Keeping Your Eye on the Ball

Posted on
Reply

During a recent visit to a fitness facility the staff and I discussed the use of training balls at their location. Fitness training balls, also known as stability and exercise balls, are commonly used at fitness facilities around the country. While they are common and usually durable they can fail when not used in a proper manner and within manufacturer’s recommendations. As recently as 2009 the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommended the recall of nearly 3 million exercise balls due to a number of reports of various injuries to consumers. The majority of these and continuing injuries are due to improper use rather than equipment defect.

Some of our discussion provided new ideas to the training staff, so I thought it may be appropriate to present them in this week’s Blog. In addition we’ve recently added a listing of good use practices in the Online Library under the Program section.

Most training balls are designed to withstand common use during exercise. They are usually labeled with a user weight limit; listed on the ball near the air valve. The listed weight limit is the maximum amount of weight the ball can support. This includes the user’s body weight along with any weight equipment. Training balls are also available in various sizes. These sizes follow suggested user height recommendations by manufacturers.

One of the most common causes of equipment failure and user injury is a training ball that is not properly inflated. Underinflating this piece of training equipment can cause leaks and affect a user’s stability while exercising.

In conclusion, facilities should ensure that a selection of equipment is available that suits the various sizes and skills of users. An area that has appropriate space should be designated for the use of training balls. Instruction should be offered so that users are aware of how to properly use the equipment. All equipment should be regularly inspected with the results documented. Training balls should be properly inflated and used within manufacturer’s recommendations. Equipment that has been purchased since 2010, is designed for commercial use and is properly inflated can help reduce the incidence of injuries.

Mike Gurtler

More information on use of fitness training balls is available in the Online Library

Lightning Discussions Ongoing

Posted on
Reply

Reviewing emergency plans prior to incidents is good practice. With the prevalence of unusual weather situations around the country it makes even more good sense. A part of an organization’s weather emergency planning that frequently gets discussion is procedures for thunderstorms and lightning. From a risk management perspective all outdoor activities must have a lightning emergency plan. Safe-Wise recommends following good practices which include the 30/30 rule (see our Online Resource Library). However, my discussion this week has more to do with indoor activities.

I recently spent time discussing emergency planning for indoor pool operations with an organization. I know of few other emergency planning topics that seem to get as much passionate discussion. A simple scan of the Internet will find any number of opinions and supposed factual discussion for implementing a lightning emergency plan. Safe-Wise recommends evacuating all wet areas, pools, showers rooms, etc., during a thunderstorm storm by following the 30/30 rule. The 30/30 rule states: if thunder is heard within 30 seconds of a lightning flash, seek appropriate shelter until 30 minutes after the last sound of thunder. This rule helps define the proximity of lightning and prevents exposure during the most hazardous period of that exposure.

However, some organizations because of a variety of operational considerations and pressures hesitate at implementing this rule. The fact that there has never been a documented case of injury due to a lightning strike while using an indoor pool is often combined with the desire to accommodate user’s concerns of pool availability. This combination is used to justify not closing pools during weather emergencies. Other considerations used to justify this practice are grounding, bonding, other construction standards and lack of specific NCAA guidelines.

I’ve been in the chair of the director running facilities that comes under criticism for closings during a number of different weather emergencies and I know it can be a very tough thing. I also know that I simply cannot use any excuse to expose people to the risk of swimming during a nearby thunderstorm. It can be a very uncomfortable discussion to have and a very unpopular policy to implement. Finances, member satisfaction and even Board or political pressure can influence these discussions. Even with all these influences I do not believe there is any other practice that makes sense aside from following the 30/30 rule. I’ve done quite a bit of research on the subject and have considered both sides (and others) to this issue. While I respect other’s opinions and in many cases can find common ground for similar issues; this is not one of those times.

Your organization needs to thoughtfully consider the information available around this issue without emotion and develop a plan that can be easily implemented in at any time of operation. Your plan needs to be written, rehearsed, regularly evaluated and clearly communicated to staff and users.

Mike Gurtler

More information about lightning safety can be found at the Lightning Safety Institute Website or the Safe-Wise Online Resource Library.

Stop Bullying Now

Posted on
Reply

I spent some time updating my knowledge of the scope of bullying in the US this week as I prepared to provide a workshop on the subject for a group of YMCAs. I also was reminded of the impact of this issue while reading an article in USA Today (Wednesday, January 25th, “Bullying in USA: Are we defenseless?”). Over half, about 56 percent, of all students are exposed to bullying on a regular basis at school (National Crime Prevention Council). This is a very big problem for our youth today.

So why aren’t more youth organizations embracing this issue? Most YMCAs and other youth-serving organizations work diligently to address and prevent the sexual abuse of children. Organizations regularly employ a variety of strategies to screen, train, educate and supervise staff in order to prevent abuse. And while these efforts are needed and laudable, some focus more on how to protect the organization than how to protect youth. It is understandable and logical… but.

