Risk Management and Liability Flashcards
7 cards from real PADI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Risk Management and Liability flashcards as text
A PADI Open Water student's medical form reveals a history of spontaneous pneumothorax. The correct risk management response is:
Answer: Require written physician clearance before any in-water training
A history of spontaneous pneumothorax is an absolute contraindication to diving that requires physician evaluation and clearance before any in-water activity.
When a certified diver hires a PADI Divemaster for a guided dive (not a course), the Divemaster's duty of care is best described as:
Answer: A duty to lead safely and intervene in foreseeable emergencies, not to actively train
A Divemaster guiding certified divers owes a duty to lead safely and respond to foreseeable emergencies, but does not bear the higher duty of a formal instructor-student relationship.
Which PADI risk management practice best demonstrates the 'eliminate, reduce, mitigate' hierarchy when students enter a strong-current dive site?
Answer: Selecting a different site (eliminate), entering at slack tide (reduce), or providing surface marker buoys (mitigate)
The hierarchy prioritizes removing hazards first, then reducing them, then mitigating residual risk — exemplified by choosing a safer site before accepting mitigations.
After a serious dive accident, the instructor's attorney advises them not to make public statements. Which risk management principle supports this advice?
Answer: Avoiding admissions that could be used as evidence against the instructor
Statements made after an incident can be used as admissions against interest in litigation; legal counsel typically advises silence to protect the instructor's legal position.
A dive resort requires all instructors to carry their own professional liability insurance as a condition of employment. The primary reason for this policy is:
Answer: To protect the resort from bearing the full cost of instructor negligence claims
By requiring instructors to carry their own professional liability coverage, the resort ensures that instructor-specific negligence claims are covered by the instructor's own insurer, limiting the resort's exposure.
The PADI Standards for maximum depth during Open Water Diver training (18 m / 60 ft for training dives) function legally as:
Answer: A defined standard of care that establishes the duty boundary in negligence cases
Published PADI depth standards define the professional standard of care, and exceeding them without justification constitutes a clear breach of that standard in litigation.
Which post-incident action is MOST important from a risk management and legal standpoint immediately after a serious dive accident?
Answer: Secure and preserve all equipment, documentation, and witness information
Preserving physical evidence, written records, and witness contact information is critical for any subsequent investigation or legal proceeding.