Risk is Everyone's Business

RISKS

ABUSE AND HARASSMENT

Protecting participants from all forms of abuse, harassment and neglect is an important element of safety. The KGHA considers any form of abuse or neglect to be unacceptable and will do all it can to prevent this intolerable social problem. To this end, KGHA will promote awareness of all forms of abuse and neglect by providing easily accessible educational materials and programs for participants, parents, volunteers and staff members. Through the use of these strategies, we will send a clear message to all potential abusers and sexual predators that hockey participants are not easy targets. The KGHA is committed to the highest possible standards of care for its participants.

It is our policy that there shall be no harassment or abuse and neglect of any participant in any of our programs. The KGHA expects every parent, volunteer, and staff member to take all responsible steps to safeguard the welfare of all our participants and protect them from any form of maltreatment.

Definitions: As articulated in OWHA policy and expanded here, the following definitions are adopted by KGHA:

 

·         “Abuse”: Abuse is any form of physical, emotional and/or sexual mistreatment or lack of care that causes physical injury or emotional damage child. A common characteristic of all forms of abuse is an abuse of power or authority and/or a breach of trust. It is a vicious conduct, practice or action toward another person or persons.

 

·         “Harassment” includes: A chronic behaviour by one person toward another, which is insulting, intimidating, malicious, degrading or otherwise offensive to an individual or group of individuals. It creates a hostile or intimidating environment that can negatively affect performance and/or the fun sporting environment. Harassment may occur between peers (e.g.: player to player in the same age group, parent to official, coach to coach) or between someone in a position of power or authority and an adult in a subordinate position (e.g.: coach to player, sports administrator to employee).

·         “Hazing”: To subject newcomers to pranks or humiliating horseplay, degrading initiating rites, or acts which a person is forced to participate in order to be accepted.

 

·         “Neglect”: Neglect is chronic inattention to the necessities of life such as clothing, shelter, nutritious diets, education, good hygiene, supervision, medical and dental care, adequate rest, safe environment, moral guidance and discipline, exercise and fresh air. This may occur in hockey when injuries are not adequately treated or players are made to play with injuries, equipment is inadequate or unsafe, non-intervention when team members are persistently harassing another player, or road trips that are not properly supervised.

 

·         “Victim”: Any person of any age or sex who is subjected to abuse, harassment, hazing and/or neglect.

 

·         “Offender”: Any person who has power or authority over a victim and/or breeches trust. This may be any peer or any person with power or authority over a victim;

KGHA policies apply to the entire spectrum of abusive and harassing behaviours in any relationship (adult – adult, adult – minor, minor – minor) during KGHA activities. Some behaviours that are defined as abuse when directed towards a child or youth may constitute harassment when directed towards a peer or when perpetrated between adults. Types of behaviour which constitute harassment and/or abuse include, but are not limited to:

·         Unwelcome jokes, innuendo, or teasing about a person's looks, body, attire, age, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation.

 

·         Condescending, patronizing, threatening or punishing actions which undermine self-esteem or diminish performance, on any medium.

 

·         Practical jokes that cause awkwardness or embarrassment, endanger a person’s safety, or negatively affect their performance and desire to participate in the sport.

 

·         Unwanted or unnecessary physical contact (in the case of minors this is defined as abuse under Child Protection Legislation).

 

·         Any form of physical assault (if minor involved, covered under Child Protection Legislation).

 

·         Unwelcome flirtation, sexual advances, requests or invitations (if minor involved, covered under Child Protection Legislation).

 

·         Any sexual offence including sexual assault (if minor involved, covered under Child Protection Legislation).

 

·         Any form of hazing or initiation.

Behaviours such as those described above, even when not directed towards individuals or groups, but which have the effect of creating a negative or hostile environment are also considered harassment and/or abuse.

UNSAFE PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT

The creation of an unsafe environment can be created either deliberately or unintentionally. At KGHA, we must remain vigilant and aware of our surroundings to ensure that we maintain safe and positive conditions that promote a positive experience for our members.

Team and Association officials must demonstrate diligence to recognize unsafe environments such as:

·         Unsafe conditions of facilities, ice and/or dressing rooms that might lead to injury.

·         An unhealthy social environment in the dressing room or elsewhere (bullying or exclusion are examples).

·         Unauthorized access to dressing rooms by others that violate players’ right to privacy.

·         Unsafe or malicious actions, deliberately aimed at injuring another.

UNBECOMING CONDUCT

At KGHA, we pride ourselves in the high manner in which our membership represents themselves, their team, our association and the community. There are times however, when individuals (players, officials and parents) will become “caught in the moment” and forget the core values of our group. Many cases of unbecoming conduct can also be, or become, abuse or harassment. 

Unbecoming conduct is defined as:

        When an individual, while participating or attending a sanctioned event, demonstrates conduct that violates the accepted norms of the event and/or group through inappropriate or unacceptable:

·         Actions that call into question the intent of the person(s) involved and go against accepted social interaction.

·         Dialogue such as disputing an official’s call or addressing a situation in an aggressive manner.

·         Conditions setting where a person establishes an environment that creates visible discomfort, unfairness or disadvantage to selected members.

In most cases, unbecoming conduct becomes evident through a violation of the accepted Code of conduct agreement but is not limited to those cases. Judgement against socially accepted norms and expectations for participation in a societal group shall also be applied.

INJURY

Ice hockey is classified as a “collision sport” by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Because collisions may occur at high speeds, participants are at risk for serious injury. Ice hockey is an action packed sport, making it exciting but also dangerous. By following injury prevention tips and exercising fair play, hockey can be safer and more fun for everyone!

 

Injury Statistics (a minor hockey study)

• For children & youth, ice hockey injuries ranked 3rd, after basketball and soccer, in emergency room visits related to sport and recreational activities
• In measures of injury severity, ice hockey ranked 4th for frequency of hospitalization
• A 1999 study of head injuries treated in the emergency room found that 18% of sport-related injuries occurred while playing hockey, while 1 in 5 of these (21%) were head injuries
• Hockey players 15-19 years old had the highest number of head injuries

 When Do Injuries Occur?

• A cross analysis of 15 hockey injury studies indicates that injuries occur more often during games than practices
• Exhibition and preseason games have roughly 3 times as many injuries as league and post-season games
• Injuries occur in the later periods and in the later minutes of each period;

 Injuries can be incurred through the normal course of a game, practice or dryland training, due to an unsafe act or by equipment that fails to protect the member properly.

BREACH OF PRIVACY

The protection of your personal information is a key concern to KGHA. In the world on electronic data, combined with the need to collect information to operate the association, there is always the risk that your information may be used by unauthorized persons or organizations.

 

Definition of a Privacy Breach. 

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada defines privacy breaches as the unauthorized access to; or collection, use, or disclosure of personal information.  The term “unauthorized” refers to any violation of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) or other relevant legislation on personal information privacy.