Textbook

Risk Management for Outdoor Programs: A Guide to Safety in Outdoor Education, Recreation and Adventure

The acclaimed textbook Risk Management for Outdoor Programs: A Guide to Safety in Outdoor Education, Recreation and Adventure is available for purchase in paperback and eBook format.

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Your outdoor, experiential or travel program provides fun, personal growth, adventure. It changes lives. But are your safety systems up to standards? If something happens, are you prepared to respond?


Risk Management for Outdoor Programs: A Guide to Safety in Outdoor Education, Recreation and Adventure provides essential knowledge for any adventure or outdoor professional. Program managers, executives, volunteers and group leaders will learn critical approaches and strategies for successfully anticipating and addressing risks.

Packed with real-life stories, current research findings, and good practice guidance, Risk Management for Outdoor Programs: a Guide to Safety in Outdoor Education, Recreation and Adventure gives expert advice on:

  • Approaches to Risk Management
  • Standards
  • Legal Considerations
  • Safety Culture
  • Activities and Program Areas
  • Staff
  • Equipment
  • Participants
  • Subcontractors
  • Transportation
  • Business Administration
  • Risk Transfer
  • Incident Management
  • Incident Reporting
  • Incident Reviews
  • Risk Management Committee
  • Medical Screening
  • Risk Management Reviews
  • Media Relations
  • Documentation
  • Accreditation
  • Seeing Systems

Use the button below to download a 15-page sample of the book, including Contents, Preface, and Introduction.

Download sample

Price: ‎USD 59

Author: Jeff A. Baierlein
Publisher: ‎Viristar (March 21, 2019)
Sold by: Amazon

Language: English

Paperback
Length: 218 pages
Item Weight: ‎ .75 kg | 1.65 pounds
Dimensions: ‎ 21.6 x 1.4 x 28 cm | 8.5 x 0.54 x 11 inches
ISBN-10: 1733349111
ISBN-13: 978-1733349116
OCLC Number: 1273556703

eBook

The e-book edition, a Kindle e-book download, is available for virtually all devices, including

Android, iPhone, tablets, Mac and PC, with the free Kindle app.

Features of this print replica edition include:

  • Notes and highlights
  • Search, copy and paste
  • Zoom and pan
  • Pop-out linked table-of-contents
  • Page numbers matching print edition

Risk Management for Outdoor Programs: A Guide to Safety in Outdoor Education, Recreation and Adventure is used in university classrooms, educational travel programs, adventure tourism operations, search and rescue, adventure centers, outdoor education and forest schools, camps, wilderness therapy programs, park and recreation settings, and more.

About the Author

Jeff Baierlein (he/him) is the director of the consultancy Viristar, providing safety, curriculum, and strategy services to outdoor, adventure, travel, and experiential programs worldwide.

Jeff began working as an outdoor and adventure professional in 1987.  He has over 1000 field days leading mountaineering, sailing, whitewater and flatwater canoeing, backpacking, whitewater and sea kayaking, rock climbing, canyoning and caving expeditions up to three months in length. 

Jeff is the former Executive Director of Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School and of the Boojum Institute for Experiential Education. He has worked as an EMT and on Search and Rescue teams, leading rescues in North America and Asia.

Jeff has provided risk management reviews, expert witness services, incident reviews, and safety trainings for organizations in over 60 countries in Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, South America, and Africa.

Jeff lives on the traditional lands of the Coast Salish people in Seattle, Washington, USA.

Testimonials

  • Very thought provoking…you come away with a concrete, actionable plan that will help you develop risk management further within your organization.

    Roisin Pearson

    Deputy Head, Safeguarding & Well-being Education Specialist, British School Manila, Manila, Philippines

  • Invaluable.

    Christina Shores

    Adventure Education Coordinator, Renaissance Secondary School, Castle Rock, Colorado USA

  • It was great to have a variety of experience and perspectives that made for some great discussions.

    Jen Siliko

    Outdoor Pursuit Center Director, Miami University, Ohio, USA

  • The training was set up for the participants to succeed. The resources were really useful.

    Alexander Vasarab

    Owner and Guide, Wylark Mountaineering, Oregon, USA

  • Great training that gave me the opportunity to look at risk assessment with a common sense lens.

    Jeff Koops

    Athletic Director, British International School of Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Malaysia

  • Alexandra Alabastro

    Outdoor Educator, JUMP! Foundation, Manila, Philippines

  • Every outdoor program company should enroll their leaders in this. Excellent course!

    Dr. Kishore Dogra

    Director, Adventure 1 Zone, Maharashtra, India

  • Comprehensive in value-adding to my risk management knowledge.

    Boo Hui Wen

    Senior Instructor, Outward Bound Singapore, Singapore

  • An in-depth resource which can support risk management.

    Jake Hammond

    Head of Outdoor Education, Australian International School, Singapore

  • The textbook was easy to read, logically set out, and well-illustrated with real-life examples.

    Fiona McDonald

    Chief Executive Officer, Education Outdoors New Zealand, Christchurch, New Zealand

  • A well developed and comprehensive approach to risk management…engaging and effective.

    Dylan Harry

    Science Teacher, Outdoor Program Director, Fryeburg Academy, Maine, USA

  • This is the most immersive and rewarding risk management course I’ve ever taken.

    Wenqi Xu

    Associate Professor, Wuhan Sports University, Georgia, USA

  • [Viristar’s Risk Management for Outdoor Programs textbook is] very comprehensive, well laid out, easy to follow, and has excellent content and useful examples.

    Paul Delane

    Head of Outdoor Education, Sacred Heart College, Sorrento, Western Australia

  • Excellent curriculum based on well researched, evidence based, current, up to date content.

    Lanny Donde

    Outdoor Education Teacher, Calgary Academy, Alberta, Canada

  • Mariya Georgieva

    Program Coordinator, Outward Bound Vietnam, Cát Hải, Bình Định Province, Vietnam