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Safety Education

BEST EMPLOYEE SAFETY PROGRAM and fitness centers as well as classes on stress management,

MT. HOOD MEADOWS, ORE. nutrition, and financial planning. Mt. Hood hosts employee
appreciation events with free food, drinks, and prizes, and
Mt. Hood Meadows proves that workplace safety and even has a Bring Your Dog to Work program.
employee wellness go hand in hand, and that employees who The resort’s Safety Committee members recently began
are well trained, feel empowered, and feel appreciated are giving rotating presentations on workplace safety topics,
more likely to promote a thriving safety culture. which has increased engagement at the meetings and pro-
Mt. Hood employees are empowered to take safety into vided members with tangible training topics to take back to
their own hands from the start, at orientation. To reduce their department.
the stigma that identifying hazards is “tattling,” the resort Since focusing more resources on workplace safety and
emphasizes that all reporting is helpful. Supervisors and the safety culture, Mt. Hood has seen a consistent increase
managers also take a three-part Safety Culture Training in weekly employee satisfaction scores, with a corresponding
course (soon to be offered online) followed by a practical reduction in workers’ compensation costs.
hands-on component. “We used to ask employees, ‘What could you have done
A multi-faceted Wellness Program is designed to improve to avoid this incident?’ We now ask, ‘What could we, as a
employees’ experiences, health, and safety, on and off the company, have done…?’” said Anna Laxague, workplace
mountain. The resort brings in health practitioners—massage safety manager. “We’ve worked hard to move from a reactive
therapists, chiropractors, physical therapists, and acupunctur- safety culture that is centered around safety plans and proto-
ists—who provide their services onsite to employees for free. cols to one that focuses on instilling safety as a value that we
Also offered are recreation exchanges at local climbing gyms relate to everything we do.”

TEAM S.T.A.T.E.

KEEP THIS
S T AT E
O F MIND
WHEN
C O A CHING
A THLE TE S

SURFACE WEATHER ICY
WET
VISIBILITY
SNOW DEPTH
GROOMING
PITCH:
TOO STEEP OR TOO FLAT
TERRAIN TERRAIN PARKS:
AM I SUPPOSED TO BE IN THIS PARK
AM I ALLOWED IN THIS PARK
HAVE I INSPECTED THIS PARK
ABILITY OF BOTH ATHLETE & COACH

Mt. Hood Meadows TRAFFIC MOUNTAIN RUN
RESPONSIBILITY CODE

EXPOSURE
TREES, ROCKS, CLIFFS
KNOW WHAT CAN HAPPEN

A happy employee is a healthy employee and vice versa, according to Mt. Hood, SV I AM regards young athletes as a prime audience for learning
which hosts employee appreciation events—complete with free food, drinks, safe skiing and boarding skills. The STATE acronym reminds
and prizes. coaches and instructors to tailor their lessons to each group to
help keep them safe and at the appropriate level of challenge.

62 | NSAA JOURNAL | SUMMER 2017