Helmets during Avi. control...

[F.D.V.]

From the Alamosa News, Alamosa, CO.

http://www.alamosanews.com/v2_news_a...story_id=20285

OSHA fines Wolf Creek $17,000 in patroller death
Posted: Friday, Apr 15th, 2011




AP — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined Wolf Creek Ski Area $17,000, alleging “serious” workplace violations following an investigation into the death of the area’s ski patrol director in an avalanche in November.

After several months of investigation into the death of longtime patrol director Scott Kay, the administration found three alleged violations.

The administration fined the area $7,000 for the lack of specific training and protocols for avalanche-control work as well as a violation of state law that required Kay to work with another employee when using explosives to mitigate avalanches. Another citation levied a $5,000 fine because Kay was not wearing a helmet when he was swept away and buried while conducting lone in-bounds avalanche mitigation Nov. 22 before the area opened.

In a description of the accident, the OSHA report reads: “The employee, working alone, set off an explosive charge and then skied across the face of the slope instead of skiing across the top of the slope.”

John Healy, the administration’s area director in Englewood, said state statute requires a minimum of two workers and federal laws governing workers’ personal protection equipment support the use of helmets by patrollers doing avalanche mitigation.

In addition, Healy said, the fact that Kay was alone and the ski area’s lack of an “implemented and developed specific protocol to follow” for avalanche control led to the citation.

“Our information indicates this is not an isolated incident,” Healy said. “Our investigation showed this was not the only time work was done in this manner.”

The penalties also included a $5,000 fine against the ski area for the lack of handrails on metal stairways in the area’s summit house.

Wolf Creek owner Davey Pitcher did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment Wednesday.

In 2007, OSHA fined Crested Butte ski area $67,500 after alleging workplace violations following the January 2007 death of a grooming machine driver. Earlier, an OSHA investigation into the November 2002 death of a Keystone employee who drowned in a below-ground vault used for snowmaking led to a $128,250 fine.

[OverTurn]

seems pretty reasonable to me...Sad for sure but working alone and then skiing across the face (did this happen?) doesn't seem smart. Kinda sucks they got nailed for the staircases at the same time.

[beaterdit]

Yeah, it is sad, and yeah, it did happen that way. I toured the scene not long after it happened. Scott fell into the trap of not respecting a relatively benign slope. The slide was very small but there happened to be a perfect terrain trap below due to the shallow early season snowpack. Without that it wouldn't have been enough to bury him. I could go into a lot of detail about the protocol for that particular route and how it came to be that there was no spotter that morning but it's in the past now and the wounds are still pretty fresh for all of us. Suffice to say that protocol was broken that morning and it became a perfect storm of bad circumstance.

[M.T. Skull]

Very sad.

Thanks for the clarification beaterdit. Might cut down on the speculation and Monday morning QB'ing.

I'm always a little surprised to see some of the Loveland Patrol veterans skiing around without a lid.

[covert]

twelve years of patrolling in colorado and that's the first i've heard of a legal requirement for a partner and a helmet during explosive routes. i'm guessing those requirements are subject to interpretation...

[Bunion 2020]

twelve years of patrolling in colorado and that's the first i've heard of a legal requirement for a partner and a helmet during explosive routes. i'm guessing those requirements are subject to interpretation...

From the above article:

The administration fined the area $7,000 for the lack of specific training and protocols for avalanche-control work as well as a violation of state law that required Kay to work with another employee when using explosives to mitigate avalanches.

Another citation levied a $5,000 fine because Kay was not wearing a helmet when he was swept away and buried while conducting lone in-bounds avalanche mitigation Nov. 22 before the area opened.

In a description of the accident, the OSHA report reads: “The employee, working alone, set off an explosive charge and then skied across the face of the slope instead of skiing across the top of the slope.”

John Healy, the administration’s area director in Englewood, said state statute requires a minimum of two workers and federal laws governing workers’ personal protection equipment support the use of helmets by patrollers doing avalanche mitigation.

In addition, Healy said, the fact that Kay was alone and the ski area’s lack of an “implemented and developed specific protocol to follow” for avalanche control led to the citation.

“Our information indicates this is not an isolated incident,” Healy said. “Our investigation showed this was not the only time work was done in this manner.”




I don't know where you work but the NSAA guidelines for explosives usage which were adopted after the accident at Big Sky are very specific to this. There must be 2 qualified blasters present during explosives work for the purpose of avalanche hazard reduction. From the quoted article it would seem like Colorado has made this a State law as well.


As for helmets, it is an IME and ISEE recommendation as well as an OSHA rule that hard hats are to be worn on blasting sites.

That can be interpreted to mean that helmets will be worn during avalanche hazard reduction operations using explosives and is how many areas including mine view that particular idea.

Not to speak ill of the dead but this accident could have been easily prevented by following standard safety procedures and by simply having a partner. This is not the first time something like this has occurred, I nearly lost a fellow patroller who chose to make a low consequence ski cut solo and ended up buried to his neck.

There is no defensible reason to cut corners during hazard reduction and this type of behavior needs to end, not because of some State law or because of OSHA fines. It sucks hard losing friends and co-workers because they were in a hurry to get some terrain open and made a poor choice.

[covert]

From the above article:

I don't know where you work but the NSAA guidelines for explosives usage which were adopted after the accident at Big Sky are very specific to this. There must be 2 qualified blasters present during explosives work for the purpose of avalanche hazard reduction. From the quoted article it would seem like Colorado has made this a State law as well.


As for helmets, it is an IME and ISEE recommendation as well as an OSHA rule that hard hats are to be worn on blasting sites.

That was my point...the "it would seem" and "can be interpreted part." First i've heard of a CO statute requiring two qualified blasters. also the first i've heard in CO of someone being fined for not wearing a helmet during ac. Maybe i'm not paying attention.