Health, Safety and Wellbeing in Sport and Recreation
The duty-of-care framework
Every worker in sport and recreation shares a legal and ethical duty to keep participants, colleagues and the public safe. Understand the hierarchy of control: eliminate the hazard first, then substitute, engineer, administrate, and use personal protective equipment last. Questions often reward the highest-order control, not the easiest one.
Know the difference between a hazard (a source of harm) and a risk (the likelihood and severity of harm). A wet court is a hazard; the risk depends on traffic, footwear and supervision. The standard risk-management cycle is identify, assess, control, monitor and review.
Traps to watch
- Confusing incident reporting with hazard reporting. Near misses must be recorded even when no one is hurt.
- Assuming a signed waiver removes duty of care. It does not.
- Forgetting informed consent, emergency action plans, first-aid qualifications, and infection control.
- Overlooking wellbeing: hydration, heat stress, concussion protocols, and mental health.
Worked example
A coach notices a loose basketball ring bolt. Rather than warning players to "be careful", the coach closes the court (elimination), reports it, and tags the equipment out of service. This is the correct hierarchy response.
Rule of thumb
If a control relies on people remembering to behave differently, look for a higher-order control first.