CHAPTER 11- RISK MANAGEMENT OF OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

Did you know?

Last August 19, 2015 a group of about 180 BSU students conducted a fieldtrip to Madlum Cave in San
Miguel, Bulacan. Tragedy struck when heavy rains swelled the Madlum River and triggered a flash flood that
swept the students who were
Being outdoors crossingthe
entail river, drowning
certain risks-risk of being 7injured,risk
students. of having accident and the tragedy of
death. These risks maybe come from the participants, from the activity itself, from the very location of the
Fact-finding committee
activity, on environmental
or from the the tragedy found the following
conditions. Howeverviolations:
suck risk may be minimized through proper
—Lack of guideliness on defining responsibilities of faculty advisers andtragedy.
planning and Management. In the above example of the Madlum student Could such tragedy have been
orginazer
avoided? This is what we will be discussing in this chapter. Perhaps at the end of the lesson we can go
—Lackback
of medical
to this clearance
story and for
see students
if it could have been avoided and if so, how?
—Lack of supervison
This chapter
of the
willstudents
be focusing
by faculty
on howmembers
risks are during
managedtheand
triphow one can come up with a plan. It
will also deal with the basic logistical aspect of planning which is signal factor in ensuring the success of
—Lackthe
emergency rescue and first aid team in the vicinity
outdoor activity.
—waver/consent Outdoorform signed by activities
recreational the parents or guardians
entail did not
a combination specify therisk,
of challenge, itenerary
and adventure. The presence
—Lackof of the risk factor in anfrom
permit/clearance outdoor activity
the local creates some
government unituncertainty and the possibility of negative outcomes.
Safety is always a consideration but this cannot always be guaranteed because there are factors where one
has little
(*madlum control
is sitio or no where
in bulacan controlmany
at alloutdoor
such as sudden rock
activities canfall
be or inclement
held such as weather
hiking, condition. However,
there are ways of managing
trekking,caving,swimming,rock and reducing these riskscrossing,
scrambling,camping,river and these can be planned
rappelling prior
and cable to the activity. This is
traverse).
what risk management is all about. Risk management, therefore,anticipates the possible of undesired
Source:events
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/376605/news/nation/probers-of-fatal-filed-trip-find-
and establishes a preferred course of action to avoid orminimize the possible occurrence. In
anticipating the undesirable eventualities, the plan starts from identifying the risks and the source of
hazards. After which, the possibility of the occurrence of risk must be assessed and come up with a
strategy of minimizing the effect of the risk to the activity.

 RISK IDENTIFICATION , ASSESSMENT, AND REDUCTION

How do we identify risk?

What are Hazard and what re risk? Hazard are things that have the potential to harm while risk is the
likelihood of realizing such potential. For instance what are the possible in kayaking?
Chapter 11 RISK MANAGEMENT AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES|197