Every now and then, it is a good idea to remind yourself about the hazards present in outdoor events. I think it is something you should not go nuts about, but it is wise to manage the risks proactively rather than retroactively. Below is one cool concept I try to keep in mind when planning for safety in outdoor events.

For example, planning kayaking trips, I usually look at the whole timeline thing  as a lever.

The lever’s pivot point is the moment the event starts.  So, when planning, you are on the  left side of the lever and during event you are on the right side of a lever.  When starting to plan you have huge leverage – all the options are open. You can plan, build, train people, test and much more. It is very easy to affect the event and raise it to safe side.

As the event comes closer, your options become more limited – you start losing some of the leverage.  If you need something changed, this usually needs to be done in a hurry and with considerable effort.

At some point in time, you loose the leverage altogether.  It takes a huge amount of effort to change things even a tiny bit. Some things you can not change at this point of time. You need to work with what you already have.

This is also why experience pays off. Knowing stuff in advance lets you plan accordingly. Dealing with stuff that jumps out at you is way more costly in both time and money.

To help you to plan your games, check out article about safety in Loquiz support base.