Snow Sports Instructors Positional Awareness

Snow Sports Instructors – Positional Awareness

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Attendees (Please print your name and sign beside it. If you are a contractor, also include your company name):                            

Near Miss/Incidents and Investigations Reviewed: (None this month ) (Industry alerts can be discussed here as well)

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Any questions or concerns from workers?

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Snow Sports Instructors - Positional Awareness INSTRUCTOR GUIDE

Safety Talk Overview: Safety Talks are a method to refresh an employee’s knowledge and skills, maintain their interest in safety and illustrate the organization’s commitment to creating a healthy & safe work environment. Safety Talks can be performed on a weekly basis or before the start of a new scope of work and should be about 15 minutes in duration. Generally, these Safety Talk meetings are led by a supervisor and should be mandatory for all crew members to attend. The content should be centred on a single topic (e.g. a safety rule, safe job procedures, recent incident, JOHSC meeting minutes, inspection results, etc.). go2 developed these Safety Talks in conjunction with representatives from 11 ski hills in BC. The content is meant to be a base on which to work from, so please feel free to customize the subject matter to your own organization. If you would like to develop your own Safety Talk, please download the template Safety Talk from the go2 website (www.go2hr.ca) and contact Trina Wright, Program Manager, Industry Health & Safety at [email protected] and 604-633-9787 (ext 259) for support. If you are willing to share your Safety Talk with go2, we will ideally post it on our website, to be accessed by all ski resorts in BC. The more preventative ideas we can provide, the better the chances of having an incident free environment for all.

Topic Overview: A large number of snow sports instructors are injured travelling on ski hills in BC every year. At ______[insert your ski hill] there is an average of ______instructors injured every year.

Demonstration and Discussion Topics  Discuss the hazards of being a snow sports instructor.  Virtual Tour the map of the mountain and point out areas of concern.  Ski the designated areas for teaching classes and point out the areas to avoid.  Distribute the handout.  Use the handout as your discussion guide.  Discuss how incidents can happen.  Remind employees that they are required to wear proper gear and maintain their equipment.  Explain what can be done to minimize the risks (do’s & don’ts in handout)  Emphasize that following safe work procedures is mandatory.  Make it real by telling at least two true stories of injuries from your experience or use the following example: Example #1: An instructor was teaching a ski lesson on an advanced run. He was skiing backwards, so he was better able to watch them ski. Rain caused the new snow that had fallen to become very wet and heavy. The instructor’s right ski became caught in the wet snow, causing it to travel away from his body. His weight was on his left foot, and he was paying more attention to his students rather than his feet. The instructor fell as a result, when his right leg was being pulled away from the rest of his body and he suffered a complete ACL tear of his right knee.  Discuss the attitude of “it won’t happen to me”. Remind them that an injury can and will happen if they take shortcuts or are careless.  Answer any questions or concerns they might have.  Set a good example by working safely at all times. Snow Sports Instructors - Positional Awareness

The goal is to reduce the number of incidents with workers being injured while instructing guests on the mountain. Most ski instructors lift, carry, reach, bend, and push/pull equipment and people during work hours. In addition, it's common for snow sports instructors to stand for extended periods of time. Take some time to warm up before jumping into your regular activities.

Tasks Teaching students. DO’S:

. Set yourself and your students up to succeed – Start slow! . Maintain a good ski posture to reduce strain on your knees. . Keep a running head count of all of your students to ensure you don’t lose anyone. . When stopping on the hill arrange the group to stop in a column downhill. . Ensure the terrain is suited to you, your class, and the progression that you are expected to teach and gauge the ability and comfort level of your students before proceeding down any run. . Teach students how to get up on their own to avoid back injuries from trying to help them. . Limit the amount of skiing done after work to avoid strains and overexertion. . Keep a safe distance so students cannot grab onto you as they fall. . When positioning yourself on the hill, be sure to have room to move out of the way of a student who is losing control. . Ski in the middle of the run as the sides have crud snow. Unconsolidated sides are not packed enough to hold skiers weight and the associated forces generated when skiing. . Stay within your ability and the type of snow you are most comfortable in. . Watch for vehicle traffic on the hill. Listen and watch for snowmobiles and snowcats. . Use only modern ski or snowboard equipment and keep it in good condition. Maintain your equipment – edges, wax and proper binding release settings. . Be aware of other skiers on the hill at all times. . Get a detailed report on man-made snow or changing conditions prior to taking your class out on the hill. Know before you go! . Maintain your own health and wellness at all times. Eat healthy foods, drink plenty of water, get plenty of sleep and stay physically fit for the job. Consider stretching your muscles before your shift to warm up your body and prevent strains. . Take regular breaks and rest as extreme weather may require additional time. Snow Sports Instructors - Positional Awareness DON’TS:

. Do not report for work if you are legitimately exhausted, sick or otherwise unfit. . If you are taking any type of medication, ensure that it will not interfere with your ability to perform your required duties (i.e. decrease alertness, increase drowsiness, etc.). . Do not allow students to venture too far from the group. . Do not allow students to stop in blind spots or in the middle of runs. . Do not ski with student between your legs. . Do not ski backwards to observe class.