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.

Buy Now

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

  • Crystal Hudelson

    Director of Rock Instruction, Climbers of Color, Washington state, USA

  • An essential for anyone working in the field.

    Marian Anghel

    Managing Director of Rucksack Mountain School, UIMLA Vice President, Asociaţia de Educaţie şi Cultură Outdoor Romania, Brasov, Romania

  • Viristar’s Risk Management for Outdoor Programs course was a true game-changer for me.

    Thinuwan Gayantha Nanayakkara

    Freelance Outdoor Educator, Alpha Experiential, Rajagiriya, Sri Lanka

  • 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

  • Very practical textbook that provides rationales behind each theory.

    Bill Feng

    Senior Manager of Operations, Keru Knowledge, Shanghai, China

  • Well written textbook, with focused, understandable content.

    Lanny Donde

    Outdoor Education Teacher, Calgary Academy, Alberta, Canada

  • Overall a must do course for all outdoor risk managers.

    Sebastian Wong

    Campus Health & Safety Specialist, Singapore American School, Singapore

  • The sessions were interactive and useful.

    Kamaran Rasul

    Director, Hawraz Climbing Organization, Iraq

  • The material was very thought provoking, giving insights into the short falls of our own organization.

    Wayne King

    Experiential & Service Learning Coordinator, International School of Beijing, Beijing, China

  • [Viristar’s Risk Management for Outdoor Programs textbook is] amazingly helpful.

    Lesley Pfeiffer

    Program Supervisor, Sonoma County Regional Parks, California, USA

  • Viristar’s Risk Management Review of our program was very comprehensive and will allow us to improve health and safety…very professional and helpful.

    Natalie DiNenno

    Executive Director, Klamath Outdoor Science School, Oregon, USA

  • Invaluable.

    Christina Shores

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

  • A great foundation for anyone looking to understand risk management, or someone tasked with managing risks in an organization.

    Dave Acton

    Chief Executive Officer, OrcaNation, Singapore

  • Awesome textbook by Viristar–clear and detailed.

    Ira Christian

    Director of Outdoor Studies, Manzanita School and Institute, California, USA

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

    Wenqi Xu

    Associate Professor, Wuhan Sports University, Georgia, USA