Risk Management Plan
Health & Safety are Always Our Priority
The Vancouver Outdoors Society is an experiential educational organization that is committed to stimulating personal development in individuals and fostering cooperation, compassion, and an understanding for other people and the environment through exposure to new surroundings, activities, and relationships. These experiences can at times invite participants to take part in activities and environments carrying unfamiliar risks that may have not been part of their previous experiences.
Therefore, Risk Management Plans are an integral part of all the activities carried out by the Vancouver Outdoors Society. Our staff is trained to approach both perceived and real risks with a “what if” and a “am I and the participants ready for this activity” attitude to all program challenges and experiences.
The Vancouver Outdoors Society employs a five-part strategy to integrate risk management and safety into all operations and programming. The strategy includes:
- The Vancouver Outdoors Society Risk Management Objective – to effectively manage risks necessarily inherent in activities and to eliminate or avoid all unnecessary risks in order to prevent loss of life and disabling injuries, reduce the occurrence of accidents, injuries and illnesses, make provision for the physical and emotional safety of participants.
- Written Policies and Procedures are prepared and followed by staff for all activities to avoid and minimize the possibility of incidents and risk hazards.
- The Vancouver Outdoors Society employs and trains qualified leaders who are educated and certified to instruct outdoor program activities and supervise participants. Leaders hold certifications in First Aid and CPR, Outdoor Leadership by the Outdoor Council of Canada, Water Life Saving plus specific training and certifications for specialized activities such as rock climbing, skiing or SCUBA diving.
- A written Risk Assessment and Control Plan is produced for each program area. This plan assists the Vancouver Outdoors Society to establish and identify program risks and hazards and evaluate their severity and likelihood. The evaluation directs planning and determines policies and procedures to be put in place that, as much as possible, eliminate, avoid, minimize and make ready for potential mishaps.
- Participants are prepared by staff to engage in risks through a number of actions. These include: pre-program informed consent notification of activity risks, participant technical skill training, assessment of participant physical and mental abilities, issuing proper protective equipment, and a “Challenge by Choice” philosophy. The Vancouver Outdoors Society does not push nor coerce participants into risks and learning experiences. Instead, activities are crafted to have a “don’t want to miss it invitation” offered to the participants. It is always the participants who choose to accept an opportunity to learn and take part in what may be for them a challenging growth experience.