NRPA Risk Management & Mitigation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which document formally outlines how a parks and recreation agency will identify, assess, and respond to potential risks?
- Operational procedures manual
- Risk management plan (Correct answer)
- Emergency action plan
- Strategic master plan
Correct answer: Risk management plan
A risk management plan is the formal document that establishes the agency's systematic approach to identifying, assessing, and addressing potential risks.
Question 2: In risk management, what does 'transfer of risk' typically involve in a parks and recreation context?
- Eliminating a hazardous activity entirely
- Requiring participants to purchase liability insurance or sign waivers (Correct answer)
- Training staff to reduce incident likelihood
- Installing safety barriers around hazards
Correct answer: Requiring participants to purchase liability insurance or sign waivers
Risk transfer shifts the financial or legal burden of a risk to another party, commonly through participant waivers, insurance requirements, or contracts with third-party vendors.
Question 3: A recreation center notices that its swimming pool drain covers are outdated and do not meet Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act standards. What is the appropriate immediate risk management action?
- Post warning signs near the drain
- Close the pool until compliant covers are installed (Correct answer)
- Increase lifeguard supervision during open hours
- Add drain covers to the next fiscal year's budget
Correct answer: Close the pool until compliant covers are installed
Non-compliant drain covers create a serious entrapment hazard, requiring pool closure until compliant covers are installed to meet federal safety standards.
Question 4: Which type of risk assessment tool uses a two-axis grid to plot the likelihood and severity of potential incidents?
- SWOT analysis
- Risk matrix (Correct answer)
- Fault tree analysis
- Job hazard analysis
Correct answer: Risk matrix
A risk matrix (also called a probability-impact matrix) plots likelihood on one axis and severity on another to prioritize risks visually.
Question 5: An aquatic staff member witnesses a patron struggling in the deep end. According to standard NRPA risk management principles, what should be the lifeguard's FIRST action?
- Call 911 immediately before entering the water
- Activate the emergency action plan and initiate a rescue (Correct answer)
- Alert the facility manager before responding
- Wait to confirm distress before responding
Correct answer: Activate the emergency action plan and initiate a rescue
Lifeguards must activate the EAP and initiate a rescue immediately upon recognizing a drowning victim, as seconds are critical for survival.
Question 6: What is the primary purpose of conducting a post-incident review after an injury occurs at a recreation facility?
- To determine which staff member is liable
- To identify root causes and prevent future similar incidents (Correct answer)
- To satisfy insurance company documentation requirements
- To assess whether the victim's behavior contributed to the injury
Correct answer: To identify root causes and prevent future similar incidents
Post-incident reviews are a risk management tool focused on identifying root causes and systemic improvements to prevent recurrence, not assigning blame.
Question 7: Under which risk management strategy would a parks agency decide to ban rock climbing at a particular site due to unacceptably high injury rates?
- Risk retention
- Risk transfer
- Risk avoidance (Correct answer)
- Risk reduction
Correct answer: Risk avoidance
Risk avoidance eliminates the activity or condition entirely when the risk level is deemed unacceptable, as in discontinuing rock climbing at a dangerous site.
NRPA Risk Management & Mitigation 2
Which document formally outlines how a parks and recreation agency will identify, assess, and respond to potential risks?