Risk Management on a Club Bushwalk

[flyfisher]

Don't the insurance companys have a field day with the blame game. Folk need to take more responsibility for their own actions and mistakes and stop trying to blame/sue others. The legal folk should reform this mess but they have too much to lose.
Just my thoughts
ff

[davidmorr]

On a more serious note, David, your club does sound good. Can you let us know which club it is?

The club is the **********. We have been going for 50 years next year, and have a growing membership. Must be doing something right

(We recognise that we are all in the club to enjoy being out in the bush with like-minded friends, and try to take a realistic perspective on rules and bureaucracy. They are necessary, but don't have to be intrusive.)

[PM me if you want to know the club. See the thread called "A disaster waiting to happen" for reasons. One of the hazards of this online society.]

[davidmorr]

Don't the insurance companys have a field day with the blame game. Folk need to take more responsibility for their own actions and mistakes and stop trying to blame/sue others. The legal folk should reform this mess but they have too much to lose.

I don't know that it is the insurance companies so much as the greedy people who want to profit from anything that happens to them. And lawyers who will connive with them. Without that, the insurance companies would not be involved.

David

[Joe]

This attitude comes from television more than anything and is not as prevalent as insurance companies would have you think. In Australia litigation is somewhat less prevalent in this sort of instance as the losing party have to foot the court costs and oppositions costs as I understand it (IANAL so this is just my own ill informed opinion) so people are more wary of suing for trivial things. The yanks on the other hand have a far more user friendly system which breeds this friggin horrible litigious attitude

[flyfisher]

I don't know that it is the insurance companies so much as the greedy people who want to profit from anything that happens to them. And lawyers who will connive with them. Without that, the insurance companies would not be involved.

David

Nicely summed up David,pity there are so many greedy people in all walks of life.

Flyfisher

[photohiker]

However, I like to do my own thing at my own pace. I like to go when I'm ready, arrive when I want too and get back when I feel like it. I won't be hurried and don't like to be harassed when I walk. So, despite the inherent risk I often choose to walk alone. Doesn't mean I don't have arguments - just means I'm guaranteed to win!

Amen.

I'm in a club, I have done walks with them and enjoyed it, but frankly unless you get really into it, its a lot of bother to go for a walk with the club compared with stepping out the front door on your own. Horses for courses - some people would never go for a decent walk without the security and support and organisation of the club. These might also be the same people who head for the lawyers when they slip and break a bone...

FWIW, last thing I'd do would be to hassle the club and its leaders about risks unless they're being incredibly stupid. Nanny state stops at the entrance to the park.

[Bush Walker]

However, I like to do my own thing at my own pace. I like to go when I'm ready, arrive when I want too and get back when I feel like it. I won't be hurried and don't like to be harassed when I walk. So, despite the inherent risk I often choose to walk alone. Doesn't mean I don't have arguments - just means I'm guaranteed to win!

I usually end up walking at the back fro this reason. Gives me more time to take photos.

Amen.

I'm in a club, I have done walks with them and enjoyed it, but frankly unless you get really into it, its a lot of bother to go for a walk with the club compared with stepping out the front door on your own. Horses for courses - some people would never go for a decent walk without the security and support and organisation of the club. These might also be the same people who head for the lawyers when they slip and break a bone...

FWIW, last thing I'd do would be to hassle the club and its leaders about risks unless they're being incredibly stupid. Nanny state stops at the entrance to the park.

I do all my multi day walks with a club at the moment as the we have some good organisers/leaders who are prepared to do all the planning. What more could you want?

[davidmorr]

This attitude comes from television more than anything and is not as prevalent as insurance companies would have you think. In Australia litigation is somewhat less prevalent in this sort of instance as the losing party have to foot the court costs and oppositions costs as I understand it (IANAL so this is just my own ill informed opinion) so people are more wary of suing for trivial things. The yanks on the other hand have a far more user friendly system which breeds this friggin horrible litigious attitude

In NSW, there were so many cases that the insurance companies lobbied the government to change the law. Previously, lawyers could take on a case on the basis that they would take a proportion of the proceeds if they won (often 50%) and nothing if they lost. This left the victim responsible for the other party's costs.

As I understand it, the change made the lawyers responsible for the other party's costs if they didn't win. This made them think twice about taking on cases they only had a slim chance of winning.

[Bush Walker]

New publication: From the ORC November Newsletter

New Handbooks Explain Managing Risk in Sport and Recreation

Standards Australia and Standards New Zealand have just published two new risk handbooks aimed at non-profit sport and recreation organisations.
The publications are SAA/SNZ HB 266:2010 'Guide for managing risk in not-for-profit organisations' and SAA/SNZ HB 246:2010 'Guidelines for managing risk in sport and recreation organisations'.

The guide for managing risk in not-for-profit organisations paraphrases the Standard AS/NZS ISO 31000:2009 Risk management - Principles and guidelines. It provides substantial additional context and tools that will help non-profit organisations apply the Standard.

The guide explains how to apply the international Standard for risk management to not-for-profit organisations in a clear and readable way.

The guidelines for managing risk in sport and recreation organisations has been written for application across the whole spectrum of sport and recreation, including related activities conducted within education institutions at all levels and government agencies at all levels.
It recognises the sector's dependence on volunteers. Whilst it does not deal explicitly with adventure tourism, it would be helpful to this sector as well. This handbook was also developed with wide consultation across the sector.

The handbook explains how to apply AS/NZS ISO 31000:2009 Risk management - Principles and guidelines and provides additional context, diagrams, examples, and tools that will help sport and recreation organisations to do so. It has a 'running' case-study of an angling club wanting to hold a fishing contest downstream of a chemical plant - this is used to illustrate each step of the risk assessment process and selection of risk treatments.
It also has a section on involvement of volunteers in risk management activity, a list of risk assessment techniques with explanatory material and examples, and helpful annexes dealing with regulatory considerations in Australia and New Zealand, good governance, and interface with local government.

The Handbooks can be ordered from Standards Australia on 131 242.