Understanding and Preventing Led Outdoor Accidents Data System (UPLOADS)

Little is currently known about the incidence of injuries during led outdoor activities in Australia, the factors that cause injuries, or the most appropriate prevention strategies for the domain. To tackle this problem, members of the Australian led outdoor activity industry are currently engaged in a program of research with the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC). Stage 1 of the program was completed in 2009, and stage 2 commenced at the end of 2011. A summary of stages 1 and 2 is given below.

Stage 1 – problem definition

Stage 1 involved a review of accident causation research in the led outdoor activity domain and an analysis of three led outdoor activity accidents. A workshop involving project stakeholders, led outdoor activity personnel, and researchers from MUARC was then held to disseminate the research findings and determine the most appropriate way forward for the subsequent phases of the research. Based on recommendations arising from the report and workshop, an ARC linkage grant was developed for Phase 2, which received funding at the end of 2011.

Stage 2 – Incident database development and validation

Stage 2 involves the development and trialling of an incident database for the led outdoor activity industry. This involves the following phases of research:

1. Incident database development. Prototype incident reporting, storage and analysis methods, including robust data coding and classification systems, will be developed based on incident reports from the led outdoor activity sector. These methods will together form a prototype incident database;
2. Prototype database refinement. The prototype database will be trialled by a small number of led outdoor activity providers for 6 months. The lessons learnt during this period will be used to refine the database;
3. In-depth incident study. The refined incident database will be utilised by a large cross section of led outdoor activity providers in order to conduct an in-depth study of injury causing incidents over 12 months; and
4. Accident causation model development. Based on the findings derived from the former phases, a systems-based model of accident causation for the led outdoor activity domain will be developed. This model will be used by the industry to guide injury prevention efforts.

Industry involvement

The success of this project depends on the participation of outdoor education providers. The project is currently in the initial phase of Stage 2. If you would like to become involved in the UPLOADS project, please contact:

Dr. Natassia Goode

Monash University Accident Research Centre

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Phone: +61 3 9905 4684
Fax: +61 3 9905 4363

This projected is supported by funding from the Australia Research Council (ARC) in partnership with: