Showing posts with label Care Cards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Care Cards. Show all posts

Monday, September 12, 2022

Do we consider the risk factors of running a balloon business?

Running a balloon company or being a balloon artist may not seem risky at first. However, in case things don't go as planned, remember that it's your livelihood or business that will be affected. Rest assured, much of it boils down to common sense. Taking care of health and safety is just one aspect of effectively managing a business.




In the UK, the law applies to all businesses, large or small. If you’re self-employed or an employer then you are responsible for the health and safety of your business. The law is in place to make sure you have a safe working environment and cut down the risk of you, your staff (if you have any) or your customers getting ill or injured. 

You must consider and manage any risks both where you work or that may come in connection with what you do. 

This is a straightforward process known as ‘risk assessment.' It involves thinking about what you do in your business that could harm people – you, your staff (if you have them) or your customers – and what you’re going to do to try to prevent it from happening. 

Let's look at a few examples of potential hazards in the work place or when working onsite;

  • Slips, trips and falls - ensuring that we keep floor areas clear. Remember any balloon shining products can make the floor slippery.
  • Tools - keep tools tidy and clear tool boxes away so that they don’t become a trip hazard when working onsite.
  • Ladders - ensure that ladders are in good condition and that they are fit for purpose. ALWAYS ensure that ladders are positioned in the safest way to complete the task.
  • Electricity and cables - ensure that all equipment works properly and that electrical equipment is serviced and tested by someone with the correct skills and qualifications. Ensure that any electrical cables are not a trip hazard.
  • Lifting and carrying - ensure that loads are not too big and use a trolly when possible to move loads around more easily.
  • Balloons - Child and Pet Precautions: Balloons are not a toy. Uninflated or burst balloons can present a choking hazard and should never be left with children under the age of eight without supervision. Store balloons away from pets to ensure that they cannot get themselves tangled with balloon ribbons or accidentally ingest popped balloons or their decorative contents such as confetti, feathers, or other materials. If a balloon pops, clear away any broken balloons and any decorative contents (if applicable) immediately.
  • Balloons and Allergies - most balloons are made of natural rubber latex and may cause allergies. Keep a sharp eye out for symptoms in case of allergies and seek immediate help.
  • Helium- Inhaling helium can be dangerous and it is NEVER recommended. It can deprive your body of oxygen and can result in a fatality.

How do you relay important and relevant information to your customers?



Care Cards & Balloon Care Guide

Giving your customers information on preventative and risk reduction measures, along with how to care for their balloons can truly help, especially if something goes wrong! 

I often see posts on Facebook where someone asks for advice on how to deal with a customer who has complained about a bad balloon experience. These situations can often be avoided if we the clients are supplied with a "Care Card" or a "Balloon Fact Sheet" at the time of purchase or when we are installing balloons for a client.

There are many things that we can include on our "Care Cards" or a "Enjoy your Balloons" fact sheet. I would recommend that you choose those that are most relevant to the types of balloons, and or decor that you are supplying.





Here are some more great tips that you can share with your customers and on your website.

1. Balloons and Temperature: Don't leave balloons in a hot car - helium expands in the heat and this could cause your balloons to pop! We recommend that you use air conditioning in your vehicle when transporting balloons on a hot day. If balloons get rained on and start to droop, don't worry – they'll float again when dry. When helium-filled balloons are taken into the cold, they will temporarily deflate and will re-inflate again when warm. 

2. RISK Balloons - Child and Pet Precautions: Balloons are not a toy. Uninflated or burst balloons can present a choking hazard and should never be left with children under the age of eight without supervision. Store balloons away from pets to ensure that they cannot get themselves tangled with balloon ribbons or accidentally ingest popped balloons or their decorative contents such as confetti, feathers, or other materials. If a balloon pops, clear away any broken balloons and decorative contents (if applicable) immediately.

3. Balloons and the Environment: At the end of a balloon's life, cut the end of the balloon with scissors to remove any air or balloon gas, then dispose of it in the bin. NEVER release balloons into the environment. ALL released balloons become litter. They can get caught up in trees or power lines. Remember - Don't Let Go, & Pin It and Bin It 😊

4. RISK Balloons and Allergies: Most balloons are made of natural rubber latex and may cause allergies. Please look out for symptoms in case of allergies and seek immediate help.

5. RISK Inhalation of helium: Inhaling helium can be dangerous and it is not recommended. It can deprive your body of oxygen and can result in a fatality.

6. Balloons and Ceilings: Lights, paint textures, irregular surfaces and even static can all pop balloons. If you are planning on placing your balloons on a ceiling, ensure that you test it first.

7. Latex balloons and Oxidization: Clear balloons become cloudy quickly when exposed to heat and sunshine. Coloured balloons will take on a velvety, matte appearance.

8. Balloons can Pop: While we use the highest quality balloons and take every precaution necessary with your balloons to ensure they last through your event, once the balloons leave our door or we have left the venue, they are out of our control.

You can certainly go into more detail if you plan to publish this information on your website. You could cover more information regarding balloons, different weather conditions, the environment and how to dispose of balloon weights - especially if they are filled with water or sand!

It is becoming standard practice for a venue to ask event vendors to provide risk assessments along with proof of their business liability insurance prior to working in a venue. Without either of these they will not permit you to work.


Writing a risk assessment involves identifying potential hazards, what the risk is and measures that you take to prevent or reduce any potential risk.


