1. Camp Staff Safety and Health
2014
Understand. Service. Innovate.

2. Food for Thought:
Every year in the United States, nearly 70 teenagers under age 18 die from work-related injuries
Another 77,000 teen workers are hurt badly enough to end up in hospital emergency rooms
Overall, more than 5,000 people die each year from on-the-job injuries and 4.4 million more suffer from injuries and illnesses
Teenage workers often think that “it won’t happen to me”, however, each year many teens are injured on the job and may receive injuries that affect them for the rest of their life.
These statistics help put this point into better perspective, many serious injuries do actually occur to teenage workers.
Have any of you been injured on the job or ended up in the hospital? How did that affect you and your family? Have any of your friends been injured on the job?

3. Examples of Teen Work Injuries:
Antonio’s Story
Job: Construction helper
Injury: Fell from roof
Why do you think this happened?
What could have prevented Antonio
from being injured?
The Impact of Work Injuries

4. If You are Hurt on the Job
Seek medical attention
Report injuries to your supervisor immediately
If the injury is not an emergency, you will be sent to the health lodge or to a designated medical provider
Communicate questions or concerns to your supervisor
Participate in modified duty
Prompt reporting of injuries is critical to make sure that they are treated appropriately and that proper medical care is provided. Minor injuries may worsen resulting in a more significant injury and a more costly claim.
Report any injuries to your supervisor immediately.
Modified duty is used to return injured employees to work they are still able to perform without further aggravating the injury. Employees on modified duty typically recover more quickly and return to work sooner than those sitting at home off work. Also, use of modified duty helps reduce the cost of the claim and will help the Council save money.
Boil down to key points

5. Direct and Indirect Cost of Accidents
Direct Costs Include:
Medical Costs
Lost Wages
Insurance Premiums
Indirect Costs Include:
Training New Employees Damaged Equipment
Replacement Employees Unhappy campers
Legal Fees Clean-up Time
Increase Insurance Costs Schedule Delays
On average, indirect costs are 3 to 5 times direct costs
When an injury occurs there are direct costs that are easily visible, for example medical bills, lost wages and increased insurance premiums.
There are many indirect costs that are not easily visible that can have a dramatic financial impact on the Council, and these costs are not covered by workers compensation insurance.
The analogy of the iceberg is that it is the unseen costs below the water that have the biggest impact on the Council in terms of cost.
Indirect costs can easily be 3 to 5 times the direct costs.
What happens if you don’t have a staff member in a key program area? How does that impact the camp program? Do you know of any examples? Any stories about this happening in your camp?

6. The “True Costs of Injury”
Example workers compensation claim for camp employee:
Trip and fall due to horseplay
Direct costs = $ 1,623
Indirect costs = 4,869 (3:1)
True costs = $ 6,492
How many tents, canoes or other gear could the Council have purchased if this injury was prevented?
Key Points:
This a typical Camp injury.
Mention that these are common injuries and that Councils experience these each year?
What could money saved in preventing an injury be used for to improve the Camp equipment and operations?
By not having the injury, you can create a WIN-WIN for you, your campers, and the Council.

7. Finding Hazards: Key Points
Every job has health
and safety hazards
You should always be aware of these hazards
If you are unsure about something, ask your supervisor – don’t assume
Find out about chemicals at work by checking labels, reading MSDSs and getting training
Every job had hazards
Don’t assume if you don’t know.
MSDS is the abbreviation for material safety data sheets. MSDS describe the ingredients, health effects and safe handling precautions for hazardous materials.

8. Job Hazards
A job hazard is anything at work that can hurt you either physically or mentally.
Safety hazards: knives, machinery, etc.
Chemical hazards: dusts, gases, vapors
Biological hazards: snakes, buys, animals
Other health hazards: noise, radiation, repetitive movements, heat, cold, stress

9. Common Hazards for BSA Activities
Vehicle accidents
Cardiac problems (adults)
Falls
Drowning
Lighting
What do you think the most common camp injuries are? Ask question before next slide.

10. Common Workers Compensation Injuries at Camp
Injuries due to horseplay
Animal and insect bites
Slips, trips and falls
Back injury/lifting
Strains and sprains
These are common workers compensation injuries that occur at Boy Scout Camps and other BSA facilities. Special attention should be paid to preventing these injuries.

11. Group Activity – What are the Hazards?
List the camp areas that present health and safety hazards
How might each of these hazards be avoided?
Correct a potential hazard
Group Discussion - Ask staff members how each of these types of hazards might be avoided. Ask what measures their staff might take to avoid these hazards.
Group Activity - Using a chart, each staff group should prepare a risk management plan for its area of responsibility. An example chart is located in the “Summer Camp Staff Training Guide”
Ask each group to report its findings.
All staff members are expected to take responsibility for preventing accidents to themselves as well as campers, leaders and visitors. Hazards that might cause an injury should be corrected or reported immediately.

12. Injury Prevention Follow safety rules
Bring safety hazards to your supervisor’s attention
Correct hazards when you see them
Don’t operate equipment you haven’t been trained to use
Watch out for each other
Have fun but no horseplay!

13. Vehicle Safety Only authorized drivers to drive camp vehicles
Seat belts must be worn at all times
No use of cell phones while driving
No riding in the back of pickup trucks
No riding on tractors or other equipment

14. Outdoor Safety Wear sunscreen and hat Drink plenty of water
Wear insect repellent, long pants, shirt when possible
Watch for lightning, seek shelter in bad weather

15. Summary
Injury prevention is part of your job
Report injuries immediately
Report or correct any hazards you see
Watch out for each other