Use Safety.ChurchofJesusChrist.org to Promote Safe Church Activities, First Presidency Says
Contributed By Lauren Hanson, ChurchofJesusChrist.org Church News staff writer
The Church’s website safety.ChurchofJesusChrist.org can help stake and ward leaders ensure Church-sponsored activities are safe for participants.
Summer is just around the corner, which means Church activities will be in full swing. Pioneer treks, youth conferences, Scouting and Young Women camps, and outdoor ward parties will be on the rise—and so will many health and safety concerns.
A letter to local leaders dated May 12 from the First Presidency states that “leaders should use good judgment and approve only those activities with a minimal risk for injury or illness. Stake and ward council meetings provide opportunities to prayerfully plan activities and to discuss safety guidelines and safe practices.”
Safety.ChurchofJesusChrist.org
The First Presidency letter refers leaders to the Church’s safety and health website: safety.ChurchofJesusChrist.org, a helpful resource for learning and teaching safety principles that ensure safe Church-sponsored activities.
One concern is auto accidents resulting from drowsy driving and distracted driving. The Church recently added four short videos featuring common actions that contribute to distracted driving, such as eating, talking on the phone, listening to music, and putting on makeup. (See related story.)
The website’s Safety and Health Media Library contains other informative and often entertaining videos about various safety issues.
The video “Lightning Safety: An Interview with Sam Cloud” addresses lightning safety. It won best training video award at the second annual Training Television Awards last year.
Rhonda Rhinovirus reluctantly reveals the key for preventing communicable disease in the video “Interview with a Germ: Communicable Disease Safety.”
Youth and leaders embarking on pioneer treks this summer are encouraged view the “Tracy’s Trek” videos. This lighthearted three-part series chronicles a teenager’s adventures in keeping safety in mind before and during a youth pioneer trek.
Other topics include food safety, getting in shape, and heat illness prevention.
“We encourage leaders to better ‘know risk,’ not always say, ‘no risk,’” said Paul Rytting, director with the Church’s Risk Management Division. “That’s a key reason for creating these videos—to help leaders better understand what they can do to make activities safe.”
Find additional safety guidelines, policies, and training resources:
- The May 12 First Presidency letter
- Section 13, “Activities,” of Handbook 2: Administering the Church (2010)
- Safety.ChurchofJesusChrist.org (includes policies and guidelines, videos, fact sheets, and other helpful links)
- Ministeringresources.ChurchofJesusChrist.org (the Ministering Resources website for ward and stake council members)
