Accident Prevention & Hazard Awareness
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Contents |
Accident Prevention and Hazard Awareness
Educational Goals
Students should be introduced to the basic ideas of how accidents happen and what you can do to prevent or minimize them. This will be crucial on longer courses where students may travel independently from time to time and also helps everyone in the group keep a strong eye on safety and hazard awareness.
Key Points
How do you define an accident? How about an adventure? What is the difference?
How do you define a “near miss”?
Why is it important to study accidents?
Why is it important in the outdoors?
Accidents in the frontcountry vs. accidents in the backcountry…
Higher consequence and higher risk exposure
We are all responsible for each other and our actions have consequences outside of just ourselves
How do we learn to recognize and avoid hazardous situations?
Dynamics of Accidents Matrix:
Unsafe Conditions + Unsafe Acts + Errors in Judgment
Unsafe Conditions:
Weather
Time of Day
Swift/Cold Water
Equipment/Clothing (improper)
Animals/Plants
Physical or Psychological Profile of individual or group
Terrain
Unsafe Acts:
Improper Instruction
Improper or No Supervision
Unsafe Speed (e.g. “smelling the barn” or “get home-itis”)
Food/Drink
Position (e.g. too close to a downstream strainer)
Improper Procedure
Errors in Judgment:
Attempting to please others
Misperception of risk/hazard
Disregarding Instincts
Fatigue
Distraction
Overconfidence
Miscommunication
These three elements often overlap to create your ACCIDENT POTENTIAL. The more overlap you have in these three zones, the more likely you will have some kind of an accident. For example, if you are rushing through a portage because its getting late and you want to get to camp you may also be fatigued, dehydrated, and making poor decisions. In this scenario, the unsafe condition is “Time of Day” because its late and people are often more tired late in the day. The unsafe act would be “Unsafe Speed” and possibly “Improper Procedure” if students are rushing through the portage without spotters. Finally, the “Errors in Judgment” are likely “Fatigue” and “Misperception of Risk/Hazard” as getting into camp after dark may be less risky than rushing the portage.
See lesson below on judgment and decision making for more information on this important area.
Teaching Considerations
Leadership Opportunities
This is an excellent lesson to get students more bought into maintaining safe expedition behavior while on course and can limit the amount of rule making and enforcement that you have to do which can sometimes create animosity with the group with your students feeling like you are “parenting” them. Getting them to invest in safety and to be aware of how accidents happen can help everyone look out for each other.
Resources Jed Williamson, The Accident Matrix in “The Rules of Adventure”, National Geographic Explorer Jan/Feb 2000.
Rick Curtis “Outdoor Safety Management” on outdoored.com.