It may seem odd that a risk manager would suggest something other than the understandable and logical. I am not. The sexual molestation of children needs to be prevented and organizations must work to protect themselves. They also need to protect staff and, most importantly, protect youth. My suggestion is that we utilize the opportunity as we work with youth to help them cope with the problems they are facing on a much greater scale. Obviously the impact of molestation is huge; however the frequency of other forms of abuse makes them a priority as well.

Working to build resilient, confident youth in our organizations is a great way to help prevent all forms of abuse. Focusing on the strategies that primarily prevent one form over another may not be the most effective way to help the kids in our programs. Building on core values, a welcoming/accepting environment and providing education on coping strategies will go a long way in helping youth deal with all forms of abuse.

I encourage our organization leaders to look at a broad approach to protecting youth, staff and the organization from abuse.

More information about youth protection is available at the Safe-Wise Consulting Online Resource Library. Resources on preventing bullying are available at www.stopbullying.gov

Mike Gurtler

Lifeguard Breaks and Rotations

Posted on
Reply

I was recently visiting a YMCA and while interviewing the lifeguard on duty, I asked how long she had been on duty. Her answer was “I opened at 5:30AM”. My next question was “When was your last break?” her answer was “I requested a potty break at 9:00AM when the Aquatic Director arrived”. This lifeguard had been on duty for three and a half hours without a break. Y-USA Aquatic Safety Guidelines recommend that a lifeguard should get a 10 minute break every hour, and rotate every 20 to 30 minutes. Vigilance studies with the Royal Navy and also with air traffic controllers indicate that vigilance cannot be maintained for more than 30 minutes. The studies also indicate that breaks of as little as 10 minutes can return vigilance to the same level as at the start of the task.

Scheduling with this recommendation in mind can be challenging. However, if you are serious about the Y-USA Zero Drowning Initiative and drowning prevention at your YMCA, lifeguard vigilance must be a high priority. Regular breaks and rotations are a must to help reduce fatigue and maintain optimum mental alertness and scanning.

Chris Mogridge

Resource information about aquatic safety is available in the Safe-Wise Online Library

Protecting Youth, Yourself and the Organization

Posted on
Reply

I recently enjoyed a day of working with a great afterschool program staff; discussing youth protection issues, practices and providing training. During our training discussions we learned quite a bit about effectively preventing child abuse. We also learned that their organization still has some work to do.

There are some basic concepts that should be addressed when a youth-serving organization develops a youth protection program. These include developing a Board approved, written polcy, implementing thorough screening, providing training, ensuring strong supervision strategies and developing communication patterns for youth, staff, families and the community. We found that while the child care and day camp programs had most of these bases covered, the organization had not yet fully embraced these strategies for all facets of their programs offerings and operations.

Just like a chain, the youth protection program of an organization is only as strong as its weakest link. Common issues such as treating volunteers like employees when it comes to screening, training and supervision and embracing youth protection practices throughout the organization must be addressed. We also spent quite a bit of time discussing current trends such as bullying and the use of social media as key items for their organization to consider.

We will only attain our goal of protecting youth, staff and the organization from harm when we ensure that every child, every staff, all programs and the entire organization is considered in our practices. Tools for implenting good pratices at your organization are available in the Safe-Wise Online Resource Library.

Mike Gurtler

Welcome to the New Year

Posted on
1

Welcome to the New Year… welcome to our new Blog. Safe-Wise will be posting regularly to this with the goal of sharing first-person comments on the risk issues facing our nonprofit colleagues on a daily basis. Staff will present ideas each week, reference pertinent resources and allow for thoughtful comments from our readers.

So as I sit down to write our first posting on this chilly winter day I pause to reflect on some issues we’ve seen come to the forefront of nonprofit risk management in the last year. Changes in weather patterns have caused organizations to look at emergency planning in new ways. Youth protection has been a topic thrust to the attention of the media and public because of several high-profile incidents. Our digital world is ever evolving and because of this new challenges around theft-prevention and social media management (among others) present themselves on a regular basis. The aquatics world continues to deal with changes in regulations on the local, state and national level. These are just a few of the newer items added to our already lengthy laundry list of regular duties such as slips and falls, supervision, facility management and staff safety.

Fear not dear reader. This is indeed a daunting list, however with thoughtful planning and strategy development these risks (and others) can be managed in a responsible manner. We will all walk through the woods together and find paths that will bring us to the green grassy pastures on the other side. Okay, well maybe that is a bit of an idealistic vision, but you get my meaning.

So join us on our quest to manage risks and protect staff, youth, families, facilities and our organizations from harm. Together we will find effective practices that help your organization serve its mission in an effective and responsible manner.

Mike Gurtler