Air Quality Guidelines For Arenas
For over 25 years, the ORFA, has produced and circulated information on air quality in arenas. Facility personnel who work for extended periods in ice facilities have the most at stake when it comes to maintaining safe indoor air quality levels. The ORFA is not an authority on air quality issues but is prepared to offer guidance on maintaining a safe indoor air environment.
When internal combustion engines are operated in enclosed spaces or buildings, harmful levels of carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide may be emitted with the engine exhaust and released into the air. Enclosed sports arenas hosting events involving ice resurfacing and maintenance equipment, indoor go-carts, monster trucks, motorcycles and snowmobiles have created situations where these gases have made people sick.
Understanding the risks and hazards associated with poor air quality is the first step to healthy indoor environment. Knowing what steps to take when poor air situations occur is the next logical step. Only by continually educating staff, monitoring, maintaining equipment and evaluating operational activities can today's facility manager be sure that everyone remains safe and unaffected from poor air quality symptoms.
Topics include:
- A history of poor air quality
- Understanding the short and long term effects of Carbon Monoxide and Nitrogen Monoxide on the human body
- Understanding the newest challenge - Ultrafine Particulate Matter
- Considering Other Sources Causing Indoor Air Quality Problems:
- Setting acceptable exposure levels for air toxins
- Establishing an air quality program
- Understanding the role of the local Health Department in monitoring indoor arena air quality
- Purchasing of air quality testing equipment
- Developing an Emergency Evacuation plan
Arena Ice Maintenance
Arena operators who are committed to reducing energy costs in their facilities must have a comprehensive ice maintenance plan in place.
Too often, facility management assumes that the product they offer on a daily basis is of the best quality only to discover that during extreme use the ice fails. Good ice does not happen by accident. Quality ice is a combination of known sciences and applied technologies. Does your staff understand the basics and what variables can affect an ice sheet and how they can improve operations on the fly?
The reality of poor artificial ice operational practices often plays out in Canadian courts. Staff training and competency are often called into question during such events. This classroom-based workshop introduces or reconfirms with arena operators what are considered industry best practices:
- Does your staff understand the different types of ice and what causes each type of surface?
- Does your staff have a clear work plan for ice maintenance which includes the use of an ice edger every day?
- Do you regularly hand chip areas on the ice surface and record these activities?
- Do you actually perform 6-8 hours of ice maintenance per-week? And do you clearly understand how this is to be scheduled to best use existing resources?
- Does your staff regularly dump water in crease areas that results in a cycle of poor and unsafe operations that could result in a legal payout?
Topics include:
- The theory of ice making and what to expect when you do it wrong from at the start of the season
- Setting an ice maintenance plan - and following it
- The TLC of your equipment and the benefits delivered from this approach
- Understanding the legal responsibilities of poor ice maintenance
- Reaping the financial benefits of a quality maintenance program
- Poor ice trouble shooting and how to handle the situations
- Do it - but write it down! Benefits of a detailed comprehensive log book
- Troubleshooting poor ice conditions
- Open forum for participants to discuss their experiences and problems
Confined Space Entry and Basic Respiratory Protection
Workspaces such as offices, arenas, maintenance rooms, control rooms, etc., are obvious places that are designed for humans to occupy for long periods of time (continuously). These spaces are not considered a confined space, regardless of the atmospheric hazards that may occur in them. However, occupational health and safety legislation and regulations apply and must be complied with to protect workers.
Although the regulations do not define human occupancy, the Ministry of Labour uses the term 'continuous human occupancy' to refer to a space that has been designed and constructed in accordance with recognized codes and standards that contain provisions to make the space suitable for humans to occupy, such as provisions for structural adequacy, access and egress, ventilation and lighting such that a human could continually occupy that space. Examples of codes and standards are the Ontario Building Code, the Ontario Fire Code, and CSA B52 (Mechanical Refrigeration Code).
Facility managers often struggle with their exact responsibilities under Confined Space legislation. The OHSA identifies that all workplaces must provide new employees with Confined Space Entry training. Entering into areas that house noxious gases require a “permit” to be completed by the worker prior to entry. Depending on the type of work to be performed, various set legislated requirements must be met. Further, annual retraining is required to remain current. Being able to identify potential confined space situations in chlorine rooms, refrigeration rooms or mechanical rooms is vital to worker and patron safety. If you currently house “any noxious gases” such as chlorine, ammonia, Freon or natural gas, the probability of a confined space situations are real and staff require basic skills to identify confined space entry risks and be able to respond within set limitations in such situations. Every facility worker should have a Confined Space Awareness training note on file – how much additional workplace specific training is needed would be dictated by the Confined Space situations identified in each workplace.
Creating an Effective Life-Cycle Plan
Customer Service
Customer service (also known as Client Service) is the provision of service to customers before, during and after their visit to our facilities! There is a general consensus amongst users that the quality and level of customer service has decreased in many facilities over the past few years? Some believe that this attitude can be attributed to a lack of support or understanding at the upper and middle management levels of the operation as they focused on more pressing matters brought on by aging facilities, reduced funding and rising operational costs. Adding to these challenges is the pending high turnover of existing staff who have honed their customer services skills over long-periods of time.
Having a good customer service and customer satisfaction requires the commitment of the entire team - management, supervisors and front-line employees. Expecting that recently hired staff or current staff has the ability to professionally respond to the general publics’ inquires, concerns or problems without having received specific skills is a mistake that many of today's facility managers make. Very few other municipal staff members are as easily recognized or identified more than facility staff. These frontline community ambassadors must receive basic customer service people relationship skills to succeed.
