NRAA new range officers course

[saum2]

The NRAA insurer is not your friend, and the insurer won't cover you if you are doing the wrong thing, whether that is through incompetence or ignorance.

Pete

Thanks for clearing that point up Pete

[Bart]

But this is not just safety as it was by following conduct under the SSR's. If I am understanding correctly the RO will become responsible for example manual handling; if a member injures themself while loading a target into a target frame?
Shouldn't the shooting safety, even at club level, take the priority?

Sorry but we must be on different planets.
Since when did safety not extend to everything that happens on a rifle range. If the RO is in charge on the range, then he is in charge of everything that happens on the range.
If you are you thinking that the only safety we should be concerned with is getting shot! Well the courts don't agree with you.

The point is: the RO is the responsible person on a range. If the RO accepts the responsibility he also accepts the risk - you can't have one without the other.
The RO is in charge............. of well..........everything.
The new course isn't adding to the risk/responsibility, it's actually pointing out that the RO has always been responsible and has always borne the risk, but the RO didn't know it.
The point of the course is to make everyone aware of the risks and responsibilities and to show them how to mitigate them. If you do your best within your training then you have no worries.

Ignorance of the liabilities won't prevent someone trying to take your house in the event of a claimable event.
The NRAA insurer is not your friend, and the insurer won't cover you if you are doing the wrong thing, whether that is through incompetence or ignorance.

Pete

Thanks for your eloquence
The clarifications have certainly made coming to a decision easier

[lonerider43]

and this all came about because ?.....
my understanding is incompetence on the larger crowded ranges where safety and common sense dont seem to come into play.
in smaller clubs like ours ,we look after each other,if someone breaks the rules or does something dumb,everybody says something.
to my knowledge there hasnt been an accident or incident on our range since its building.,can the big city ranges say that ?
maybe those bigger clubs need better RO's,out here,its only going to turn people away from applying.too much BS to be bothered.
and that is going to hurt nraa,when country ranges start shutting from no fund raising OPM's due to no RO's,who looses ?
ssaa are itching for more ranges to take over.

[PeteFox]

and this all came about because ?.....
my understanding is incompetence on the larger crowded ranges where safety and common sense dont seem to come into play.
in smaller clubs like ours ,we look after each other,if someone breaks the rules or does something dumb,everybody says something.
to my knowledge there hasnt been an accident or incident on our range since its building.,can the big city ranges say that ?
maybe those bigger clubs need better RO's,out here,its only going to turn people away from applying.too much BS to be bothered.
and that is going to hurt nraa,when country ranges start shutting from no fund raising OPM's due to no RO's,who looses ?
ssaa are itching for more ranges to take over.

Problem being that a rifle range is not treated any differently to a public park, supermarket or sports field when it comes to legal responsibilities.
The law isn't interested in protestations about no OPM's or past history of incidents or lack of incidents.
A brief read on the "Law of Torts" will explain a lot.

It's not all doom and gloom. Get qualified and follow your training. If there is still liability after that point, then that is what the insurance is for. The insurer can only deny liability if you're not following the rules.
Pete

[AlanF]

There was a time when our ranges were run with military discipline. We don't appreciate how much more relaxed its become. I have no problem with putting a little more emphasis on safety, and equipping our ROs with more thorough training.

[RAVEN]

I think the NRAA have done a great job in modernizing the RO training and accreditation requirements.

I commend the NRAA as there have been some good changes and I’m sure a lot of hard work by a few.

The world of OH &S and litigation is a hard one to take onboard but unfortunately, we all are forced to comply. A fact of modern life.

Malcolm in regard to the Mil reference this is the standard for angle measurements used in rifle range design.

RB

[jasmay]

and this all came about because ?.....
my understanding is incompetence on the larger crowded ranges where safety and common sense dont seem to come into play.
in smaller clubs like ours ,we look after each other,if someone breaks the rules or does something dumb,everybody says something.
to my knowledge there hasnt been an accident or incident on our range since its building.,can the big city ranges say that ?
maybe those bigger clubs need better RO's,out here,its only going to turn people away from applying.too much BS to be bothered.
and that is going to hurt nraa,when country ranges start shutting from no fund raising OPM's due to no RO's,who looses ?
ssaa are itching for more ranges to take over.

This is nothing more than fear mongering.

Everyone has a duty of care in life at some stage, if you have a job anywhere in Australia you carry with that job a duty of care, don’t believe me, read some OH&S legislation.

If you drive a car or ride a bike a bike, you carry a duty of care, ever read the actual law in regards to footwear whilst driving a motor vehicle? I’d hazard a guess and say NO, that level of ignorance won’t mitigate your responsibility as a driver should your footwear be the cause of an accident.

All the NRAA have done is refreshed the course to be up to date with current best practice and legislative requirements.

Anyone pissing and moaning that the NRAA have stuffed up by doing this is completely missing some basic information on duty of care, i.e. you have always had it, you just didn’t know!!

As well as all that, just because there is an RO on a range doesn’t mean you don’t have a responsibility as an individual when it comes to duty of care on a range.

Well done to the NRAA for what would have been an extremely arduous task in updating this!