Here is an example of a simple Risk Assessment Chart with an example.

This is a Risk Matrix which gives you a guide to RISK Values.


To learn how to write a risk assessment check out my post Risk Assessments & Method Statements - https://theverybestballoonblog.blogspot.com/search?q=risk+assessment


It is very important that we don't bury our heads in the sand when it comes to potential risks and that we learn to manage and control those risks in a professional manner. Many balloon businesses also offer prop hire and accessories that bring their own risks! It is essential that a balloon business carries a comprehensive Public Liability insurance and if a company employs staff they are required to carry Employee Liability insurance too! In the UK, I recommend www.BAPIAonline.com, who are an Independent Trade Organisation for the Balloon & Party industry! 


Happy Ballooning! 


Sue

www.suebowler.com

Follow me @suebowler










Thursday, March 18, 2021

Balloons and the Environment - How do you communicate Environment-Friendly practices to your customers?

Keeping your customers informed and giving them information on how they can enjoy their balloons responsibly is essential for all in the balloon industry, especially customers and balloon professionals. Sharing this information can be done in several ways:


Care Cards

A care card highlights the importance of enjoying balloons responsibly to best protect the environment. These are perfect add-on to give to your clients with their balloon purchase. Cards such as these highlight the following messages:

DON'T LET GO
Please don't release helium-filled balloons outdoors - helium balloons should always be secured to a weight. Always dispose of balloons responsibly.

Balloons are a much-loved product that brings joy and helps us celebrate the special moments in life.
As a responsible balloon business, we want to protect our environment from any unnecessary litter. We have therefore made the decision not to support the release of any balloons into the environment. We encourage our customers to support this position and not undertake or endorse balloon releases of any kind. 

INFLATE SAFELY
To remove the risk of injury, always use a balloon pump and NEVER inhale helium.

SUPERVISE CHILDREN UNDER 8
Uninflated or burst balloons can present a choking hazard - please supervise small children at all times.

BE LATEX ALLERGY AWARE
Balloons made of natural rubber latex may cause a reaction in those with latex allergies. Look out for symptoms and seek help if required.

ALWAYS DISPOSE OF BALLOONS RESPONSIBLY
Remember when you've finished with a balloon, simply snip the end of the balloons with scissors before placing in a suitable bin. 

Pioneer Europe, in conjunction with the European Balloon and Party Council (EBPC), has developed a collection of environmental marketing materials that we can use freely within our businesses to educate consumers to enjoy balloons responsibly, promoting the message: "Don't let go."

There are five downloadable flyers that you can use:

Posters - these can be displayed in your shops and stores.
Leaflets - Gives even more information than the Care Card
Carecards - see above
Weight Labels - Weight Stickers will stick on the underside of many commonly used balloon weights.

These are available in 24 different languages. Click on the appropriate language and it will take you directly to the link.


Social Media Posts

Having a variety of posts is important for any business, and sharing environmental posts especially will be a very positive thing to do. It will act as a regular reminder to your customers and followers that you take environmental issues seriously! 

Once again, there are some great pre-made posts that are available from www.qualatex.com, which can be found in the SUSTAINABILITY section on the website. 

Here are a few examples of the types of posts that are available.






Have you ever seen a social media post from EU Partysafe? I would expect not, as unless you know about them, you probably won't be following them... start following them today! EU Partysafe is a consumer-facing page run by the European Balloon & Party Council, a Non-Governmental Organisation that represents all the key players in the balloon & party industry. Their aim is to raise awareness & educate consumers on balloon and party-related  products.

Here are a few examples of posts that EUPartysafe shares, and you could do something similar or even better! Sharing their posts on your business page clearly reinforces the message and will potentially guide your customers to their website, which gives even more consumer information on balloons and the environment as well as other information relating to party products.





EU Party Safe posts are succinct, and always feature important facts paired with an eye-catching photo. Free photo stock can be found on the Qualatex website in the Marketing Material in the Inspiration tab. CANVA has some great photo stock, some of which is free. Using an eye-catching, and appropriate photo will help to attract attention to your posts and hopefully their important messages too! 

Did you know ❓
Latex balloons are plant-based 🎈
✅ In fact, they are made from the sap of rubber trees, NOT from plastic as is sometimes reported


Always re-use before you recycle ♻️
Remember:
🎈 foil balloons are not biodegradable;
🎈 flatten and store your foil balloons when possible;
🎈 re-use your foil balloons. You may be surprised how good they will look!

Here are a few more important websites that will help you to source balloon-related environmental information and messages that you can use. 

The Balloon Council - http://www.theballooncouncil.org
Pro Environment Balloon Alliance (PEBA) - https://www.peba.com.au



Let us all enjoy the magic of balloons for many more years to come, but we need your help to make this possible! Please help us to promote the responsible use of balloons! 

A huge thank you to EBPC for allowing me to share material from their Facebook page.

Happy and responsible Ballooning!


Sue
Follow me @suebowler

















Monday, June 16, 2014

Releasing balloons at funerals and other poignant occasions.


Releasing balloons at funerals and other poignant occasions is a good way especially for a child to help with the understanding and feeling of saying goodbye to someone special.


'Balloon Fairies'



Recently there was a question posted on the QBN Facebook Group 
"I had a customer come in today wanting a heart or a star foil balloon for a funeral with the intention of releasing them after. I advised her against it and explained why but she insisted that she wanted them as it was a funeral for a child and it was the parents wish. What should I do"?