Summer is the busiest season for outdoor adventure programs and with increased programming, there will be injuries, Rick Braschler of Kanakuk Kamps writes about how to handle staff-related injuries in his presentation from the 2010 Wilderness Risk Management Conference.

In looking at staff injuries for any organization, it is imperative to understand the three basic tracks that make up a staff injury claim. I refer to these as tracks due to the fact that while an injury results from one basic event, the claims process launches three different processes all traveling simultaneously down a track toward a common end. These tracks are represented as the Staff Management Track (SMT), Reporting Scheme Track (RST), and the Claims Administration Track (CAT). Let’s take a closer look at each track identifying key players and processes. Never send a staff person home to receive medical care on their own without first notifying your claims administrator. The minute they get hurt, the clock is ticking on your financial obligation.

Reprinted on OutdoorEd.com with permission from the author - Rick Braschler. May not be reproduced in any form without direct written permission from the author.