1. Slick Roads and Parking Lots on the Night of a Basketball Game that is Expecting High Attendance.
1.1. The risk is justified by the potential risk of car accidents or patrons falling due to slick conditions on roads and parking lots. The risk here is very similar to the case of Bearman v. University of Notre Dame (Chapter 3 RIsk Management pgs. 113-114).
1.1.1. The severity of the injuries that could occur from this risk range all the way from low to fatal. Car accidents can lead to death or sever injuries that require hospitalization immediately, and individuals slipping on ice can cause minor injuries or sometimes major depending on age (Cole & Kaiser pg. 589).
1.1.2. The frequency of this risk can be considered low with a midwestern school district such as Fairborn, although weather can be difficult in Ohio at times, it is probably not often enough to consider this risk anything other then low on the Injury Frequency Scale. The fact that it is typically unexpected helps prove it is low frequency (Cole & Kaiser pg. 589).
1.1.2.1. The best treatment for this risk in my opinion is to develop a guideline for canceling sporting events. First off always lean towards caution and cancelling events. Secondly if school closes than athletics should also be canceled. Lastly just because school occurs does not mean sports must go on, as weather can worsen throughout the evening.
1.1.3. All patrons attending the basketball game in any manor are at risk in terms of safety. Secondly the athletic department is at risk for liability for allowing the game to proceed despite poor weather, and also the school district for not cancelling all after school activities that day. The city of Fairborn could also be at risk if they are negligent and do not apply salt to roads or parking lots.
1.2. Negligence can take place with this risk if an athletic director decides to allow a sporting event to continue despite road conditions being poor. Not acting as a cautious supervisor can classify as negligent, especially when you have no control over weather and you decide to ignore it along with the safety of hundreds of people.
1.2.1. As an organization, the school district and athletic department have the duty of prioritizing safety of all fans and athletes when deciding if a sporting event will proceed or not.
1.2.2. It is expected of the department to pay attention to the weather and always prioritize safety before anything else. When dealing with situations such as this the athletic director must ensure that busses can transport players safely without doubt.
1.2.3. The causation of this risk is mainly the weather and its unpredictable nature. Other factors such as city plow truck drivers and salt crews play a factor but ultimately the snow fall or ice is what causes the risk.
1.2.4. There are numerous injuries that slick road conditions can cause such as: Death, Concussion, broken bones, becoming partially or fully paralyzed, cuts leading to stiches, bruising, and etc.
2. CPR and Other Training/Certifications Forgotten by the Athletic Director for Numerous Coaches in the Department.
2.1. The risk is justified by the potential of lawsuits and danger that could arise if this is discovered when an incident takes place that requires a supervisor to use CPR properly.
2.1.1. According to the Severity Scale the severity of this risk could be classified as fatal. In the case an act such as CPR is required death is likely if the individual supervisor is not aware of the proper steps to take. Not only CPR but if the coach is unaware of the fact he is overworking athletes to the point they seek attention such as CPR. they could also cause dehydration among athletes (Cole and Kaiser pg. 589).
2.1.2. When looking at the Injury Frequency Scale we can come to the conclusion that the frequency of this risk would be low/rare in terms of injury/death, however lawsuits and legal punishment is very likely if this is not corrected prior to discovery of an enforcing agency (Cole and Kaiser pg. 589).
2.1.2.1. The easiest treatment of this risk is to immediately check the status of all coaches' training records. After doing this ensure all those that require training receive it immediately. Checking the status and expirations of all coaching training records should be done monthly to ensure no issues arise in the future.
2.1.3. The primary party at risk is all of the participating athletes and their entire families. Secondly the athletic director/athletic department including the uncertified coaches would be at risk legally, as would the school district in general.
2.2. Without a doubt negligence takes place here. The athletic director displays negligence when he forgets to ensure that all of his coaches in his department are properly trained, certified and prepared to perform their duties properly/safely. The athletic director is responsible for ensuring employees are trained properly (Cole & Kaiser pg. 587).
2.2.1. As an athletic department there is a duty to ensure that all staff members and coaches are properly trained and certified for their positions in the department. Supervisory roles have a responsibility to train employees properly or they are considered legally liable for being negligent (Cole & Kaiser pg. 587)
2.2.2. Legally there is a standard of care expected. Employees are liable for their own misconduct, but administrators and supervisors typically are not liable for the tortuous acts of their staff. (Cole & Kaiser pg. 587). It is necessary that proper supervision is provided of student-athletes to ensure their safety, therefore it is a standard of care that certificates such as CPR are required of all coaches in a department.
2.2.3. The causation of this risk is the negligence and forgetfulness of the athletic director to not keep up with all coaches' training and certificates.
2.2.4. The potential injuries included in this risk are death, extreme hospitalization, and placement in intensive care for the athlete at a local hospital.
3. Lack of a Warning Track on the Baseball Field to Alert Players They're Nearing the Fence.
3.1. This risk is justified by the potential danger a fence can cause when a player is running at full speed and isn't warned that they're about to hit a chain-linked fence, which can have sharp pieces.
3.1.1. I feel as if the severity of this risk ranks as major according to the Severity Scale by Kaiser & Cole in their article titled "Risk Management". They define major severity as resulting in substantial injuries that do not threaten life but likely causes a trip to the hospital (Cole and Kaiser pg. 589).
3.1.2. I played baseball in the past, and after looking at the Injury Frequency Scale on page 589 of Cole and Kaiser's article titled "Risk Management", I would classify the frequency of an athlete running into the fence as low because the incidents will be unusual but not completely impossible.
3.1.2.1. The best way to treat this risk is to simply find the funding within the athletic department/school district to purchase a large amount of gravel. With this gravel you can create a warning track around the field. By spending the money on this warning track you significantly lower your chance of lawsuits which will ultimately cost the district/department more money in the future.
3.1.3. Parties at risk would include: Fairborn High School Athletic Department, Fairborn City School District, Student-Athletes both from Fairborn and opposing schools, and parents that are reliable for paying hospital bills and ensuring their child is healthy.
3.2. According to Thomas H. Sawyer in the 2000 review article titled "Proximate Cause and Foreseeability", the term negligence is defined as "The failure to use such care as a reasonably prudent and careful person would use under similar circumstances." Negligence is displayed in this circumstance because a careful person would take action and add a warning track to the field to ensure safety of student-athletes, because of how likely an injury could occur due to this (Sawyer pg. 192).
3.2.1. After assessing the risk at hand it is determined that the athletic department has a duty to inspect their facilities for defects and infrastructure hazards or any hidden risk. The athletic department has a duty to warn the participants and coaches of this potential risk on the field before participating in the activity (Cole & Kaiser pg. 591).
3.2.2. The standard of care depends on the circumstances, and in this case the Athletic Director is responsible for inspecting facilities often and assessing risk, especially when it comes to infrastructure hazards.
3.2.3. The athletic department by not being actively cautious are allowing the major injury to occur by ignoring the possibility of maximizing safety.
3.2.4. By running into a baseball fence at a high speed student-athletes could receive major injuries as a result. Players could experience injuries such as concussion, broken bone, deep bruise, cuts/stabs.