Gym.Net The Gymnastics Prfessinal s Netwrk Gymnastics Safety and Risk Management Audits Risk management has always been a key issue fr the Gymnastics industry t address. Hwever, with recent events surrunding matters related t the insurance industry, risk management is nw pssibly the mst imprtant issue facing ur industry. Demnstrating gd risk management practices has been prven t reduce the number and severity f Gymnastics related injuries and may assist in reducing the number f negligence claims made against the sprt. Everyne deals cnstantly with a variety f ptential risks n a daily basis. Just by getting int the car t drive smewhere we face the pssibility f injury t urselves r thers, and financial lss if we break the law speeding t ur destinatin r if we damage ur car. Smehw, amng these and ther risks, we manage t cntinue with ur lives. Risk is nt smething we can avid cmpletely, but it is smething we can manage. Risk is nt smething we even want t eliminate, risk makes life exciting. Hazards n the ther hand must be eliminated in rder t reduce the pssibility f catastrphic injury. Participants invlved in Gymnastics activities cannt be expected t accept injuries as part f their chsen pastime, and individuals and rganizatins prviding these pprtunities must take actin t prevent things ging wrng. There is an enrmus amunt f infrmatin available n safety, risk management, legal and insurance issues, and the task f develping a risk management plan can seem daunting. Many individuals and rganizatins chse t ignre reality and hpe it is an issue they will never have t deal with. Unfrtunately ignrance is nt an excuse and this psitin culd prve cstly in the lng term. Smething as simple as failing t warn the participant f a risk f injury, even thugh the risk might be small, culd be a breach f yur legal duty and place yur rganizatin at risk f a negligence claim. A risk is any expsure t ptential lss r damage that can impact n yur rganizatin. Risk management is just systematically identifying threats (risks) t yur rganizatin and develping ways t minimize thse ccurring. Yu are already practicing risk management t sme degree, but it is imprtant that yu frmalize what yu d. Risk management invlves develping a system f plicies, systems and prcedures. Yu cannt eliminate all risks, but yu can manage them apprpriately. Risk management needs t becme a part f the culture f yur rganizatin, rather than being seen as smething separate. Even if the prcess used is infrmal, it shuld be dcumented and based n a knwn system. Risks can generally be gruped under fur headings: 1. Physical - injury r damage t persns r prperty 2. Legal - breaching legal bligatins 3. Mral / Ethical - harm t yur rganizatin s reputatin 4. Financial - lss f assets f the rganizatin Sme examples f risks include: Insufficient qualificatin f staff Equipment failure Michael Taylr cacht@gym.net
Gym.Net The Gymnastics Prfessinal s Netwrk Attracting t many participants fr an event Discriminatin r harassment Injury t a staff member, spectatr r participant Negative publicity Damage t the envirnment Lss f prperty Hw d yu manage risk? There are three main stages in risk management namely: identificatin, assessment and treatment. A safety and risk management audit can assist yu t wrk thrugh these stages by fllwing a simple ten step prcess t develping a risk management plan. In summary, the ten steps t develp a risk management plan are: 1. Make a cmmitment as an rganizatin t risk management. 2. Identify all hazards and pssible risks. 3. Assess the level f each risk. 4. Decide t accept r manage each risk. 5. Determine management ptins fr all unacceptable risks. 6. Frmalize yur risk management actin plan. 7. Implement yur management ptins. 8. Cmmunicate infrmatin t everyne affected. 9. Review yur risk management actin plan n a regular basis. 10. Identify any new risks and update yur plan. Audits are useful tls as a starting pint t identify risks. Hwever they are nt definitive and each rganizatin will have issues that are specific t them that must be cnsidered. An example f the srts questins yu might find in an audit include: Des yur Bard r staff meet regularly with all decisins and actins dcumented? Is the annual reprt r meeting minutes circulated t all members? Are all financial transactins accurately recrded? Des the rganizatin have the fllwing insurance cverage - public liability, prfessinal indemnity and directr's and fficer's liability? Are yur rules, by-laws and practices nn-discriminatry? D yu have a clear plan fr the future that describes what yu want t d and hw yu are ging t d it? Have yu cnsidered the health and safety f everyne in the rganizatin and d yu meet OHSA regulatins? D all caches/instructrs/leaders have apprpriate, current accreditatin? Michael Taylr cacht@gym.net
Gym.Net The Gymnastics Prfessinal s Netwrk Des staff receive regular nging training t keep up t date n Gymnastics standards? D yu cnduct risk assessments n all prgrams, activities and events? Is there a clear prcedure fr reprting accidents/injuries? Hw did yu d? Culd yu answer YES fr each f these? If nt there may sme issues here yu need t address. But there may als be thers. T arrange fr yur Gym.Net Safety and Risk Management Audit and access mre cmprehensive tls n hw t assess these risks and implement a plan t treat them, cntact us at cacht@gym.net r call 650.325.3155. The Gym.Net Safety and Risk Management Audit T assist rganizatins in identifying risks rather than wait fr a disaster, prgressive rganizatins are nw shifting t a culture f cntinuus imprvement and using safety audits as a tl t guide their directin in risk management. A Gym.Net Gymnastics Safety and Risk Management Audit is a systematic and critical examinatin f the key risks and safety areas in an rganizatin. We utilize n-site inspectins and interviews as a diagnstic tl which will disclse an rganizatin s strengths, weaknesses and main areas f