Waivers, Releases, & Indemnification

Waivers

A waiver is the voluntary relinquishment of a known right and is executed prior to an activity. Waivers are requested of participants in voluntary activities that involve physical activity/sports, exposure to the elements, lab exposures, etc. Waivers are to be signed by participants and returned to the sponsors of an activity. Common waivers used by Dartmouth include the following (depending on your browser, you may need to download to get the fillable PDF):

• Intern Waiver (for instructions, please visit Academic Outreach)
• Activity Waiver
• Facility Use Waiver

Please contact our office for other waivers or questions related to waivers. 

Releases

Typically, a Release is executed upon settlement of a claim. As such, it is tailored by the Office of the General Counsel or Risk Management and Insurance for the specific claim.

Indemnification

Indemnification is a provision in an agreement/contract in which one party to the agreement agrees to reimburse the other party for damages associated with the first party’s negligent act that results in liability. NOTE: It is important to ensure that an indemnifying party has the financial resources to fulfill any indemnification obligation, and that is most often done through insurance.

Resources

• Office of the General Counsel
• Risk Management and Insurance