Health and safety

In many workings you'll be using candles so fire safety is paramount. Keep a bucket of water or sand around to put out any small fires and possibly a fire extinguisher if you can get hold of one. Keep your hair tied back if you're working over fires or candles. You don't need that trip to A&E. This applies to sleeves and robe skirts too. I don't want to see anyone in the paper because they were found rolling around in their underwear after accidentally setting their robe sleeves alight.

Next, do not drink herbal potions that are not intended for ingestion. This is important as many people have ended up in hospital or dead because they thought that just because something is herbal it's harmless. Deadly nightshade will kill you, plant or not.

Know your workspace. Often you'll be working at night so you'll want to know your area like the back of your hand. Even in your own garden you don't want to end up sitting in a flower bed, and if you're out you don't want to go walking off a fifty foot drop.

Dress for the weather. If it's minus fifteen you don't want to be working skyclad, no-one would blame you for wearing a thick coat and a hat. Skyclad in the snow only equals you freezing your bits off.

Always cast a circle. It's just common sense. You lock your doors before you go to bed so lock your spiritual doors before beginning work.

Use blades responsibly. These things are sharp tools, not toys. I know it's common sense but I refuse to be sued.

If you are working in a group have a qualified first aider. An ambulance can take twenty minutes, a cracked skull takes a lot less.

If you're on your own always make sure someone knows where you're going. Even the best of us can slip and get hurt. And if all else fails, take your mobile phone, fully charged and credited.