Security and Privacy
How will you make sure that my data is secure?
A range of methods are to keep your information secure and private. All information collected by the app is:
- password protected and hosted by an Australian Based organisation
- backed up daily onsite, and weekly offsite; and
- complies with the Information Privacy Act and the Information Privacy Principles.
Information submitted to the National Incident Dataset is de-identified, so people and organisations are not identifiable.
How will you make sure that I am not identifiable in the National Incident Dataset?
Information submitted to the National Incident Dataset is de-identified, so people and organisations are not identifiable. This means that the names of people and organisations are removed from the data. The research team also checks all data submitted to the NID and removes any identifying information that has been accidentally entered into the descriptions of incidents or contributory factors.
To further protect the confidentiality and privacy of LOA providers and individuals, we have placed the following restrictions on reporting the aggregate data:
- The details of individual incidents are not reported in isolation;
- There must be at least 20 incident reports of a particular type to form the basis for an aggregate analysis (e.g. we would not present a detailed analysis of three incidents involving a social/psychological outcome);
- The activity must be conducted by three or more organisations to report on incidents associated with a specific LOA (e.g. we would not present a detailed analysis of archery incidents if the activity was only conducted by one organisation).
Who will have access to the information stored in the UPLOADS App?
The UPLOADS App has three levels of access. Administrators have access to all incident reports and participation data entered into the app, while Supervisors and Reporters only have access to incident reports and participation data either entered by them or assigned to them.
Administrators have access to the account settings and the reports in the Explore Tab. Organisations do have the option of giving Reporters and Supervisors access to the de-identified reports located in the Explore tab.
Do we need consent from participants to upload incident information to the National Incident Dataset?
The project ethics approval (University of the Sunshine Coast Human Research Ethics A/13/454) allows the project team to collect deidentified data (i.e. no names) about people involved in incidents for research purposes. This is referred to as a waiver of consent.
The waiver of consent is only for the information contained in the UPLOADS core report form, as only the deidentified form is uploaded to the NID. Any customised fields added to the form are not uploaded to the NID, and therefore not used for research purposes.
There is no need to obtain consent from participants to contribute to the NID. However, the waiver of consent does not apply to any medical information that organisations may be collecting about participants for their own purposes, so organisations should consider whether they need consent from participants to collect and store their data.
Data Collection
What if my organisation wants to collect additional information to what is currently on the Incident report form?
The UPLOADS App allows you add additional fields to collect organisation specific information. For example, you could add a field to collect a job code or GPS Coordinates. It is recommended that the number of fields be kept to a minimum to reduce the user’s time to input information. It is also important to note that analysis reports generated by the App will not include information collected through the custom fields.
How accurate does the participation data need to be?
Participation data is used to calculate your organisation’s overall incident rates and incident rates associated with specific Led out door activities. It also helps you determine if specific age groups or genders are more at risk of incidents, injuries, or illnesses. To gain an accurate overview of how often participants are exposed to activities or how often incidents occur per 1000 activity participation days, your participation data must be as accurate as possible.
Reportable Incidents
What are “Led” Outdoor Activities (LOA)?
“Led” outdoor activities are formally defined as facilitated or instructed activities within outdoor education, adventure and recreation settings.
Can I use the UPLOADS App to record incidents that are not related to a Led Outdoor Activities (for example incidents that occur in the office)?
Yes – you can use the App to record any type of activity by adding custom activities using the classification “Other”. There is no need to maintain a separate incident reporting system for these incidents.
Is the UPLOADS App Suitable for my Organisation?
What organisations should use the UPLOADS App? Organisations that conduct “Led” outdoor activities (LOA) are encouraged to use the UPLOADS App. LOA is formally defined as facilitated or instructed activities within outdoor education, adventure and recreation settings. LOA providers include a diverse range of organisations, including not-for-profit outdoor education and recreation providers, outdoor education departments within schools, school camps, adventure tourism operators and outdoor therapy programs.
My organisation only experiences low severity incidents or do not have incidents at all, should we still participate?
All incidents (including near misses) should be reported regardless of their severity. This helps your organisation and the wider sector understand the characteristics of potential or actual incidents that occur during LOA and the network of contributory factors involved in incidents.
All organisations who conduct Led Outdoor Activities are encouraged to use the UPLOADS App to not only record near misses and incidents, but also participation data. Participation data helps the industry calculate relative frequency of incidents associated with different types of led outdoor activities.
By using the UPLOADS App, you also get access to the National Incident Dataset – this will help your organisation identify potential problems before they occur in your organisation.
We already have an incident reporting system, can we merge the two systems or do we need to run both systems?
Definitely no need to have two systems. Most of the fields on existing incident reporting forms are most likely reflected in the UPLOADS core report form. You can then add custom fields to address additional questions required by your organisation.
Withdrawing Consent and Closing an UPLOADS Account
What happens to our data once the UPLOADS App is closed?
When an account is closed, all identifiable data is deleted from the Virtual Private Server. It will not be possible to restore the data once an account is closed. Therefore, the UPLOADS App requires you to export all your data into excel spreadsheets before you can close your account.
It is important to note that once data has been submitted to the NID, it is de-identified and therefore researchers will not able to identify and remove data from any organisation.
Can I withdraw my consent to participate in the research project?
You may withdraw your consent for your organisation to participate in the research process at any time up until you submit the data to the NID. Once data has been submitted to the NID, it is de-identified and therefore researchers will not able to identify and remove data from any organisation. You are also able to withdraw your individual consent for the use of your personal information or demographic information for your organisation until it is merged for analysis.
You can withdraw your consent:
- By deleting you UPLOADS App account. This will result in the deletion of all identifiable information associated with your organisation from the host sever. You will have the option to export all identifiable data into excel spreadsheets before it is deleted from the server.
- Through the UPLOADS App settings. This will disable all “Submit to the NID” options throughout the App, and remove your demographic information. Your organisation will be able to retain the use of the UPLOADS App, and all identifiable data will remain on the host server.
Cost
How much does it cost to use the App?
The UPLOADS App is free for any Australian Organisation until the year 2021.
How much will it cost to use the App after 2021?
We have estimated that the fee will be approximately $30 per month. The fee will be determined by the peak bodies responsible for administering the UPLOADS App post 2020 (i.e. the Outdoor Council of Australia, Christian Venues Association, Australian Christian Outdoors Victoria, Outdoors NSW, Outdoors WA etc.) Organizations will be provided with information about the fees at least 6 months in advance to any payment.
How is the project funded?
Development of the UPLOADS App has been funded by the Australian Research Council and key industry partners. The App forms an important part of a larger research project, which will reduce accidents and injuries in led outdoor activities, through the development and implementation of more effective countermeasures. The project is funded until the end of 2020, at which point operational management of the App will be handed over to a representative of the project partners to manage, and a small fee to use the App (to help support its running costs and maintenance) will be introduced.
International Organisations
Is the UPLOADS App available to international organisations?
Currently the UPLOADS App is only available to Australian based organisations. However, if your organisation is based overseas, please get in touch and we can discuss the options.
The UPLOADS Project 