Brings into focus the attraction of routes not being mandatory (as in UK). Potential claimants considering such action would have a weaker basis for suing - riding on a public road on a route of their (own) choosing. Organisers should take care to recognise this jeopardy before opting for a 'mandatory' route. Perhaps there is Audax UK policy (or at least a perspective) on this issue.
Not really, there's still a duty of care created from selling them a brevet card.
Your risk assessment and identifications mitigations are you're arse covering but if anything happens you're going to be defending it in a hostile interview under caution.
Yes but that 'duty of care' can be (and is in UK) limited by, for example, offering a suggested route, not one that must be followed, to shift the balance of the 'detailed route taken' risks onto the rider. That's why I phrased it as "Potential claimants . . would have a
weaker basis for suing" - not no basis. In other respects the duty of care can be exercised - and in line with @alwyn's comment:
"A proper risk assessment . . . is a fantastic tool. Not only does it help you highlight problems with your route, it also provides handy paperwork to demonstrate due care if needed"
an organiser's risk assessment, duly shared and quality controlled by a competent person is an excellent tool to identify the hazards and their extent, and document measures of mitigation required to achieve ALARP.
In the Organiser's Handbook 2017 [
http://www.aukweb.net/_resources/files/events/Orgs_Handbook_2017.pdf ]
Chapter 3 - Planning Your Event lists (on Page 9) the chapter's contents are listed:
Distance & Types of Event
Audax Altitude Award
Overseas Calendar Events
Scheduling Your Event–Choosing a Date
Start & Finish Points
Facilities
Event Fees & Entries
Budgeting and setting your entry fee;
entry restrictions;
late entries and EOLs;
online entries
Risk Assessment & Contingency Planning
But the chapter ends at 3.5.4 Online Entries (Page 15). No RA & CP.
However in the AUDAX UK Events Planner: A Guide 2012 [
http://www.aukweb.net/_resources/files/organisers/guide/Event_Planner_Guide_2012.pdf ] Section 1.4 deals with and gives an image of a partially completed RA (Page 8 ).
"Completing the risk assessment is mandatory. We will not publish your event in the calendar until you have completed your risk assessment. "
However there's no indication of how the quality of a submitted RA is assessed/confirmed, ie by whom. And 2 questions would be asked: what training or guidance has an organiser received in constructing an RA and what is the competence of the Audax UK recipient (and implicitly quality controller) to judge a RA as satisfactory.