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

  • The course is very intense and interesting.

    Sandra Santos

    Founder, Kitesurf Eolis, Tavira, Portugal

  • A game changer to me and my organization, Outward Bound Zimbabwe.

    Normore Chieza

    Professional Outdoor Education Trainee Instructor, Outward Bound Zimbabwe, Chimanimani, Zimbabwe

  • The Viristar team is really passionate about safety in the outdoors–it manifests vividly in their training!

    Shamsiah Ismail

    Director, Bila Bila Odyssey, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

  • I loved the ample opportunities we had to network and collaborate with other outdoor risk management professionals.

    Claire Sutton

    Outdoor Education Program Coordinator, San Francisco Waldorf High School, California, USA

  • Excellent interactive content, Simple to understand and great relatable case studies.

    Muhammad Syafaat

    Programme Executive, InnoTrek Pte Ltd, Singapore

  • Kenny Peavy

    Head of Risk & Safety, Green School Bali & Green Camp Bali, Bali, Indonesia

  • This course breaks the whole risk assessment down into bit size and meaningful thought processes.

    Tony Tan

    Chief Executive Officer, InnoTrek Pte Ltd, Singapore

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

    Lesley Pfeiffer

    Program Supervisor, Sonoma County Regional Parks, California, USA

  • The textbook is a great resource for concepts as well as practical examples you can use for training your staff.

    Mike Lewis

    Founder, General Director, YMCE Group, Beijing, China

  • An extremely useful, important and informative course…gave me the confidence to manage recent overseas trips. Very enjoyable and worthwhile.

    Kelvin Fawcett

    EAL Teacher, Windsor House Tutor, Nord Anglia International School Hong Kong, Hong Kong

  • 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

  • 5 stars! The course highlighted areas that need greater awareness for our program, and how we can improve our approach to safety and risk management.

    Michael Cumes

    Head of Visiting Schools Program, Traidhos Visiting Schools Program, Chiang Mai, Thailand

  • Very well done program and presentation.

    Gil LeFrancois

    Upper School Teacher, Charles Wright Academy, Washington state, USA

  • The meticulously developed materials are well-structured and easy to follow, providing a comprehensive and well-rounded learning journey.

    Aiko Yoshino

    Associate Professor, San Francisco State University, California, USA

  • Calvin Maguu

    Senior Instructor, Outward Bound Vietnam, Cát Hải, Bình Định, Vietnam