Risk is inherent in travel and study abroad. While risk cannot be eliminated, it can be appropriately managed. This page is a resource for program providers, administrators, professors and others traveling with or leading groups abroad.

The materials and suggestions below are offered to the international study abroad community for use under a Creative Commons License.  That means you are free to use and modify the materials as appropriate. Where possible please note the origin, but we recognize that a lot of good ideas can — and should — spread naturally.  So use these ideas freely, and share them freely.

The focus here is on practical advice, not theory.  We are also assuming that you already have your institutional risk management taken care of, with appropriate oversight, waivers, legal issues, etc., already figured out and implemented.

What is Risk? Some Key Definitions

Drawing on multiple sources, but primarily from the wilderness and mountaineering literature on risk management and accidents, these are some of the key risk management principles we use to plan ISDSI Expedition Field Courses, as well as in our training of staff, students, and others.

Risk

Risk isn’t random. It cannot be eliminated but it can be managed.

The formula for calculating risk is as follows:

R = T x P x S

• R — “Risk” is the chance of loosing something valuable to us (health, life, property)
• T — “Time” is the duration of the activity/event, or the number of times it is repeated
• P — “Probability” is the chance (certain, high, medium, low or none) of something happening
• S — “Severity” is how bad it will be if something happens (e.g. a bruise v. fatality)

It is the combination of T, P and S that you calculate to determine risk. To lower the risk, you lower one or more of the variables (T, P or S). If you cannot lower one of them, you may be able to lower one or more of the other ones.

How do we do this every day? Think about driving a car:

• What does wearing a seatbelt do? (reduction in “S/severity” in case of an accident)
• Why do you slow down on wet or icy roads? (reduce “P/probability” to avoid having an accident)
• Why are long road trips dangerous when the driver gets tired (high “T/time” value makes an accident more likely)

Hazards

A hazard is a source of potential harm. Avoiding / managing hazards requires knowing which type you are dealing with.

Subjective vs. Objective Hazards

Subjective – self and decisions made / internal — this can be the result of ignorance, poor training, etc.

Objective – external and environment — some environments can be managed to reduce hazards, some cannot.

Think about driving:

• Driving drunk — high subjective hazard / driving sober — low subjective hazard
• Driving on icy road in the dark — high objective hazards / dry road in daylight — low objective hazards

Non-Event Feedback

Non-event feedback is a form of negative feedback that can lead to reinforcing risky behavior and choices. Sometimes a poor choice or high risk activity does not result in a poor outcome. This non-event gives the practitioner false feedback about the safety/risk of the activity. For example, crossing a slope with a high risk of avalanche but not encountering an avalanche does not mean the slope and conditions were safe. Essentially, you got lucky.

The Funnel

Originally used to analyze accidents, the principle of the funnel is that a sequence of initial choices can determine the outcome.

As we move forward in an event or chain of events, we often will have fewer and fewer choices. The goal is to maximize choices (staying at the top of the funnel).

• Early decisions can impact and constrain later decisions.
• “Moving down the funnel” can potentially make a poor outcome more likely to happen eventually making it almost inevitable.
• Choices can move us UP or DOWN the funnel—giving either more or fewer options.

Think about driving:

• Forgetting to change worn out tires before a trip (choice one) means that if you encounter poor road surfaces (objective hazard) you will have less control. Continuing to drive in poor conditions (choice two) makes an accident more likely (etc.).

Key issues in Practical Risk Management

Assumptions

• You already have institutional risk management taken care of — you’re on the same page organizationally
• You have a good program release with appropriate disclosure of actual risks — your legal side is covered
• You have good communication / oversight of institutional and partner programs

What works in the real world

• Study abroad is changing from the “grand tour” origins to more inquiry based learning. This changes the landscape of risk.
• There are LOTS of services and options out there — not all of them work and some of them are a waste of time and money. Be sure to understand what an emergency response service can and cannot do in a real emergency!
• “Retro vetting” — checking on everything you do as you do it and recording it — is a powerful way to record that you are checking on transportation, etc. as you go along. KEEP RECORDS AND WRITE IT DOWN.  If you’ve used a bus service for 10 years safely, you need to show you’ve done that and have records or entries in a log to prove it. Keep them simple!

Mental health

This is becoming a bigger issue and needs to be thoughtfully worked through in terms of what you can realistically do as an organization.  Think through the following:

• Screening
• Policies/Essential Eligibility Criteria
• On Program – Triage
• Serious: Evacuate
• Manageable with assistance
• Home & Local Resources
• Staff training
• Emotional First Aid

Institutional needs

• Evaluate risk realistically — what ACTUALLY happens?
• Create specific checklists and templates for responses and conversations — take good notes
• Assign roles in advance of an emergency
• Be sure other departments are on-board in advance (adminstration, campus police, etc.)
• Document what is important and require it
• Review and update forms/applications/etc. regularly
• Track what you are doing and refer to it
• Don’t collect information you don’t need
• Make sure access is controlled — you have access when you need it, but it is still protected

Emergency response

• Have a written plan
• Practice it
• Revise it
• Document it
• Make sure all the people involved understand it and can implement it

Program/field practices

• Good communication and trust with sending institutions
• Link / coordinate paperwork and emergency response
• Appropriate training for staff (WFR / technical skills, etc.)
• Screen participants once they arrive (intake interview) to make sure you have accurate information
• Document appropriately
• Set clear and consistent (and enforceable) policies
• Written protocols for all activities AND briefings
• Local knowledge is critical but can be limited or incorrect
• Work with people with domain knowledge
• Set up training and assessment to mitigate risk
• Don’t get sucked into just focusing on worse-case scenarios
• Keep records to identify actual issues

Program Evaluation

• Acknowledge inherent positive student bias to a program but take into account individual bias based on effort
• Work with trusted local experts with solid bi-cultural skills
• What community impact assessment / awareness is there?
• How transparent is the organization/provider/leader?
• What does the Consulate/NGOs/other organizations know?
• How well-connected / fluent / aware are you local contacts?

First Aid/Medical

• Train to an appropriate level
• Don’t carry what you aren’t trained to use
• Have a trusted medical advisor on call
• Have written protocols that everyone knows
• Recon/advance plans for emergencies

Gear (what really works)

• Look to the outdoor industry and expeditions into remote areas
• InReach Satellite communicators pair with your smart phone and can send/receive messages anywhere in the world — and there is less ambiguity than with voice communication
• Equip students with phones if you can, but make sure the SIM cards work in the country you are in!
• Apps (WhatsApp, Skype, etc.) allow communication over WiFi — but you have to install them first.  Get that sorted before you leave.
• Plan on all your gear breaking and what you’ll do if the cell phone networks go down, you loose power, etc. Natural disasters or terrorist attacks will tend to knock out communications first — so prepare for that.