ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS OF OUTDOOR RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES

Outdoor recreational activities have so much to offer to people. These includes fun and pleasure, general wellness of an
individual, and sometimes environmental hazard.

According to the School Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Manual Booklet 1 of DepEd, “hazard is a dangerous
phenomenon, condition, substance, or human activity that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, social
and economic disruption, loss of livelihoods and services, or environmental damage”.

Mishaps are avoidable. The most effective way to prevent them is to adequately prepare for the trip that includes knowing the
environmental hazard you may encounter during the outdoor recreational activity.

In https://www.suu.edu/ n.d., “any outdoor activity has inherent risks. When planning a project in the outdoors it is important to
account for the risk, accept the ones you cannot change, and mitigating the risk you can”. When assessing the potential environmental
hazards you need to look at three factors.

1. Location and terrain The terrain is defined as the specific physical features of an area of land. The location and the terrain
contribute to the hazardous conditions when staying and walking into the site. Some environmental hazards that depend upon
your location and terrain are uneven surfaces, wet grass, and mud, holes in the ground can cause trips or falls, rocky trails,
exposed ledges, darkness and poison ivy.
2. Season/Climate Keep an eye on the current and predicted weather conditions. Know the signs for approaching storms or
changing weather conditions. Some areas are susceptible to certain types of severe weather. Weather hazards includes lightning
and thunderstorms, flooding and flash flooding,strong winds and tornadoes, freezing rain and hail, and being Overexpose to sun.
3. Equipment and Transportation Keep your equipment in good condition. Inspect them before your trip. Do not wait until you are
at the trailhead. Beyond the activity, the equipment and driving/ transportation are also considered environmental hazards.
a. Equipment: • Broken stove • Boots not broken in • Improper clothing • Inoperative equipment
b. Driving/Transportation: • Bad road conditions • Darkness • Unfamiliar road • Difficult road (Class I-VI) • Other erratic
drivers • Pedestrians/cyclists

TEN ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT FOR MOUNTAINEERING

1. Navigation – Today’s mountaineer carries five essential tools while navigating to their destination: map, altimeter, compass, GPS
device, and personal locator beacon (“PLB”) or other devices to contact emergency first responders. 2. 2.
2. Headlamp – In the outdoors, headlamps are the flashlight of choice, freeing hands for anything from cooking to climbing. If the
party plans to return before dark, each member should carry a headlamp.
3. Sun-protection – This includes carrying and wearing sunglasses, sun-protective clothes, and broad-spectrum sunscreen rated at
least SPF 30.
4. First Aid – Carrying and knowing how to use a first-aid kit should not give you a false sense of security. Avoid injuries or sickness is
the best course of action to take in the first place.
5. Knife – These are useful for first-aid, food preparation, repairs, and climbing, therefore, everyone in the group should carry one.
6. Fire – Most climbers carry a disposable butane lighter or two instead of matches. Either must be reliable.
7. Shelter – Carrying some sort of emergency shelter from rain and wind, such as a plastic tube tent or a jumbo plastic trash bag.
8. Extra Food – The food should require no cooking, be easily digestible, and store well for long periods.
9. Extra water – Always carry at least one water bottle or hydration bag.
10. Extra clothes – It refers to additional layers that would be needed to survive long, inactive hours of an unplanned camp.

COMMONLY USED LIFE-SAVING EQUIPMENT IN AQUATIC ACTIVITIES

1. Lifejackets - These can be of help to the person wearing it from drowning. Thus, it is important to always wear a life jacket
throughout the water activity.
2. Safety helmets – They are used mostly for water sports involving a higher risk factor, like water skiing and kayaking activities, but
it is important to use them whenever required.
3. Safety harnesses – They should be tied tightly enough to allow free movement in the boat or on deck, but not so loose that the
person may fall overboard, leading to a lot of injuries.
4. Lifebuoys – These are ring-like flotation devices that prevent people from drowning.
5. First aid kits - It is the first requirement for medical assistance in case of an emergency and hence is a must-have safety measure
on every boat.
6. Maps - It is important to navigate rightly and follow the basic safety rules while taking any vessel out in the water, be it for rafting
or boating.
7. Distress signals – These include light-emitting beacons and flares that are important to gain the attention of passers-by for help
during an emergency.
8. Radios – It will enable the person in need to get in touch with the control center and get assistance in case of an emergency.
9. Weather Gauge - Carrying a weather gauge at all times helps one stay updated about the climate and any potential weather
change.
10. Personal locator - The beacon is an electronic transmitter that sends out a signal alerting the rescuers of the location. People
regularly use this device for crew saving in lifeboats and shipping.
Read and answer the questions carefully. Write letter of your answer in a ¼ sheet of paper.

1. What do you call the equipment that can be of help in preventing the person wearing it from drowning automatically,
or as soon as it is inflated?
A. Distress Signals B. First Aid Kits C. Lifejackets D. Maps
2. What do you call the light-emitting beacons and flares that can gain the attention of passers-by for help during an
emergency?
A. Distress Signals B. Lifebuoys C. Lifejackets D. Radios
3. What do you call the equipment used mostly for water sports involving a higher risk factor, like water skiing and
kayaking activities?
A. Lifebuoys B. Maps C. Radios D. Safety Helmet
4. Which among the following is NOT an essential tool for navigation?
A. Altimeter B. Compass C. Personal locator beacon (“PLB”) D. Radio
5. Which of the following equipment is used for sun protection?
A. Sunglasses B. Sun-protective clothes C. Sunscreen D. All of the above
6. Which of the following is a weather hazard?
A. Bee stings B. Broken stove C. Rocky trail D. Tornadoes
7. Which among the following environmental hazards depend upon the location and terrain?
A. Bad road conditions B. Exposed ledges C. Improper clothing D. Thunderstorms
8. Which among the following environmental hazards depend upon the equipment?
A. Flood B. Inoperative equipment C. Snakebite D. Unfamiliar road
9. Why do we need to prepare the proper equipment for mountaineering before the day of the hike?
A. To avoid being injured
B. To avoid being poisoned by plants or animals living in the area
C. To avoid getting sick during and after the trip
D. All of the above
10. Why do we need to prepare the proper equipment for water activities before the day of the trip?
A. To avoid getting drown
B. To avoid being injured
C. To avoid getting lost in the middle of the sea
D. All of the above

PERFORMANCE TASK #2: ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS

Pick out a location for an outdoor recreational activity you want to do. Take at least two pictures in every category of
the environmental hazards that can be encountered in your chosen location. Follow the template below. Put your answer on a
long bond paper and upload it to this link https://tinyurl.com/PhyEd12PerTask . Rename the document name with your last
name, underscore, and first name (for example, Rizal_Jose.docx). Deadline: May 22, 2023. Note: Points will be deducted if you
have the same pictures with your classmates.

Location:

A. Environmental hazards that depend upon the location and terrain

(at least two pictures)

B. Environmental hazards that depend upon the climate of the place

(at least two pictures)

C. Environmental hazards that depend upon the equipment and driving/transportation to be used

(at least two pictures)