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Before You Register (Terms of Participation)

NPA NSW Outdoor Recreational Activities

Terms of Participation and other information
 

Terms of participation

By registering for or joining the activity, you confirm your acceptance of these terms.

1.      I will complete the attendance form circulated at the start of the activity, and respond to any other roll call.

2.      I agree to co-operate with any reasonable instructions given by the activity leader.

3.      I understand that I must remain with the rest of the party, and that I must not leave the activity without first advising the activity leader.

4.      If I have children in my care, I will supervise them at all times, and accept full responsibility for their safety and behaviour.

5.      I will inform the activity leader of any matter of which I’m aware that might reasonably affect the health and safety of other activity participants.

           For example, if you have a relevant medical or physical condition, or if during the activity you become aware of any hazard or danger that other participants are not aware of.

6.      I will treat all other activity participants with appropriate courtesy and respect.

7.      I will take note of the general risk warning provided below.

8.      I agree to participate in the activity at my own risk, and to take reasonable care of my own health and safety. In doing so, I acknowledge that I waive (give up) any claim for loss or damage arising from the activity against the National Parks Association of NSW, the activity leader or other participants, including any claim relating to a child in my care.

 

Risk warning

By registering for or joining the activity, you confirm that you have received the general risk warning provided below:

Participation in the activity may expose you to the risk of injury, illness, death, or loss / damage to personal property. The particular kinds of hazards that may be present, and their likelihood and consequences, may vary greatly depending on:

•    the type and difficulty of the activity (walking, scrambling, swimming, canyoning, etc)

•    actual conditions at the particular time and location (terrain, weather, vegetation, etc)

•    whether your fitness, capability, clothing and equipment are adequate for the conditions.

You should consider all of the above factors.

The activity leader may give you further warning of specific hazards that might be encountered, usually by an oral briefing held immediately before the commencement of the activity. You must pay close attention to the briefing, and remain within earshot of the leader until it is completed. If there is any matter that you did not fully hear or understand, please ask the leader to repeat or explain it to you.

 

Further information about activities

Prior registration required

You may join an activity only if you have registered and received confirmation for that activity. Registration is open to current NPA members and visitors. Places are subject to availability on a first come basis. Other conditions also apply, as outlined below.

Confirmation of registration

Once you have registered, your participation is at the discretion of the activity leader. It is up to the leader to decide if the activity is suitable having regard to your level of experience or capability. Registration will be confirmed by message or email. Please be aware that an activity may be cancelled or postponed at short notice. See below.

Cancelling your registration

If your plans change and you are no longer able to attend the activity, please contact the activity leader immediately. You should not attend an activity if you are unwell.

Group size

Group size is set by the leader according to the type of activity and local conditions, taking into account safety and environmental factors, remoteness, park regulations, and any directions by the police or other authority. A limit of 20 persons generally applies outside of urban or tourist locations. Events with 40+ persons must be approved by the relevant land manager.

Visitors

By registering as a visitor, you may access to up to 3 activities. Once you exceed your limit, you won’t be able to participate in further activities unless you become a member.

Children

Attendance by children (under 18 yrs) is at the complete discretion of the leader. Children must remain supervised by a responsible adult. A parent/ guardian must provide written consent if the child will be supervised by any other nominated carer. The leader cannot be the nominated carer. A consent form is available.

Persons with a disability

Please contact the activity leader to discuss suitability and proposed arrangements.

Activities offered by a particular branch

Activities are open to all members regardless of the branch to which they are assigned for membership purposes. Access for members assigned to other branches may be limited in special cases only, and only to the extent necessary to ensure that local members have a reasonable opportunity to participate in the activity.

Activities offered jointly with other organisations

If an activity is held jointly with another organisation, members of the other organisation should register via that organisation.

Cancellation or alteration of activities

An activity may be cancelled, rescheduled or relocated at short notice due to unforeseen circumstances. This may be due to factors such as adverse weather conditions, serious safety hazards, park closures, road closures, interruption to transport services or other reasons. An activity must not proceed contrary to any closure or direction by a public authority.

You can check for adverse conditions, closures and other alerts at these locations:

Remote area activities

Extra care is required for activities in remote areas (more than a day’s walk from the nearest road). The group will need to be completely self-sufficient, have an appropriate group size (4-10 persons), and know what to do in the event of a mishap. The activity leader should consider carrying a personal locator beacon (‘PLB’), especially if the location is out of range of a phone signal.

Emergency assistance

Call 000 and tell the operator what you need – police, fire or ambulance. If applicable, tell the operator you are in a remote location that does not have a street address. Be prepared to give grid coordinates or other locational information. If you cannot contact 000, activate a PLB or other emergency device.

The Police are responsible for initiating and coordinating all land search and rescue operations such as missing or injured bushwalkers. They may seek assistance from the SES Bush Search and Rescue group, tel 13 2500.

Report all incidents

A death, serious injury/ illness, or dangerous incident must be reported immediately by the leader or witness. See incident form for an after-hours phone contact.

Other accidents, injuries and incidents must be reported within 48 hours. Leaders should carry an incident form, just in case.

Business hours call 02 9299 0000; finance@npansw.org.au

Insurance

Registered participants (including visitors) are automatically covered by NPA’s personal accident insurance cover. The policy is subject to various limits and exclusions. For legal reasons, it does not cover Medicare gap payments.

If you do not have private hospital cover, we strongly urge you to take out stand-alone ambulance cover from a private health insurer (about $65 per year). This is due to the very high cost of an air ambulance call out, which could leave you considerably out of pocket. Note that ambulance transport is not covered by Medicare.

For enquiries about making an insurance claim, please contact finance@npansw.org.au

Complaints / feedback

We welcome complaints about any poor interactions you experience during an activity. Equally, we welcome compliments about excellent interactions, or indeed, any other feedback or suggestions about how we operate. Please tell us about anything that failed to meet (or exceeded) your expectations. This is very helpful for improving our effectiveness.

Send a complaint, compliment or feedback or call 02 9299 0000 during office hours.

Make a complaint about unacceptable conduct (such as offensive behaviour, sexual harassment or assault, child abuse, bullying, unlawful discrimination or similar). We will treat the matter in strictest confidence, and if appropriate, refer it to the Police or other authority.

Privacy

Personal contact details are collected for insurance, membership and emergency purposes. Your privacy will be respected.