This book approaches the prevention of fatal incidents in outdoor
education and related fields through detailed study of past tragedies.
Although safety in many fields is built on accumulated lessons from past
incidents, tragedies on school or youth group camps and excursions are
so infrequent and so widely scattered that knowledge from previous
incidents can elude those who would benefit. Nevertheless, the emergence
of unlearned lessons from the past weighs heavily when those affected by
a tragedy judge whether an incident should have been prevented. This
book provides a foundation for a detailed and comprehensive
understanding of fatality prevention in outdoor education, and in youth
camps and excursions. It compiles, examines, and analyses information on
fatal incidents that have occurred over many decades, involving many
kinds of groups and endeavours, from around the globe. No previous work
has attempted this task.