http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=25642

In a previous post I mentioned that we are facing a significant
increase in our site insurance costs. Unfortunately that is not the major
concern. The major concern is that we might not be able to obtain insurance at
all. This is a very real possibility that should not be ignored by any foot
launch pilot desiring to continue in the sport. The USHPA HQ staff considers the
potential loss of site insurance to be among the most serious threats to our
existence it has ever faced.

Our existing insurer has advised us that producing and implementing a "risk
mitigation plan" could significantly increase the likelihood that they will
continue to insure us in the future. (To date our existing insurer is the only
one who has expressed a willingness to insure us at any price.) The USHPA Site
Committee has produced the 'framework' of such a plan. It is a framework because
the plan requires appending so that it addresses the unique characteristics of
each individual insured launch and designated landing area. Each USHPA chapter
that has insured site maintenance responsibilities will be expected to
contribute to this risk mitigation plan.

The agreed upon method of assuring that the site specific documents are
completed and implemented is to have each chapter appoint two safety officers
(one each HG and PG) who will be responsible for assuring that their chapter
completes it's documentation and implementation obligations. The safety officers
responsibility is to assure that the written document provides an appropriate
and realistic safety margin to assure that non-waivered personnel (i.e.
spectators, etc) are kept out of harms way and that the risk of property damage
(particularly resulting from collisions with power lines) is mitigated.
Additionally the safety officers will be responsible for assuring that the
written risk mitigation procedures are implemented. This means, for example,
that if our written document says we will provide space behind launch sufficient
to keep spectators at least X feet from the launch area, that we will in fact
construct and maintain the launch site such that the space exists. It does not
mean that the safety officers are individually responsible for assuring that all
spectators remain in the designated safety zone. That is the responsibility of
all of the pilots utilizing the site at that time.