RISK MITIGATION & PREVENTION

Safety is a collective group responsibility, one that KGHA takes very seriously. We feel that the most important ways to mitigate risk is through raising awareness levels of the risks, educating our members to identify potential risks and establish a set of group expectations and/or ground rules for activities in our hockey environment. 

A keystone guiding principle of KGHA is that every memeber of our Association, and all people who interact with us will be provided a safe environment.  Creating that safe environment is the product of every member taking responsibility for, and being proactive in taking action or reporting, potential risks to our membership.

RAISING AWARENESS

Assessments

In KGHA, we will review activities, programs and operations (including buildings and staff) to identify, understand and insure against the everyday risks confronted in operating an organised hockey program. Risk assessment is the process by which we will identify, assess, control and minimise the risk of bodily injury or financial loss arising from our activities. This responsibility rests at all levels of the organization, from individual to the Association Executive.

Risk assessment consists of four (4) basic steps, performed in a logical sequence:

• Step 1: Identify the risks connected with an activity (eg. game, locker room, arena parking lot, travel).
• Step 2: Assess the relative significance of all on-ice and off-ice risks.
• Step 3: Eliminate or minimise identified risks.
• Step 4: Provide protection against unavoidable risks. This can include insurance coverage.

Officials of every KGHA team shall conduct a risk management assessment for their team at the start of the season. Copies of their assessment will be forwarded to the KGHA Director of Risk & Safety or DRS.

The DRS shall review these reports collating notes of shared interest for posting and distribution. There may also be a meeting of team officials to discuss findings from an Association perspective.

Sharing Safety Information

The passage of information is everyone’s responsibility. There is a social imperative that we all work collectively to ensure the safety of our group. We are sure that the worst scenario where a person knows about a potential risk but does not share it, finding out later that it has led to an accident or incident that has caused harm.  Whenever any member sees anything that they feel might constitute a risk or safety hazard, they are responsible to:

• Report the issue to your team, and
• In the cases of facility safety hazards, also report it to the facility manager.

The Safety Resource Centre is a resource developed by all of us to share emerging issues that will assist in creating and maintaining a safe environment.  Anyone finding a safety-related article, letter or posting is encouraged to submit to the DRS for posting on our site.  The following is a list of potential, but certainly not all-inclusive risks that merit attention:

• Facility hazards
• Environment risks
• Safety information bulletins
• Injury prevention articles
• Equipment safety guidelines
• General sport safety articles for on and off-ice activities.
• Unsafe conditions at facilities KGHA uses.

Teams will forward observations and suggestions to the KGHA Director of Risk & Safety for posting and further distribution as appropriate.

 

 

Association Safety Meetings

Where required and appropriate, the DRS will hold meetings and/or information sessions.  As a minimum, there will be a meeting held every fall, before the first league game, to:

• Discuss current safety issues
• Review current KGHA policy on risks
• Coordinate the results of the assessment surveys (if completed)

Other meetings may be called as conditions or the situation arises.

Team Safety Sessions
It is of vital importance that coaches review the Codes of Conduct and details surrounding sportsmanship with their teams.  This will ensure that all members of every team is aware of our expected conduct throughout the year.  These discussions should include areas of diversity, inclusion and the sensitive nature of any harmful comments or actions to others.  Should you not be comfortable doing this yourself, the Director of Risk & Safety can assist by arranging for a presentation at a mutually agreeable time.

Every team should promote safety throughout the year by visiting the library regularly and passing any safety related materiel to their teams at fairly regular intervals.  An example could be go to a new rink, finding out the conditions or the rink and area, or informing your team on emerging equipment concerns.
 

MALE/FEMALE INTERACTION

Males in the Dressing Room
To help create a safe environment for our players, KGHA limits accessability to the dressing rooms for ALL Males and promotes the posting of a FEMALE ONLY sign on the dressing room door.  More detailed information is available on our Safety in Action section. 

Male Staff in Sensitive Positions
As an expression of due diligence for the protection of both players and staff, KGHA shall limit certain staff positions to female only as appropriate.  One such position that KGHA has determined as FEMALE ONLY is the team trainer for all teams PW and above.  This policy is designed to not only protect our players, but also the trainers themselves from accusations.  All applications for an exception to this policy must be made in writing the the KGHA Director of Risk & Safety.  Exceptions will normally only be granted to males holding professional medical credentials (MD, nurse, paramedic, firefighter,...) or ones that are previously experienced in KGHA. 

EDUCATION PROGRAM

Hockey Certification of Team Officials

The certification requirements are detailed in the KGHA Volunteer Policy and in the coach's section of this website.  These courses contain safety and risk components that educate our team officials and volunteers. As a summary:

• All volunteers must achieve the Respect in Sport for Activity Leaders certification prior to October 31 of the season that they volunteer.
• All coaches must have their Hockey Canada National Coaches Certification as detailed in our Coach Qualification pages
• Trainers must have, at a minimum, Trainer Level I.
• Managers will participate in Association information and orientation sessions
• Helpers do not require certification, but must be under the supervision of a certified coach

Proof of certification should be held by the team at all times and presented to any Executive member of KGHA, ODWHA, or OWHA upon request.

Other Relevant Training

KGHA is always on the lookout for qualified professionals that might lend further expertise in the field of Risk and Safety. Your expertise knowledge and experience could be used on an Association Committee and to help monitor our program. Particularly, we would welcome qualified professionals with experience in the fields of:

• Harassment Investigation
• General Safety programme management
• Facility and structural safety
• Medical qualifications and Injury prevention
• Dryland training or fitness Instruction

 

PROTECTING OUR PRIVACY

Controlling the Risk

Organizations minimize risks with privacy controls.  Privacy controls are steps taken to manage risk.  Some controls are mandated by laws, regulators and the courts, and some are best-practices proven to reduce the risk.

 

KGHA takes the privacy of its members seriously as demonstrated by our Privacy Policy Statement.  This policy is reviewed regularly to maintain the best protection that we can offer within our ability.  We also take measures to ensure that our members know the terms of use for our website by posting them on the site.


STANDING & ADHOC COMMITTEES

A key component to any effective prevention strategy is the identification and the effective sharing of both risks and mitigation strategies so that people are aware of the issues. The KGHA Risk & Safety Committees will play a role in contributing to our overall effectiveness.

Discipline Committee

Under the direction of the President, the Risk and Safety Director shall chair a committee to address, review or investigate all incidents/complaints involving players, coaches, officials and parents pertaining to possible violations of KGHA codes. All judgments of the disciplinary committee will be rendered with the best interest of the sport in mind.

Harassment & Abuse Panel

As required, KGHA will convene a panel of trusted professionals under the guidance of the Risk and Safety Director on matters of harassment or abuse after receipt of a formal complaint, the holding of a Disciplinary hearing/investigation, and based on the recommendation of the Development Director. Every formal complaint will be investigated and an investigation may be initiated by the Association Executive. 

Safety Committee

The Safety Committee shall be composed of between 3 and 7 members from throughout the Association. The Risk and Safety Director shall chair this committee. It shall be the duty of the Committee to recommend policy and direction with respect to risk and safety matters to the Executive.

Insurance Committee

The Insurance Committee is an adhoc committee chaired by the Risk and Safety Director. It shall be the duty of the Committee to assist members wil claims processing and coordinate with the safety committee to mitigate future risks. They shall report to the executive.

 

More information on the composition, roles and process of these committees can be found in our Safety in Action section