense.

Here’s Out & About’s 16-step guide to avoiding danger on the campsite.

 

  1. Don’t use naked flames, including candles, in or near your tent.
  2. Keep matches and lighters out of the reach of children.
  3. Smoking in a tent is a fire risk as well as anti-social.
  4. Gas cylinders and flammable liquids should be stored outside the tent.
  5. Keep a bucket of water and a fire blanket handy.
  6. Know where the fire points are and where fire-fighting equipment is stored onsite
  7. Don’t use cooking appliances anywhere near the walls and roof of your tent or where they can be bumped into and knocked over.
  8. Check that your barbecue is in good working order and is used on level ground.
  9. Never spray lighting fuel on warm coals to revive the barbecue.
  10. Stick to the speed limits when driving and make sure children are alert for cars and bikes on the site roads.
  11. Store sharp knives away from the prying hands of youngsters.
  12. Wear flip-flops or Crocs in the shower block, where wet floors can be a slip hazard and they cut out the risk of picking up such horrors as athlete’s foot or a verruca
  13. If using electric hook-up, make sure your plug, cable and sockets are in good order.
  14. Be careful of trip hazards coming in and out of the tent as well as around guylines.
  15. Don’t push pegs in with your feet – they can pierce through the sole of your shoes and cause a nasty injury.
  16. Never take a barbecue into your tent to use as a heater – it’s a killer