Risk Management

• Create Chief Instructor position
• Enhance climbing instructor’s rescue training
• Offer annual faculty meetings

Photo: Rainbow Weinstock

We will continue to promote the health and well-being of NOLS students and staff by managing the risks related to participation on extended wilderness education expeditions and to be the leading source and teacher of risk management practices in wilderness education. It is our goal to have no fatalities or disabling injuries.

NOLS students and staff interact with the natural environment and each other while pursuing adventurous activities in remote wilderness environments. This interaction presents hazards and associated risks, both physical and emotional, that are a vital element of a NOLS education. Our management of these risks is designed to balance the need to achieve our educational goals and prevent injury and illness while acknowledging that it is not possible to ensure absolute safety.

Risk management is emphasized by senior leadership and is a priority of all employees. We have a robust risk management program that enables our field courses to be successful. Key elements of this program include 1) the NOLS curriculum and pedagogy, which have been developed over four decades and is continually refined, 2) well-established field practices for conducting activities and managing risk exemplified by the NOLS Accepted Field Practices, a system that informs and supports field instructor judgment, enabling them to make appropriate decisions, 3) a vigorous field instructor performance assessment system that develops competency through feedback and skills training and enables the selection and hiring of field instructors that are the most appropriate for a particular position, course type, or location, 4) exceptional program support structure that provides equipment, food, transportation, and emergency response and management systems, and 5) an extensive incident collection and review process to facilitate and promote organizational learning.

Further Goals and Tactics
1. Pursuant to the Risk Reduction Agreement with United Educators Insurance Company, we will enhance NOLS climbing instructor training in rescue skills.

2. Improve communication and enhance supervisory competency by holding annual faculty meetings.

3. Continually improve the program supervisor meeting and increase and report the percent of program supervisors who participate in a meeting within the two proceeding years.

4. Create a chief instructor position to provide focused attention on selected skill areas. The concept is one position held by one person for two years to focus on one area and then a different person would be hired for another two-year term to focus on a different skill area.

5. Evaluate and adopt current and emerging electronic communication technology for use during field emergencies pursuant to our established position statement.

6. Continue accreditation with the Association for Experiential Education.

7. Improve our process for writing and revising our Educator Notebook series of publications.