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Touchline • Issue 16 • 45
Identify the risks before we begin an activity - Is our
car safe to drive to work each day? Does our airline
have a good safety record? Is the sporting field we
play on safe from unnecessary hazards? Is the place
we are going to for our holiday a safe place to go to
at this time of the year?
Assess the risks that have been identified -The
playing surface of my footy ground is uneven and has
pot holes in it. It is foolish to go camping in northern
Australia in the cyclone season. The steps leading into
my workplace are not highlighted so someone may
suffer a trip of fall.
Eliminate or control the identified risks - Get the club
to resurface the ground where your sport is played.
Ask for signs to be put up indicating dangerous areas.
The little examples listed after each of the above are by no
means extensive and a good organisation should dedicate
time to compiling as many situations as possible, this being a
precursor to a risk management policy.
I read recently of a local council which had removed a number
of large pine trees from behind the goals at a local football
club. The removal of the trees may well have been necessary
as they were old and there had been some evidence of broken
limbs in recent heavy weather. However the trees gave a form
of protection from footballs being kicked through the goals
and into neighbouring houses and causing property damage.
Good risk management would suggest that it is important to
remove the trees as they were becoming a potential dangerous
situation but also address the exposure of a further risk
(damage to property) resulting from this action.
A recent court decision saw an adventure company fined
over the death of a teacher, who got caught in a rip and
drowned after suffering a heart attack whilst participating in
a snorkelling activity with his students as one of the activities
run by the adventure company. The judge acknowledged that
the company did not deliberately ignore safety standards but
should have, and could have, assessed the risks associated with
the activity. For example, were the water conditions checked so
all were not exposed to unnecessary risk, were the swimming
abilities of the group assessed to ensure they could cope
with the requirements of the activity and was there safety
equipment on hand to assist those in need?
The judge’s closing comments in this particular case illustrate
what all administrators, sports executives and those in charge
of running workplaces and activities for others need to be
mindful of, when he said;
“The events of this case (and others like it) will have been a
salutary reminder of the need to assess risks.”
There is a growing recognition of the value of professional
risk management services in all walks of life. Many insurers
insist on risk management reports prior to providing cover for
property risks or for liability policies and VRA is completing
more and more risk assessments for local councils and sporting
clubs who see the value of having the properties used by the
public independently assessed. They recognise that this is
essential for the ongoing process of improving properties and
public areas, making them safer for all. The message is getting
through but, whilst it is important that we strive to minimise
risk as much as we can, we will never completely eliminate it.
So, don’t forget to check out the weather forecasts when you
next go on that camping expedition!
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