Rob Stevenson, MD CCFP FRCPC National Safety Officer, Canadian - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Rob Stevenson, MD CCFP FRCPC National Safety Officer, Canadian Eventing 09 November 2014 (CEC) 24 January 2015 (FEI)

Horse and Train Alex Colville 1954

“I don’t intend to be menacing, but I do think of life as being essentially dangerous. We never know what’s going to happen from one day to the next” Alex Colville Colville (2014)

Outline • Risk versus performance • Stall to stall to stall… • The “J curve” of risk • Concussion redux • The needle in the haystack • Indoor eventing-like competitions • Audit (evaluation) process

Clif Bar A Letter to the Climbing Community “Over the past few days, there’s been a heated dialogue about our recent decision to withdraw sponsorship of several climbers…. …Climbing has been a part of our company’s DNA from the beginning. Over a year ago, we started having conversations internally about our concerns with B.A.S.E. jumping, highlining and free-soloing. We concluded that these forms of the sport are pushing boundaries and taking the element of risk to a place where we as a company are no longer willing to go .” Source: http://www.clifbar.com/text/a-letter-to-the-climbing-community

“They had a chance to modify [their game] but they’re selling a game of violence” Dr. Paul Echlin, Globe and Mail 4 Feb 2014

Giuseppe’s Risk Continuum Horse/Rider Permanent Good Riding Bad Riding Falls Horse Falls Injury Injury/Death

From stall to stall to stall…

258/6157 1/24 4.2%

“The J Curve” 12 10.5 10 8 % Falls Starter 6.2 6 6 5.1 4.6 4.5 4 3.6 3.6 4 2 0 PE E PT T P * ** *** **** Level of Competition EC FEI

Concussions No athlete with concussion symptoms should be allowed to return to play on the same day (risk of second impact syndrome) McCrory P, et al. Br J Sports Med 2013; 47:250-258 Heads up to Concussions

Concussions Helmets DO NOT Protect Against Concussion Heads up to Concussions

Sudden Cardiac Death in Athletes: humans and horses

Dr. Wilson • “Do you have a test rider complete the course in advance?” • “Do you have a safety team inspect the site of all serious falls and file a standardized report? • “You mean you jump these obstacles on an angle?” • “I like the idea of collapsible jumps.”

Highlights from Dr. Wilson conversation con’t • It is impossible to design a “safe highway,” we speak in terms of a “reasonable level of safety…” • How to design a safety audit: – Don’t call it an audit, rather a “safety evaluation” – Take the top people in the sport, teach them how to audit and create a small team

Summary Without risk, we do not progress, without progress, there can be no performance…

Conclusions • The best performance should confer the lowest acceptable risk • We need to acknowledge all activities where risk is increased and respond accordingly • Concussions are a big deal • Near misses cannot be missed • Utilize rules, officials, coaches, outcomes, review, repeat…

FEI Risk Management Seminar: Bromont 2017???

Acknowledgements: • Fleur Tipton, Manager Eventing • Crystal Labelle, Assistant to Manager Eventing • Amanda Leblanc, assistant to RSS • Giuseppe Della Chiesa (ITA)

Questions?

“The J Curve” 12 10.5 10 8 % Falls Starter 6.2 6 6 5.1 4.6 4.5 4 3.6 3.6 4 2 0 PE E PT T P * ** *** **** Level of Competition EC FEI

The Risk Continuum Horse/Rider Permanent Good Riding Bad Riding Falls Horse Falls Injury Injury/Death

Declaration of conflicts • None

Heads up to Concussions