One of the resolutions adopted at an Annual General Meeting in 1999 was that each Outward Bound center would have a Safety Committee to oversee risk management of the activities of the center. The intent of the resolution was to: -
During safety reviews the team inquires about how the Safety Committee works and there have been some interesting variations observed. : -
UK
The Safety Committee is chaired by a very prominent individual, Sir Chris
Bonnington – arguably the most successful mountaineer and expedition leader
of recent years. He brings credibility with the public as well as effective
management skills. Other skills on the Safety Committee are a physician with
an interest in medical care in remote settings and a lawyer. The senior staff
of the centers are represented by two people and the independent Safety Manager,
Bob Barton is the convener and organizer of meetings.
USA
Each of the eight OB centers has a board committee that is made up of volunteers.
The Chairman of each committee is a board member but other members need not
be. Staff is not members of the committee but help set the agenda with the
Chairman. Skills typically sought include medical and legal expertise as well
as public relations skills for managing emergency response and media relations.
Some center have mental health professionals on the Safety Committee to support
staff and participants in the event of a major traumatic event and all centers
have resources to provide this support if needed.The National Safety Committee
meets annually to review the work of each Safety Committee and formulate national
policies and areas foundation focus.
Singapore
The Safety Committee is comprised mostly of medical experts. They review
each significant medical incident to look at how effective was the treatment
and how the incident could have been prevented.
Australia
The Safety Committee was almost exclusively made up of operational staff
representing various levels of the organization. This does help get concerns
voiced from the field perspective. The new Board Chairperson is bringing in
outside expertise to ensure that external standards are fully considered and
that the linkages with standard setting bodies are maintained.
Germany
The Safety Committee had become inactive and coordination was bing done by the
center directors meeting periodically with an individual appointed as safety
coordinator for the five centers. Following a recent safety review a new Safety
Committee is being formed, chaired by a Board member, with the following skills:
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·
Medical Doctor
·
Lawyer
·
Risk management specialist
·
Senior Program staff of each Center
·
Activity experts from outside Outward Bound
Several center still are putting together their Safety Committee in response to he recommendation adopted three years ago. Click Here for some helpful Terms of Reference for Safety Committees.
Ian Wade
June 2, 2002