Risk Management: Mitigation
During this decision-making step, you will assign strategies to mitigate or minimize the risks you identify.
What can you do to prevent getting hurt or dying? These strategies include factors completely under your control AND factors you don’t control. Do you have equipment or devices that make the activity safer? If you lose power, deploying an anchor will stop you from being swept into the shore break. Have you acquired skills with your equipment or devices that negate the danger to the point no one will be killed, no one will be injured, and there will be no property loss? Do you have great insight to how nature will behave and faith that nature will behave consistently? Perhaps your planning will take fine details into consideration. For example:
- Am I in the right area? Am I respecting the local practices and people of the region?
- Can the wind direction affect my launch if my craft goes down?
- How will the wind affect my approach to objects or people?
- Where do I need to reduce speed to reduce the possibility of grounding?
- How will I avoid pinch points where navigation is restricted that could cause crush or puncture injuries?
- Where do I operate to avoid breaking waves?
- What is the timing between swells? Am I proficient enough to roll my craft upright and get underway before the next wave?
What are some of the tools and strategies available to you to mitigate risk?
- Am I physically ready for the task? When in doubt don’t go out. Don’t push others if they are not ready. If conditions or the timing are not right, make the right call.
- Is my equipment ready, well-maintained, and reliable? Is it running well? Do you trust your equipment? Would you trust your loved one with it?
