Beyond the Campsite: Building Safer Outdoor Experiences Through Risk Management

The camp is quiet. Tents are set up, trails mapped out, and guests begin to show up to the campgrounds with a fever in anticipation for the fun ahead. To the guests, this weekend marks the beginning of a memorable adventure. To the camp directors and the events coordinators, however, the hard labor of getting the camp ready and safe began many days, weeks and months ago before any campers had checked in.

Careful planning goes into making every outdoors-focused visit to the wilderness a safe and enjoyable time. One of the primary activities for planning a campground is a thorough risk assessment of the campsite.

A Campground Risk Assessment (CRA) is the deliberate method of identifying, examining, and reducing hazards prior to events occurring. Instead of looking to prepare for every eventuality, an organization must focus on which risks matter. Every camp has a different and diverse set of hazards that must be addressed. There exists a multitude of environmental hazards such as storms, fires, and floods, as well as the natural risks such as wild animals, and rough terrain. Even the campers and their behaviors can add risk to the safety of a campsite.

Similarly, camp operators play a part in guiding camper behavior, how staff are supervised, and how the equipment is operated. Attention must be paid to address the operational risks to ensure safe access to the site for help, established communications, and plans to address incidents at camp.

When we identify factors prior to any event occurring, we can then understand where we need to place our efforts and resources effectively to take basic precautions that prevent small problems from ever escalating into significant emergencies.

Even then, safety checks extend beyond the facility itself. Well-trained employees and volunteers understand the importance of a culture of safety and in following protocols for safety-first practices. The existence of comprehensive safety guidelines, waivers of liability from all patrons, emergency action plans, and properly certified team members will facilitate teams in taking consistent and appropriate action when emergencies happen. First aid kit and emergency equipment inspection checklists, scheduled inspection and testing of fire suppression equipment, communication plans, and labeling pathways for evacuation with appropriate signage make certain the crew and patrons can effectively and swiftly address the event if something actually takes place.

A simple question could make all the difference: If an emergency happened today, would your team know exactly what to do?

Along with the planning stage, training must also go hand in hand. It is important that risk management is not a one-off event held before operations start but continuously exists throughout the duration of an event/ season. Incidents, drills and training should be followed by an opportunity to receive participant and staff feedback to review lessons learned from events. This allows organizations to develop stronger training and better operating procedures.  Along with insurance, the organization will have the added protection and risk mitigations in place to offer adequate protection for patrons, staff, and the organization’s property & established reputation

When we adventure, there will always be some inherent risk to us because there is always an element of uncertainty. However, if prepared adequately, we can offer safe and enjoyable experiences to be remembered. At AdvenSure, we believe a safe and memorable adventure never happens purely by chance.

Learn more about the AdvenSure Insurance Program here.