They make it look easy on TV, but trust us: that ice is awfully hard when you fall down on it. Having fun is always one of the most important parts of curling, but being safe is at the top of the list.
Injury prevention for curling participants of all ages and stages is a top priority. Curling rinks are strongly recommended to adopt the following policies and best practices to focus on injury prevention and management.
Here’s the information you need to make sure your curling experience and the experience of others is a safe one!
ABOUT SAFETY
Safety should be something that everyone in the business of curling should be aware of and then able to establish best practices reducing the risk of injury. Curlers who are prepared will be better able to avoid injury, participate with confidence, and maintain their participation long term. As you develop a strategy to reduce or eliminate an injury risk, it is important to understand the process that leads to injury and the potential opportunities to intervene.
Injury, Reducing Risk and Miscellaneous
- Structured warm-ups that focus on stretching, strengthening, improving balance and movements prior to playing.
- Basic skills should be mastered before moving to more complex skills.
- Basic skills should be mastered before removing head protection
- Understand the playing rules & the “dos & don’ts”
- Proper fitting shoes and clothing.
- Double grippers (create gripper inventory).
- Head protection.
- Safety module to training programs.
- Limit activity to the individual’s ability.
- Adherence to rules and regulations.
- Clear backboards.
- Curling stones in single file instead of in pairs
- Identify location of hospitals and clinics
- Publish emergency numbers
- First Aid kit
- Club instructors should have injury prevention training.
- Casual renters should sign a waiver clause which includes a detailed description of safe practices on the ice.
- Create post-concussion process
Preventing curling-related injuries: what to do and when to do it
- Have a medical profile completed for each participant under age 18.
- Inform participants and/or parents of possible risks.
- Ensure facilities and equipment meet established safety requirements.
- Create and fill in a facility safety checklist.
- Review last season’s injuries and/or common injuries in curling.
- Inspect outside yard & parking.
- Ensure the ice area is clean and tidy.
- Locker rooms are also clean and tidy.
- Create the Emergency Action Plan.
- Inform participants of specific safety measures relating to activities, facilities, and equipment.
- Youth under the age of 13 – unless they have achieved two (2) years of on-ice training – strongly recommend they wear approved head protection
- Renters and/or Funspiel participants & Seniors (65+) – highly recommended to wear approved head protection
- Delivery devices and delivery sticks available for novices.
- Grippers available for sale, for rent or free.
- Fill in an accident report if necessary and / or keep an accident/injury report log
Emergency Action Plan Best Practices
An Emergency Action Plan is designed to assist club administrators to respond to emergency situations. The idea behind having such a plan prepared in advance is that it will help you respond in a responsible and clear-headed way if an emergency occurs.
An Emergency Action Plan can be simple or elaborate but should cover the following items:
- Designate in advance who is in charge in the event of an emergency.
- Have emergency telephone numbers ready (fire, police, ambulance, president, manager, ice technician).
- For all members and guest competitors ages 17 and under, have on hand a medical profile for each participant, so that this information can be provided to emergency medical personnel. Include in this profile a signed consent from the parent/guardian to authorize medical treatment in an emergency.
- Prepare directions to give to Emergency Medical Services to enable them to reach the site as rapidly as possible. You may want to include information such as the closest major intersection, one-way streets, or major landmarks.
- Have a first aid kit accessible and properly stocked at all times.
- Have a defibrillator on hand with trained staff / volunteers.
- When an injury occurs, an Emergency Action Plan should be activated immediately if the injured person:
- is not breathing;
- does not have a pulse;
- is bleeding profusely;
- is impaired consciousness;
- has injured the back, neck, or head;
- has visible major trauma to a limb.
Steps to Follow When An Injury Occurs
- Stop all participants.
- Protect yourself if you suspect bleeding (put on gloves).
- If outdoors, shelter the injured participant from the elements and from any traffic.
- is not breathing;
- does not have a pulse;
- is bleeding profusely;
- has impaired consciousness;
- has injured the back, neck or head;
- has a visible major trauma to a limb;
- cannot move his/her arms or legs or has lost feeling in them.