vulnerability t risk. It is clear that all Gymnastics rganizatins are subject t ptential liabilities simply as a result f what they d. A Gym.Net Gymnastics Safety and Risk Management Audit aims t give yu the basic infrmatin t help yu understand what yu need t d t manage risk and why. By being aware f what thse liabilities are and adpting the risk management practices and btaining apprpriate insurance, rganizatins can g a lng way twards reducing the likelihd f thse liabilities ccurring. The audit has been designed t demystify the prcess f risk management and was develped n the premise that within Gymnastics rganizatins there is limited expertise in the area f risk management. This resurce will nt prvide yu with a slutin t every pssible situatin, but it will, in simple terms, explain risk management and assist yur rganizatin t develp a prcess t identify, assess and manage risk. The audit reprt is meant t be a detailed "hw t" manual, but als prvides an intrductry guide with references t ther resurces which yu can access depending upn yur needs. There is n single slutin that wrks fr all rganizatins. Every Gymnastics rganizatin will need t develp a custmized slutin that meets its particular needs and circumstances. This audit shuld help direct yu n yur way, t assist in determining the prcess yu need t fllw t identify, assess and manage risk. Fees and Rates Slutin analysis prjects (business evaluatin) and risk management prjects (Safety and Risk Management Audits) are bid and billed based n the prject s scpe. Prices range typically between $600 and $8,000 depending upn the prject. Gym.Net charges $150 per hur fr all research, reprt r depsitin reading and travel time. Michael Taylr cacht@gym.net
Gym.Net The Gymnastics Prfessinal s Netwrk Gym.Net charges $175 per hur fr depsitin r expert witness reprt writing and trial testimny. Gym.Net can be retained at a daily rate. This rate is $800 per day fr nn-prfit rganizatins and $1,000 fr all ther clients (excluding trial wrk r depsitins) plus expenses. If an executive reprt takes lnger than the eight (8) hur day t cmplete, each additinal hur will be billed at $75.00 per hur. Clients wishing t retain Gym.Net n a full-time basis can purchase a ne-year plan. Fr a yearly fee f $2,000 a client receives 20 hurs a year f ptential service fr research, surveying, writing, r investigatin. Any hurs ver 20 hurs are billed at $125 per hur (excluding trial wrk r depsitins). Any unused hurs are extinguished at the end f the 12 mnth perid frm the cntract executin date if nt utilized. Hwever, if a client renews their ne year cntract the hurs are carried ver t the next year. The fllwing represent a brief sampling f the types f services Gym.Net has prvided ver the years. Assisted a natinal yuth sprt assciatin in develping a cmprehensive natinwide cach s educatin prgram. Prvided expert testimny in a number f Gymnastics injury lawsuits sme n behalf f the plaintiff and thers representing the defense. Assisted a natinal yuth sprt assciatin in cnducting a cmprehensive natinwide sprt parent educatin prgram. Cmpleted a cmprehensive playgrund inspectin audit fr a majr University child care peratin, which determined that their existing playgrund presented a significant liability risk. Assisted several yuth sprt rganizatins in develping apprpriate respnses t deal with ADA cncerns, emplyee miscnduct, and caching educatin. Cnducted a large scale analysis n the entire Gymnastics peratin fr a majr Califrnia city that resulted in that City re-emphasizing their recreatinal Gymnastics prgram and increasing enrllment substantially. Develped cmprehensive emplyee manuals, incident reprting prcedures, and risk management guidelines fr several majr park and recreatin departments. Undertake cmprehensive schl audits examining life safety, fire cde, and general risk management cncerns. Qualificatins / Curriculum Vitae (mdified) Michael Taylr has gymnastics experience since 1968 as a cmpetitr, cach, judge, club wner, directr, recreatinal athlete and administratr, I am currently a Senir Recreatin Supervisr fr the Cmmunity Services Department f the City f Menl Park in Menl Park, CA. My immediate duties include supervising the 1700 student Gymnastics prgram. I have been a Natinal Safety Instructr fr USA Gymnastics (USAG), the fficial Olympic and Natinal gverning bdy fr the sprt f Gymnastics, since 1992. I als serve USAG as a member f the Natinal Safety / Risk Management Review Bard and the Natinal PreSchl Advisry Cmmittee. I am a Prfessinal Develpment Certificatin Prgrams Instructr, a Kinder Accreditatin Teacher and Mvement Educatin Develpment Curse Instructr. I have presented seminars at the USAG Natinal Cngress n tpics that included Safety in the Gym fr Class Instructrs, Setting up yur PreSchl Gym Safely, and Partner Parents amng Michael Taylr cacht@gym.net
Gym.Net The Gymnastics Prfessinal s Netwrk thers. I am an active member f the United States Elite Caches Assciatin (USECA) and publish featured mnthly articles in the USECA Newsletter. I am a regular clinician / presenter at the USAG Regin 1 Cngress and have presented wrkshps and seminars at the Califrnia Parks and Recreatin Sciety Bay Area Institute. I have published articles in USAG Technique Magazine and in USA Gymnast Magazine n The Benefits f Gymnastics, The Cde f Pints fr Marketing, and Psitive Caching amng thers. I am a featured clumnist n the USA Gymnastics Online website (www.usagymnastics.rg). I am CPR / First Aid / Sprt Safety Certifier fr the American Red Crss, a Natinal Assciatin fr Sprt & Physical Educatin member and an American Alliance fr Health, Physical Educatin, and Dance member. I have been a Caching Principles Curse Instructr fr the American Sprt Educatin Prgram since 1981 and am an Instructr fr the Stanfrd University based Psitive Caching Alliance. I am a Certified Pl Operatr and a licensed Natinal Playgrund Safety Inspectr. Michael Taylr cacht@gym.net