FACTORS RELATED TO THE OCCURRENCE OF INCIDENTS IN ADVENTURE RECREATION PROGRAMS

by Capps, Katherine Breckheimer

This study examines accident data generated over a five-year period from an outdoor organization located in the Southeastern United States using a combination of Hale?s Accident Model (1983) and Nicolazzo?s Site Management Theory (2004). The study specifically explores the potential for accident trends through stationary or moving sites. Results for the primary research question, do more outdoor program accidents occur at moving or stationary sites, showed that there is a significant difference between stationary, moving, and combination sites. However, findings also indicated that there was not a significant difference when comparing just stationary to moving sites, so the results for the primary research question were inconclusive. Secondary research questions were: does the type of activity affect where accidents occur, does the type of incident affect where accidents occur, does individual status affect where accidents occur, and does the type of site determine the type of injury that occurs? All secondary research questions were found to be significant, concluding that type of site is an environmental factor of importance when examining why accidents occur. Implications recommend actions for administrators and field staff of outdoor organizations as well as insurers and theoretical model modification.