Risk Management Planning

New Webinar Training Modules

April 28, 2011

New Webinar Training Modules

Staff training is of critical importance to a successful Campus Recreation operation. In addition to training in various safety protocols (see article in this Newsletter on ‘Developing a Safety Training Grid’), other training modules are needed to address other areas e.g. specific job training, sexual harassment etc..

Have you considered using (pre-recorded) Webinars as a training tool? There are several advantages to using Webinars as a training tool:
*Recorded Webinars are accessible at any time, on any desktop or laptop
*Year-long access to Webinars allow continuous and consistent training of newly hired staff.
*Content is delivered by experts saving staff time in preparing and delivering training material.
*Reasonable cost: less than $100 per Webinar (for a full academic year!)
*Cost effective — eliminates travel costs of bringing in experts to deliver content.

McGregor & Associates have developed 8 new  training Webinars designed to complement your fall/winter training programs. These webinars are strategically organized into 2 distinct Series:
(A) Negligence & Risk Management (B) Sport Clubs and Travel (see below)

In addition, there is a ‘tracking option’ available (for ‘Negligence Awareness Training’ only) which provides confirmation that student training has been successfully completed.

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The Need for a ‘Framework’ to Manage Sport Clubs

April 28, 2011

Ian McGregor, Ph.D.
McGregor & Associates

Across North America, Sport Clubs continue to be a major ‘sweaty palm’ issue for most Campus Recreation departments. Student-run Sport Clubs can provide an excellent learning environment for student leaders. However, from the administrator’s perspective, too many Clubs are just ‘doing their own thing’ with few controls in place to minimize problems. Hence it is all about finding that balance between freedom and control.

Many Sport Clubs operate with a fair degree of autonomy. However, the bottom line (from the Court’s perspective) is that Sport Clubs will likely be deemed to be ‘part of the University’, since they compete regionally and nationally as a ‘University’ team. Therefore the University will likely be held responsible for Sport Club activities (as these relate to practice and competition as well as travel, fund raising, social activities, etc.). Hence it is important that Campus Recreation departments effectively manage Sport Clubs to ensure that (a) the risk of participant injury is minimized and (b) a costly lawsuit is avoided.

The solution is to implement a ‘framework’ for managing Sport Clubs which provides flexibility on how to implement various Sport Clubs policies and procedures, yet incorporates some ‘bottom-line’ or ‘non-negotiable’ requirements which need to be followed by Sport Clubs.

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Summer Camps Checklist

April 10, 2011

Ian McGregor, Ph.D.
President, McGregor & Associates

Since Summer Camps participants are minors, these unique programs should automatically be classified as ‘high-risk’. Since the standard of care for minors is very high (the reasonable parent test), program planners need to pay extra attention and sound risk management principles incorporated into all planning efforts.

The following checklist is designed to alert professionals to the key risk management areas that need to be addressed when planning a Summer Camps program. For more detail in each of the identified areas, consult the new text: ‘SportRisk: Risk Management Planning Resource’ .

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Working with the Risk Manager

April 08, 2011

Joe Risser CPCU, ARM-P
Director, Risk Management
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Risk Managers are often viewed as ‘the person who says no’ in the organization since they are expected to protect the organization from liability or other losses. Traditionally however, the role of the Risk Manager is to advise and assist those responsible for the operations, programs and activities of an organization in their efforts to manage risk. Ultimately, the organization’s chief executive and managers have the responsibility and authority to protect the organization, employees, customers and the community from losses.

Risks that can result in losses include (but are not limited to): loss of a building or other facility to fire or flood; injury of an employee to the degree they cannot perform their job, short term or long term; injury to a customer and/or damage to another person’s property resulting in a claim and/or litigation. Ultimately a judgment could be rendered which may adversely affect the organization (court expenses, order to pay medical expenses, restitution, life long disability or loss of earnings), and result in significant if not severe financial loss for any organization.

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Creating a ‘Student Risk Manager’ position

April 08, 2011

Cary Primeau
Recreation Coordinator
University of Saskatchewan

As recreation professionals, we all have risk management on our radar – among other duties that our busy jobs entail. Unfortunately, we cannot be all things to all people and often important risk management issues or initiatives fall by the wayside. Rather than lose sight of these important initiatives and day-to-day tasks, effective delegation becomes the key.

Like most Campus Recreation programs, the majority of programming occurs at times when our office is closed, i.e. after the regular office day. Hence at the University of Saskatchewan, a ‘Student Risk Manager’ position has been created which essentially acts as the liaison between what happens in the regular operation of programs, games and other events and the managers of those programs in the office. The Student Risk Manager reports directly to the Facility Manager (who is also the chair of the department’s Risk Management Committee) completing the loop of information-sharing among all programs.

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Risk Management in Action

April 08, 2011

Five Elements for Successful Red Manikin Drill Implementation

Lori K. Miller, Ed.D., J.D.
Sport Law Professor
Sport Management Department
Wichita State University

Shelley C. Rich, M. Ed.
Associate Director of Programs
Aquatics and Risk Management
Wichita State University

Introduction

Recreation literature contains abundant publications addressing risk management and related topics, e.g., risk management plan design, training, implementation, evaluation, and refinement. Similarly, risk management topics often dominate recreational personnel discussions, e.g., meeting agendas, security considerations. However, the actual implementation, staff training, evaluation, and resultant policy modifications often present challenging dilemmas for recreational administrators confronted with risk management responsibilities. This article illustrates an effective risk management practice, i.e., the Red Manikin Drill, that can be adopted and implemented by campus recreation departments desiring to enhance their staff’s response and rescue effectiveness. Five areas important to the Drill’s short- and long-term success are identified below.

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