Risk Management Planning

What is your personal appetite for risk?

June 13, 2017

And could this impact your job?

Ian McGregor, Ph.D.
President, SportRisk

Personal and professional risk-taking

On a daily basis we all take personal risks – crossing the street, investing in the stock market, playing ice hockey, driving a car to work. Some risks may be greater than others (e.g. buying a house), and some can have very serious consequences (e.g. falling during a rock climbing trip).

We all fit somewhere along a broad spectrum of risk taking – from the high risk takers (big appetite for risk) to the low risk takers (more risk averse). And in general, if you display a certain risk tolerance in one sphere, that appetite/aversion behavior will likely be demonstrated elsewhere. It’s who you are.

So what has this got to do with your job? Essentially, your personal appetite for risk will impact your professional life by shaping your decision making. So for example, if you are a Sport Clubs coordinator and have a relatively low appetite for risk, this will likely impact how you manage the Sport Clubs program, and which types of Sport Clubs you are more comfortable with (either keeping or adding them). Alternatively, having a higher risk appetite means that you’ll likely embrace higher risk Clubs, and take more risks when deciding whether to add new Clubs.

Which is better? The answer comes later in article… Read more

Some Thoughts on Helmet Risk Management

February 16, 2017

The Ball is in Your Court

Katharine M. Nohr, JD

With all of the discussion about concussion prevention, assessment and treatment, there’s a fundamental reality that’s seldom addressed—the necessity of buckling the helmet chin strap. Helmets are designed to protect an athlete’s skull and will easily become dislodged and not perform as intended if they aren’t fastened properly. The chin strap is designed to secure the helmet to the player’s head to prevent the helmet from falling off and/or causing injury when it is loose enough to be driven into the head with the force of a fall or tackle.

As a certified triathlon official and triathlon safety director, I am constantly surprised at the number of cyclists who wear their bicycle helmets as hats. The USA Triathlon Competitive Rules and the International Triathlon Union rules require that helmet chin straps be buckled. Most athletes comply, but there were always those who violate the rule or, instead, keep their chin straps so loose that they dangle mid-throat. The chin straps would swing with every movement and if they fell, the helmet would surely topple off like a hat or almost strangle them by hanging from their neck. Read more

Concussion Resources

February 16, 2017

Ian McGregor, Ph.D.

President, SportRisk

 

Zurich consensus statement on Concussions

http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/47/5/250.full

National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA)

https://www.nata.org/

Canadian Athletic Therapy Association (CATA)

https://athletictherapy.org/en/

Canadian Concussions Collaborative:

http://casem-acmse.org/education/ccc

National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)

http://nfhslearn.com/courses/61064/concussion-in-sports

Parachute Canada

www.parachutecanada.org

Concussion Awareness Training Tool

www.cattonline.com

Concussion-U

https://concussionu.wordpress.com/

American Academy of Neurology

https://www.aan.com/concussion

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/basics/concussion_whatis.html

Concussion 101 and Return to Play (Dr. Evans’ video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_55YmblG9YM

NCAA

            http://www.ncaa.org/health-and-safety/medical-conditions/concussion

University Risk Management and Insurance Association (URMIA)

file:///Users/Ian/Downloads/Concussion%20Management%20Student%20Athlete%20and%20Institution%20Protection.pdf

United Educators                                                                                                        https://www.ue.org/uploadedFiles/Checklist%20for%20Creating20Athletics%20Concussion%20Mgmt%20Plan.pdf

 

Limitations do not create exceptions – concussion education can be the answer

February 16, 2017

Lexi Chaput

Assistant Director – Club Sports

University of Michigan

Within every Campus Recreation department, different types of risks are managed differently based on the resources dedicated to the program, but with more and more discussion taking place about head injuries in sports participation, resource limitations are no longer a valid reason for a department saying they ‘can’t’ when it comes to response and management. Regardless of your size, structure, or resources, education is always a viable option, and can be a valid response when Risk Management calls and wants to know what you are doing to keep participants safe.

A Future of Uncertainty for Club Sports

For those whose Club Sports are insured by the University, it’s important to know that the future of that coverage has the potential to change dramatically, and could result in higher costs or added requirements. In a recent conversation with our Risk Management Office, they are anticipating changes to our liability coverage. While our insurance providers have so far not mentioned “no coverage” for head injuries sustained during activity, limitations on coverage could be implemented, especially surrounding timelines – specifically around when the injury was reported, and if the injury was the first of its kind sustained. Read more

Leave Concussion Management to the Pros – Hire an Athletic Trainer

February 16, 2017

Robin Bowman, M.Ed., ATC

Assistant Director for Injury Prevention & Care

University of Nebraska – Lincoln

Concussions have been a hot topic in sports and recreation for the past few years. It seems like every week there is new research coming out that helps us better understand this injury. While it’s great that the medical community is making strides in understanding the mechanisms by which symptoms of concussions happen and recover, it can be difficult to keep up with the latest advances.

Between the difficulty in keeping up with the best practices in recognition, treatment, and return to activity following concussions and the increase in class action lawsuits against sporting organizations who are perceived as not doing enough to protect athletes from the long-lasting effects of mild traumatic brain injury, recreation professionals can feel overwhelmed.

Wouldn’t it be nice if your department had someone on staff that had extensive training in the prevention, recognition, and treatment of concussions and other injuries? An athletic trainer may be just what your department needs. Athletic trainers are skilled in the prevention, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions. Read more

Implementing a Concussion Protocol in Campus Recreation – with no AT’s involved

February 16, 2017

Jason J. Linsenmeyer, PhD

Oklahoma State University

Assistant Director of Recreation Programs

Recent reports from professional, collegiate, and high school sports regarding concussions are alarming. These reports and discussions held at conferences led the Rec Sports Program to begin conversations with their Health Services professionals on ways to help students at Oklahoma State University (OSU).

I did not know our Director of University Health Services (UHS) prior to the conversations about concussions.  I sent him a message with my concerns for students participating in intramural and sport clubs, and he indicated he shared my mind-set about protecting students, and if needed, helping them return to participate.

In an initial meeting, the Director of UHS and two of his doctors were present and we discussed the possibilities.  Everyone in this meeting agreed that there was a need, and that we should proceed in finding a way to help those students who exhibit signs of a concussion.  The director and his doctors went to work on this by reaching out to colleagues and others in the health services profession.  Initial drafts were formed for the concussion protocol and edits made along the way.  In my experience the staff at UHS has been more than willing to help and assist in implementing the protocol.  This model may work at your school if you have similar resources available. Read more

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