The Silence Is Deafening: Exploring the Impacts of Serious Incidents on Practitioners Across the Outdoor and Adventure Programs Work System

Abstract

Findings from studies within safety-critical domains such as healthcare confirm that professionals can experience emotional distress, often long-lasting, from their involvement in serious incidents. Known as “second victims,” these professionals commonly report reactions such as fear, guilt, shame, self-doubt, anger, and disappointment. However, little is currently known regarding the impact of these events on the multiple stakeholders situated further across the work system (e.g., the initial call receiver in the office, managers, coordinators, recruitment, training, and executive staff). This article reports on a study investigating the psychological, emotional and relational impact of serious incidents on practitioners situated across organizational hierarchies within the global outdoor and adventure programs sector. A total of 147 respondents reported 171 incidents, 73 of which were fatal. Respondents occupied a range of roles during these incidents, including instructor, coordinator, managers, and senior directors. Findings reveal that individuals across a wide range of organizational roles—including those not physically present at the incident scene—reported a range of personal and professional psychological, emotional and relational impacts. The most common effects included hypervigilance upon returning to work and negative impacts on personal relationships, experienced by over half of the respondents. These findings have important implications for leaders in safety-critical domains, highlighting the need for whole-of-work system post-incident responses that actively support the well-being of all involved, regardless of their role or proximity to the incident.