Welcome to Adventure Safety Ireland

Based in Roundwood in Co. Wicklow, Adventure Safety Ireland provides health and safety and risk management services for adventure activity providers, the outdoor education sector and charities undertaking treks and other adventure challenges.

Our services are designed to assist your organisation in reducing exposure to potential legal or civil action and ensuring that you are compliant with health and safety legislation and industry best practice. Legislation for Adventure Activities Licencing is also currently in preparation and now is the time to plan for compliance to ensure you will meet the required standards.

Why does your organisation need to formally manage health and safety for adventure activities and events?

• Risk of civil liability under “duty of care” law
• Risk of criminal liability under health and safety legislation including to employees and other persons
• Meeting your statutory obligations such as to prepare risk assessments and a Safety Statement
• Protecting your brand from adverse publicity in the event of civil or criminal action following an accident
• Ensuring that you can renew your insurance cover and continue to trade or obtain insurance cover to run challenge events
• Creating a positive safety culture in your organisation which will ensure that your brand will be associated with safe events and activities by your clients
• Protecting employees, members of the public and clients from injury relating to your activities

We can reduce the complexity associated with health and safety compliance for your adventure activities or event and act as your “competent” person or event safety officer to advise on health and safety requirements. 

With several years of experience working with clients in the adventure sector and with the appropriate qualifications and outdoor experience, we can tailor a simple but cost effective health and safety system for your organisation or event.  Check out our services page for more information.

About Us

Lead consultant and company director David Butler who is a Chartered Safety and Health Practitioner (CMIOSH), has over 14 years experience working in health and safety and has worked as a consultant for the last 9 years.

He has also been a member of the Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team from 1994 to 2013 and was a Deputy Team Leader for 6 years.  David was featured on 2 episodes of Ireland’s Search and Rescue in December 2012.  Outdoor interests include mountaineering, rock climbing, ski touring, mountain biking, mountain running and canoeing.  His health and safety and adventure activity related qualifications include the following:

Outdoor, Rescue and First Aid Training

• Alpine Mountaineering Course Aosta Italy 2016: Mountaineering Ireland
• Mountain Leader Award 2014: Bord Oiliúint Sléibhe (BOS)
• European Ropes Course Association Instructor Refresher Training 2014: ERCA
• Mountain Leader Training 2012: Mountain Training.ie
• Emergency Medical First Responder 2012: Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council
• Wilderness Emergency Care Level 4 2012: DWMRT
• Cardiac First Response Advanced 2012: Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council
• Advanced Technical Rescue 2011: ISRT
• European Ropes Course Association Traditional Ropes Course Instructor and Rescuer 2011: ERCA
• Rescue Medical First Responder 2011: DWMRT
• Rigging for Rescue Course 2010: Mountain Rescue Ireland
• Winter Mountaineering Course 2008: West Coast Mountain Guides Scotland
• International Trauma Life Support 2007: Dublin Fire Brigade
• Winter Rescue and Mountaineering Course 2005: Mick Tighe Mountain Guide Scotland
• Rope Rescue Operator 2004: ISRT
• Emergency Care for Mountain Rescue 2001: Faculty of Pre-hospital Care of the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh
• Winter Rescue and Mountaineering Course 1997: Tiglin Scotland
• Mountain Skills Assessment 1997: DWMRT

Health and Safety Qualifications

• OSHAS 18001 Lead Auditor Course 2011: Kelmac Group
• MBS Safety and Health Management 2004: Dublin City University Business School (Distinction)
• Graduate Diploma Health and Safety 2004: Dublin City University Business School
• Basic Life Support Instructor 2004: Irish Heart Foundation
• Certificate Health and Safety 1999: NIFAST Liberty Risk Management Dublin

Adventure Safety and Related Projects

Adventure Safety Ireland are working with Coillte Compass Club since summer 2016 as appointed health and safety consultants.  We are advising on all  aspects of Compass Club kids adventure safety and outdoor educational activities including providing activity safety management advice, preparing risk  assessments, updating Safety Statements and preparing safety procedures. About Compass Club: "Compass Club by Coillte is a unique fun activity, which gives kids a secure and supervised adventure  experience in great Irish forests,  developing themselves and learning outdoor life skills in a fun way with other children".

Adventure Safety Ireland are working with Courtown Adventure High Ropes and activity centre since summer 2016 as appointed health and safety consultants.  We are advising on ropes course activities and adventure safety activities. This includes providing adventure activity safety management  advice, reviewing safety documents and undertaking safety auditing.

Adventure Travel World Summit: Pre-summit Workshop Killarney Sept 2014 - Adventure Safety Management Workshop provided by Adventure Safety Ireland

"I just want to express a sincere thank you for a really great session – you truly did make a difficult topic very engaging";

"Just wanted to say thanks so much for your session yesterday in Killarney. It was so practical and you really made those attending sit up and listen – for a subject about which people sometimes prefer to put their heads in the sand rather than addressing it, that was incredibly useful.  Great feedback from all those that attended".

Failte Ireland ATWS & workshop organisers

We have worked on a consultancy basis with leading outdoor adventure and team building company Xtreme.ie since 2006.  Xtreme.ie provide high ropes, low ropes, climbing walls, team building, paintball, archery and off road driving at their sites including Carton House in Maynooth, Co Kildare, Macreddin in Co Wicklow and Courtlough in Balbriggan.  Adventure Safety Ireland provide ongoing safety management services to Xtreme.ie including internal safety audits, review and assistance with the preparation of risk assessments, safety management advice, chairing company safety team meetings and assistance with setting company safety objectives and targets.

"The Adventure Safety Ireland team have worked with us at Xtreme.ie and Teambuilding.ie since 2006. They have helped us to build our health and safety and risk management systems, documentation and processes from scratch to be absolute best in class. This was no simple task as we have over 120 team building and adventure programmes and manage tens of thousands of customers each year. Managing Director, David Butler, is a total professional and is passionate about protecting our customers and our staff from any potential risks and incidents. I have no hesitation in recommending David and Adventure Safety Ireland for any adventure related health and safety or risk management services that you may require".

Simon Collins, Director – www.xtreme.ie and www.teambuilding.ie"

Sports related health and safety advice and safety audit services have been provided for the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland sports facilities over a number of years and also Belvedere College in Dublin.  Both institutes are leading educational providers in Ireland with extensive sports facilities.

We have also worked on a number of very successful outdoor fundraising events including “Walk the Line” and “Run the Line” for the Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team.  Both events required the preparation of event safety plans and risk assessments for the event specific and terrain hazards encountered. 

In addition we have provided consultancy services for the Glendalough Estate in Co Wicklow where various outdoor activities are provided including horse riding and mountain biking and St Micheal's College Dublin as part of their Gaisce Challenge hike.