Safety, numbers, stats help

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kevin Yount on March 5, 2010 at 7:16pm

Hope someone else can give numbers. Beyond numbers, just remember to remind them that if a rafter falls out of the raft, they only have a helmet and pfd for protection.

We have a buoyant craft, pfd, helmet, protection from the cold, and flippers.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mad Dog River Boarding on March 5, 2010 at 10:17pm

Check out this link.

http://www.paddlinglife.net/article.php?id=251

It is a summary of American Whitewaters 2007 accident stats, I have not yet been able to find anything newer. It does not give participant numbers.

For some rough figures from here in NZ. Queenstown has had approx 100,000 people go riverboarding. In this time there has been one death and 2 other serious hospitalisations. One gashed her face going over a rock and one blacked out after being underwater for 2 or 3 seconds and needed CPR (turned out to be an epileptic seizure). There have been a number of dislocations, mainly shoulders, approx 1 per season on average total for all companies. We did have a guy dislocate his knee cap walking down the track to the river last summer, and one dislocated knee trying to put on her wetsuit a few years ago!!

From what I know there have been approx 50,000 people go riverboarding, or sledging, in Rotorua, in the North Island. They have also had 1 death, but I do not know anything more than that.

I would suggest you look at the NZWBA website and check out the guidelines. At the end, under schedule A, is all the info which must be included in an SOP here. We have to have an SOP to get resource consents and all the other permits allowed to operate. I would think if you can put something to gether which shows you have taken all the points listed there, into consideration then this should go a long way to appeasing your risk management people, as it is basically a risk management document.

It covers all the things like, how you identify hazards and how you deal with them, both prior to taking people on the river and while on the river, and also how you and your other guide(s) will deal with anything which may arise during the trip. It also covers what info should be relayed to clients before they participate, what are safe river flows, operating conditions, and so on. Equipment you will need, how to communicate with the outside world, all the major things to keep both staff and clients as safe as possible. You should find it extremely helpfull.

All the best and if you want a hand writing anything just let me know.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Rochelle Parry on March 8, 2010 at 12:46pm

Thank you, that helps a lot.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Rochelle Parry on April 9, 2010 at 5:47pm

Looks like it's a go! Now I just need a few people to sign up :). It's going to be the first weekend in June.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Huw Miles on April 13, 2010 at 3:23pm

nice work Rochelle.

Thanks for the heads up Baa Baa, i need similar info just to get a quote for public liability insurance. (Stupid beaurocratic desk jockies all i was after was a ball park figure! )

▶ Reply to This