Insurance
Reporting an incident
If an incident occurs on a walk (or any other Ramblers activity) that could lead to an insurance claim, volunteers should report it directly to our insurance brokers, Perkins Slade, using the standard “Incident Report Form”.
It is not necessary to send copies of the form to Central Office, as the brokers can pass these onto us in any case.
The details on the form should be completed by the member who was taking the lead in the activity – for instance, the walk leader, but the form also needs to be signed off by a Group or Area committee member. This verifies to the insurers that the activity was a bona fide Ramblers activity.
What constitutes an incident?
An incident is anything that you think may result in a claim against the Ramblers’ Association. The best rule of thumb may be “If in doubt, report it”. Our insurance brokers are quite used to receiving incident reports that never lead to claims. If you would like to know whether an incident ought to be reported or not, staff in the claims department of our insurance brokers, www.perkins-slade.com, are able to advise. They can be contacted on 0121 698 8000 or sports@perkins-slade.com
A list of what would certainly be considered an incident includes
- A fatal accident
- An injury involving either referral to or actual hospital treatment
- An allegation of slander of libel
- An investigation under child protection legislation
- Damage to third party property
A list of what constitutes an injury would certainly include
- Any head injury requiring medical treatment
- Any fracture (other than to fingers, thumbs and toes)
- Any amputation or dislocation of shoulder, hip, knee or spine
- Loss of sight (permanent or temporary)
- Electric shock or burn leading to unconsciousness, requiring resuscitation or leading to hospitalisation for more than 24 hours
- Hypothermia or heat induced injury leading to unconsciousness, requiring resuscitation or leading to hospitalisation for more than 24 hours
- Loss of consciousness caused by asphyxia or by exposure to a harmful substance or biological agent
What to do on a walk if an incident occurs?
A first rule of insurance cover is not to admit liability or agree to pay for damage caused. This can prejudice the position of the insurers and could result in the withdrawal of any indemnity.
The report form asks for details of the incident and also for names and contact information of two witnesses where possible. In the event of an incident on a walk, it is therefore advisable for the leader to
- take a note of the incident details
- obtain the contact details of two people who are prepared
to act as witnesses and to complete part of the incident form
at a later date.