If the participant does not show the signs above, proceed to Step 3.
- Gather the facts by asking the injured participant as well as anyone who witnessed the incident.
- Stay with the injured participant and try to calm him/her; your tone of voice and body language are critical.
- If possible, have the participant move himself/herself off the playing surface. Do not attempt to move an injured participant.
- If possible, have someone with first aid training complete an assessment of the injury and decide how to proceed. If the person trained in first aid is not sure of the severity of the injury or there is no one available who has first aid training, activate Emergency Action Plan. If they are sure the injury is minor, proceed to step 5.
Allow a participant to return to activity after a minor injury only if there is no…
- swelling;
- deformity;
- continued bleeding;
- reduced range of motion;
- pain when using the injured part.
Safety First FORMS
Concussion Prevention and Awareness
Curling Canada is committed to creating safe and welcoming environments for curlers of all skill levels this includes concussion prevention and awareness.
All curlers can take some basic steps to prevent falls:
- Ensure grippers are in good condition (no worn edges)
- Wear curling specific footwear or running shoes with pliable soles (court style shoes)
- Never step over rocks or hacks and step onto the ice with “gripper foot” first
- Ensure rocks are “caught” to protect curlers on neighbouring sheets, and are stored to the side/back of the sheets to prevent tripping hazards
- Ensure children don’t push rocks or brooms at the feet of others
Curlers who are new to the sport or under the age of 12, participants with balance issues or part of vulnerable sectors should wear a helmet on ice.
Concussion Prevention and Awareness Guidelines for Youth Curling at Curling Canada Events
To reduce harm to participants the following guidelines will apply to all Youth Curling events operated directly by Curling Canada or at a Curling Canada Seasons of Champions Venue.
- Participants aged 11 and under (as of the first date of the competition) MUST wear approved Head Protection.
- Participants aged 12 and over (as of the first date of the competition) are STRONGLY RECOMMENDED to wear approved Head Protection, especially if the curler is new to the sport and/or does not yet demonstrate skill proficiency on ice.
APPROVED HEAD PROTECTION INCLUDES:
- CSA approved helmets for use on ice and/or snow (ex. hockey helmets, snowboarding helmets, full curling helmets)
- CSA approved helmets for skateboarding and/or equestrian activities.
- Curling headgear (toques or ballcaps) with built in impact plate (tested to CSA standards) with chinstrap
- Bicycle helmets
*With all headgear – chinstraps must be fastened properly when on ice
- Halos/Headbands
Curlers will not be permitted on the ice if they are not wearing at minimum “acceptable” headgear.
- sign an Informed Consent and Assumption of Risk;
- acknowledge that they have reviewed Concussion Awareness education materials within the last 12 months;
- adhere to the organization’s Concussion Code of Conduct, including Removal from Play and Return to Play Protocols.
Curling Canada will continually evaluate these guidelines based on product availability, reported injuries and industry recommendations. These guidelines are subject to change.
DOWNLOAD THESE GUIDELINES:
Concussion Awareness and Response
Accidents do happen – all clubs and sport organizations should have clear policies and procedures on how to manage injuries.
Curling Canada has updated its Concussion Policy – which includes clear removal from play and return to play guidelines. Mandatory concussion awareness acknowledgement by participants aged 26 and under and roles and responsibilities of key individuals in the event of a head injury.
LEARN MORE ABOUT CONCUSSIONS INCLUDING THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS ABOUT CONCUSSIONS WITH THESE COMPREHENSIVE RESOURCES:
Parachute Canada
(EN): https://parachute.ca/en/injury-topic/concussion/
(FR): https://parachute.ca/fr/sujet-blessure/commotion-cerebrale/
Making Headway
(EN): https://coach.ca/module/nccp-making-head-way-sport
(FR): https://coach.ca/fr/module/prendre-une-tete-davance-en-sport-pnce
Downloadable Resources: