Tag Archives: stand-alone waiver

Four Common Waiver Formats: Which is Best for Your Business?

By Doyice Cotten

Thousands of agreements which waive the liability of sport, recreation, and fitness providers are utilized each day; but not all waivers look alike. There are at least four commonly used formats for liability protection. Each format has advantages and disadvantages — consequently, the formats are not equally effective. In this post, I compare the formats so that the reader may decide if he or she is using the best possible type of liability protection.

Common Formats

The common formats are 1) the stand-alone waiver of liability,

Is Your Waiver Included within your Membership Agreement? This Case May Motivate you to Rethink Your Format 

By Doyice Cotten

We often post reminders that two good rules to follow are: 1) Use a stand alone document for your waiver. Do not include it in a membership contract and do not combine it with a registration form. 2) Always make the waiver obvious – particularly if you are not following rule one. Make the waiver stand out so there is no question that the signer saw it, understood it, and realized the significance of what he or she was signing.

Which Waiver Format is Best?

The table featured below is an excerpt from Waivers & Releases of Liability by Doyice & Mary Cotten.  Providers should examine this table closely before deciding which format they want to use for a waiver.

Comparison of Waiver Formats

Stand-Alone Waiver
Or
Participant Agreement

Waiver Within
Another Document

Group Waiver

Disclaimer

Description

One or  more pages containing only the  waiver & related information.
Exculpatory language (often just a paragraph) included within a contract or application
Exculpatory language

(often just a paragraph)at the top of the sheet with spaces below for all  members of  the group to sign
Language usually appearing on the back of a ticket disclaiming liability for injury to the participant or spectator

Advantages

1) Longer,