Components of a Liability Waiver A liability waiver is a legal document where a person voluntarily gives up their right to hold another party legally responsible for damages or injuries that may occur. A liability waiver will specify the activity, provide information on both the party being released from liability as well as the participant, include emergency contact details, and clarify whether the participant is a minor whose guardian must sign. The waiver is only valid if it clearly describes the specific activity and limits the release of liability only to damages directly related to the agreed upon risks of that activity.

1. Components of a Liability Waiver
Every schoolchild has had experience with liability waivers. Those pieces of paper that
students have to have signed by their parents before every field trip serve a very important
function. They indemnify the school from legal responsibility, known as liability, in the event of
an incident resulting in damages to the schoolchild. Liability waiver forms are everywhere.
Whether shooting a movie or joining a climbing gym, businesses or otherwise legally responsible
persons often use a free liability waiver to communicate that participants are responsible for their
own actions and the possible hazards associated with them.
Formally, a waiver or release of liability is a legal document in which a person or party
voluntarily gives up a right in a contractual agreement. A waiver form has several components:
activity, party information, release of liability type, participant information, emergency contacts,
and whether the participant is a minor.
Liability waivers are specific to a particular activity, which must be clearly described
within the form. This means that if a party causes damage through an action that is far outside
the usual boundaries of the activity, then that party remains wholly liable for both the action and
it’s consequences. For example, if a release of liability is signed for a student going on a field
trip to the zoo and a teacher strikes that student while on the bus, then the teacher is the
responsible party for any damage incurred, despite the release.
The party information concerns the person being released from liability and usually
includes their name and address. It may also include contact information such as phone or email.
The participant information concerns the person releasing the party of legal responsibility for the
activity. It contains similar specific information as with the party. The release of liability type

2. simply refers to whether the form has been made specifically for the occasion or if it is a
universal template. The participant cannot sign away liability unless the party and activity are
clearly and explicitly marked in the form.
By its nature, a liability waiver usually concerns a risky activity and therefore must also
include at least one emergency contact for each participant. The name and phone number of the
contact will always be identified on a free waiver form. Some free liability waivers will identify
the contact’s relationship to the participant. Some may include alternative contact methods such
as additional phone numbers or an email address. Finally the liability waiver contains a clause
pertaining to whether the participant is a minor. Minors do not have the legal right to relinquish
their liability. That power falls to a parent or primary caretaker, known as a guardian.