Fatality Prevention Workshop

Who is this for?

The workshop is aimed at a wide range of people involved in the provision of outdoor education, from Board members to EOTC co-ordinators and instructional staff. This is because Fatality Prevention is best achieved by ‘defence in depth’ – it is a shared responsibility across an organisation.

Overview of Workshop

Fortunately the vast majority of outdoor educators will never encounter a fatality so cannot rely on personal experience to understand how fatalities might be prevented. When a death occurs it is often assumed that it was due to a freak accident. However analysis reveals that “few OE deaths prove to be caused by misfortune alone. Most involve failures to learn from the past” (Andrew Brookes). In order to learn from the past we will review coroner’s reports of previous fatalities that have occurred in New Zealand. The purpose of this workshop is to highlight how developing a Fatality Prevention Mindset is possible, and will help you to become more competent in Fatality Prevention. Developing a Fatality Prevention Mindset requires us to look to the past with understanding and compassion, and to the future with rigour and vigilance.

Upon completion of this workshop you should be able to:Demonstrate knowledge of Fatality Prevention principles and how these apply in outdoor education contexts

1. Access and analyse case studies to identify measures to prevent an outdoor education fatality
2. Critically review an outdoor program, or a specific activity, and identify the level of alignment with Fatality Prevention principles

Format

The workshop consists of several components. Firstly, a brief overview of the relevant literature and an outline of the three foundations of Fatality Prevention is presented. The second component involves group work where case studies of New Zealand incidents are reviewed. These case studies are based on Coroners’ reports or investigations by government agencies (e.g., Work Safe or Maritime NZ).  Groups then report back on their learnings from these cases and spend time focusing on how this knowledge can inform their practice. 

Please note: The case studies are based on Coroner’s reports or other investigations by statutory authorities. These are reports on real incidents that have occurred in New Zealand.

How long is the Workshop

The workshop runs over 6 hours. Attendees are requested to complete a pre-reading prior to the workshop which will be sent out in the week prior.

How do I find out about a workshop or I would like to host a workshop?

DATES & LOCATIONS

We have several events lined up in 2024 as below

• AUCKLAND SOUTH - 15th May
• HAMILTON - 26th June
• TAURANGA - 10th June
• NELSON - 11th July
• CHRISTCHURCH - 10th July
• DUNEDIN - 5th July

Coming soon WELLINGTON 

You can book for these events on our website events page now.

Please contact Jo Hayes admin@eonz.org.nz at EONZ if you wish to host an event in your area.