‘She’ll be right’. Or will she? Practitioner perspectives on risk assessment for led outdoor activities in Australia

Clare Dallat; Natassia Goode; Paul M Salmon

doi:10.1080/14729679.2017.1377090

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‘She’ll be right’. Or will she? Practitioner perspectives on risk assessment for led outdoor activities in Australia

Journal article

Peer reviewed

‘She’ll be right’. Or will she? Practitioner perspectives on risk assessment for led outdoor activities in Australia

Clare Dallat, Natassia Goode and Paul M Salmon

Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, Vol.18(2), pp.115-131

2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14729679.2017.1377090

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Abstract

risk assessment

systems thinking

outdoor education

practitioner

Inadequate risk assessment has been implicated as a contributory factor in the deaths and injuries of participants on led outdoor activity (LOA) programmes in both Australia and overseas. The identification and assessment of risks is a required component of LOA programmes, and multiple risk assessment methods and techniques are available to the practitioner. Little, however, is known about the risk assessment approaches currently applied in practice. This study surveyed Australian LOA practitioners to: (1) determine which risk assessment methods and policy guidance are currently used in practice (if any); (2) understand practitioner perspectives around the utility of risk assessments; and (3) identify perceived challenges and barriers in applying these methods to the LOA context. The results paint a concerning picture of confusion and uncertainty in relation to conducting risk assessments, as well as a lack of policy guidance and formal training. The results imply that new and more suitable methods of risk assessment should be developed, focussing on the development, planning and delivery of led outdoor activities.

Details

Title: ‘She’ll be right’. Or will she? Practitioner perspectives on risk assessment for led outdoor activities in Australia
Authors: Clare Dallat (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Arts, Business and Law
Natassia Goode (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Arts, Business and Law
Paul M Salmon (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Arts, Business and Law
Publication details: Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, Vol.18(2), pp.115-131
Publisher: Routledge
Date published: 2018
DOI: 10.1080/14729679.2017.1377090
ISSN: 1472-9679
Grants: A new complex systems approach to road trauma: Applying systems thinking to the fatal five, FT140100681, Australian Research Council (Australia, Canberra) - ARC
Organisation Unit: Centre for Human Factors and Systems Science; School of Social Sciences - Legacy; School of Law and Society
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99451096102621
Output Type: Journal article

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