Date: 19th May 2015
The outdoor industry has a wide spectrum of operation, from on site multi activity camps in very controllable environments through to mountain guiding or technical whitewater paddling in environments with multiple variables, the aim of all operators no matter which part of the spectrum they operate in is generally to manage or remove risk where possible, this is normally done through a number of processes that make up a safety management system.
After significant in depth reviews on the best way to ensure operational safety within outdoor adventure activities, a number of different countries have come to the conclusion that the review or auditing of safety plans and the practical application of these plans by an external technical expert is a reliable approach to identify potential improvements, ensure operational safety and disseminate information on good practice.
All responsible operators in the outdoor adventure industry should be regularly reviewing their safety management systems, having the involvement of an external technical expert in this process has significant benefits, often we fail to see what is clearly in front of us, the simple process of a person not involved on a daily basis looking with a “fresh” pair of eyes can identify points that once brought up seem obvious.
To combine this “fresh” pair of eyes with the experience and knowledge of a technical expert allows thought processes and practical application to be critically evaluated and compared to wider industry good practice, the result being either independent external confirmation that your systems are safe and sound or the identification of areas that may require further work to prevent the “accidents” of the future.
Systems and accepted practice change over time due to the identification of causes of accidents, changes in equipment and the levels of risk accepted by society in general, we should not wait to learn from our own accidents and mistakes but should seek to learn from the wider industry, within the state, nationally and internationally.
Ask yourself, why you use the systems you use? Who designed the systems you use? Do your systems reflect what would be considered good practice by the wider industry? Could anything be improved?
Constant improvement and good practice should be the goal, external technical advice can help achieve it.
Posted in: Adventure Training Blog
