Rink

A recent accident at a skating facility needs to be a reminder to us all that we have children in our facilities and their well-being is part of our responsibilities. It saddens me to write this piece but I feel it is very necessary to keep bringing home some of the points that we make in our training programs. We have a couple of items that we bring up in our ice resur- facer classes that always get a few eyes roLling in the class and a few comments that "no one would do that." Unfortunately, like most points we bring up, we do have stories to explain why we feel that our suggestions are best practices. Those of you WHO have taken the IMEO or SIRO class with STAR should remem- ber the topics of taking the key out of the ice resurfacer when it's not in use and also keeping the doors to the ice resurfacer room and refrigeration room locked. In November one of my worst fears was realized when a 12- year-old child went into the ice resurfacer room of an arena and found the keys in the machine and proceeded to start the machine. Then while playing with the controls, this child man- aged to sever off three of his fingers. We have known of a few instances where vandals have gained access to the ice resurfacers and done major damage to the rink and machines, but this acci- dent involving a child gaining access and having the ability to start the machine and hurt himself takes it to another level. I see facilities everyday that do take all of the precautions and have very good operational procedures in place along with a "no excuses" attitude when it comes to performing the proper operations. This does not increase the work-load or time need- ed to complete their tasks. So why doesn't everyone do the little things that can make a big difference in helping to prevent acci- dents? Little things like keeping doors locked, taking the keys out of the machines, keeping fuel tanks turned off (propane) and making sure the snow melt pit grates are in place—these are just a few of the operational procedures that need to be con- sidered in the ice resurfacer area. With this recent event involving the child losing his fingers, safety can't be stressed enough, and it should serve as a reminder to review policy and procedures with staff. ask dave 58 R INK MAGAZ INE january/february 2009 ■ You have rink questions. Dave has rink answers. Send your questions to AskDave@rinkmagazine.com. Ice resurfacer training is a must to help prevent accidents. STAR PHOTO STARrinks.com Should we keep the ice resurfacer doors (rink gates) closed when the rink is not being used? Does this help the refrigeration and dehumidification load or is there no significant reason or benefit? Yes, without a doubt the ice resurfacer doors should be closed at all times. When the mechanical engineers designed the rink refrigeration, HVAC system and the dehumid- ification system, they would have considered the doors being closed all the time. It is much more energy-efficient to keep them closed. Keep in mind one of the first things learned in the Basic Refrigeration class: "Heat Travels from Warm to Cold." By leaving the doors open, you create more load on the ice refrigeration and dehu- midification systems. ★ STAR PHOTO Open or closed? Ice resurfacer doors should be closed at all times. A Fear Realized

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