Risk Management for Recreation Professionals
Course Outline

Week 1: What is Negligence and why is it such a big deal?

  • Introduction (course format; use of Webinars; guest lecturers etc.)
  • Distinguishing the Areas of Law
    • Contract law, Criminal law, Human Rights Law, Tort Law
  • Defining Negligence and legal liability in the recreation and sport setting
  • Establishing Negligence
    • duty of care, standard of care, proximate cause, damage
  • Establishing Liability for Negligence
    • personal and vicarious liability, products liability, premises/occupiers’ liability
  • Defenses against Negligence
    • contributory, negligence, assumption of risk, waivers
  • Reviewing some classic case studies
  • Identifying your ‘sweaty palm’ issues

Week 2: Standard of Care

  • The 5 Key Risk Areas
    • Supervision & Instruction
    • Training
    • Facilities & Equipment
    • Documentation
    • Emergency Response Plan
  • Reviewing some classic case studies
  • Conducting a ‘virtual’ Trial

Week 3: Risk Management Planning Process

  • Defining risk management
  • The role of insurance
  • Keeping it simple — adopting a ‘high-risk’ approach to risk management
  • What is high risk?
    • The Risk Matrix
  • Risk Assessment (the audit)
  • Developing a simple audit tool
  • Networking re. your ‘sweaty palm’ issues

Week 4: Developing a Risk Management Plan

  • Identifying a risk management project/major issue at your jobsite (a program or facility)
  • Risk management plan implementation
    • Developing and conducing an audit on your project
    • Drafting a risk management plan based on audit
    • Setting realistic goals and timelines
    • Strategies to ensuring success
  • Risk Management Committee
    • The need for a department Risk Management Committee
    • Role; composition; training
  • Risk Management Resources

Our department profited greatly by having multiple staff go through the online course. We have long felt that risk management best practices are so pervasively important to all our programs and facilities that it only made sense that our staff members with unique oversight and management of these areas take part in the course. The take-away from this approach has been a unified understanding of the nature of risk management of campus recreation on a macro level with a much more refined appreciation of application within their areas of specialization.

George M. Brown

Assistant Vice Provost, Director University Recreation and Wellness
The University of Minnesota

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