This workshop looks at basic customer relation skills for frontline staff. The workshop focuses on known operational customer service pressure points such as dealing with the patrons in a public setting, use of the phone and other electronics in the workplace, effectively providing direction while keeping control of the facility, dealing with outside services such as fire, EMS or other emergency services, following up on issues relating to facility use, setting boundaries on where frontline staff should draw the line when dealing with users – knowing when to refer a situation to a higher internal level of supervision and effective report writing when things go wrong.
Dealing With Difficult People and Violence in the Workplace
Emergency Evacuation Planning
Drafting an emergency plan is not enough to ensure the safety of your employees and users! When an evacuation is necessary, you will need responsible, trained individuals who can supervise and coordinate activities to ensure a safe and successful evacuation occurs. An Emergency Evacuation Plan will be useful only if its content is up to date and employees are sufficiently educated and trained before an actual evacuation is required!
The purpose of an Emergency Evacuation Plan is to facilitate and organize employer and employee actions during workplace emergencies. Well developed emergency plans and proper employee training (such that employees understand their roles and responsibilities within the plan) will result in fewer and less severe employee injuries and less structural damage to the facility during emergencies. A poorly prepared plan, likely will lead to a disorganized evacuation or emergency response, resulting in confusion, injury, and property damage placing senior staff accountable for the lack of action by frontline staff.
It is essential that the emergency evacuation plan developed be site specific with respect to emergency conditions, evacuation policies and procedures, emergency reporting mechanisms, and alarm systems. This workshop looks at acceptable industry standards for preparing these documents and action plans.
Topics include:
- Means of reporting fires and other emergencies in the facility
- Understanding evacuation procedures and personal emergency escape routes
- Setting and limiting procedures for employees who might wish to operate or deactivate critical plant operations before they evacuate
- Respecting the system that accounts for all employees after an emergency occurs
- Limiting rescue and medical duties by on-staff
- Creation and use of the on-site emergency contact list
- Dealing with the general public when they just do not want to leave and securing the building when they are out
- Basic on-site emergency equipment requirements and upkeep
- Maintaining exit routes
- Posting and maintaining fire plans
- Use and upkeep of portable fire extinguishers
- Dealing with internal alarm systems
- Limiting media contact by frontline staff after an emergency occurs
Emerging Issues and Operational Best Practices Updates
The ORFA works closely with a variety of provincial organizations such as MOL, TSSA, Frank Cowan Co. etc. to learn first hand what is on the horizon that could impact the recreation industry. We share this information so that our members might assess their operations and adjust their operational policies, procedures or attitudes prior to any shift in the industry or being caught in a non-compliance situation.
ORFA committees actively develop documents to help the ORFA membership be better prepared for the challenges affecting recreation facility operations. As these documents are created and released it is important for all facility operators to understand their role in reviewing and considering compliance to these suggested industry best practices. These documents are not law but they are tools that legal professionals on both sides of a legal challenge may use to prove diligence or lack thereof. Major insurance providers often turn to the ORFA to better understand how their clients should be operating and what the minimum operational best practices are!
Facility Housekeeping and Sanitization
The need to maintain all recreation environments to the highest level of cleanliness is no longer considered a possible goal to be reached – it is expected by those who use our facilities each day! Recreation buildings are large, have huge amounts of human traffic in all kinds of conditions and are often under staffed with little budget! Understanding the basic requirements of public health regulations as well as how to properly plan and implement a comprehensive work detail can make the task of housekeeping and sanitizing a recreation facility manageable.
This workshop is designed for front-line staff and as such will introduce the participants to legislative requirements and some proven techniques to safely speed all recreation cleaning jobs - with the added benefits of satisfied users and extended facility life expectancy.
Topics include…
- A brief history of cleaning and sanitation
- Understanding the recreation cleaning environment challenges
- Microorganisms and mould management
- Blood borne diseases and other communicable diseases
- Introduction to legislation that may guide building cleanliness
- Understanding soaps, solvents, enzymes, abrasives, detergents and corrosives
- Understanding temperature, contact duration and product concentration
- Tools of the trade – brooms, vacuums, scrubbers, rags, mops and buckets
- Day-to-day cleaning
- Cleaning green activities
- Cleaning and sanitizing food equipment, preparation and eating areas
- Cleaning washroom areas
- Floor care
- Cleaning times – calculating human and equipment resources
- Setting up a facility cleaning plan
- Cleaning and sanitizing public facilities during a crisis
Facility Worker Orientation Workshop
The Occupational Health and Safety Act came into force on October 1, 1979. Its purpose is to protect workers against health and safety hazards on the job. There is a duty on all officers and directors of corporations to ensure that their workplaces comply with the Act and regulations. The duties of workers are generally to work safely, in accordance with the Act and regulations. The concept of an internal responsibility system is based on the principle that the workplace parties themselves are in the best position to identify health and safety problems and to develop solutions. The Act further imposes duties on those who have any degree of control over the workplace, the materials and equipment in the workplace and the direction of the work force. There is a general duty on employers to take all reasonable precautions to protect the health and safety of workers.
Several provisions of the Act are aimed at fostering the internal responsibility system. Ideally, the internal responsibility system involves everyone, from the company chief executive officer to the worker. How well the system works depends upon whether there is a complete, unbroken chain of responsibility and accountability for health and safety. An important focus of the internal responsibility system is the provision of training. This workshop is designed to help facility management meet their minimum obligation to provide new employees with awareness training or refresh current employees with key components to their obligations specific to a recreation facility operation. Setting clear expectations of work while creating a culture of safety are important in developing and maintaining a quality work environment.
If you do not currently have an orientation program for your workplace or if you would like to expose your operations or enhance your in-house orientation to ensure you are meeting industry standards – this workshop is for you!
Topics include:
- Introduction to Health and Safety in a recreation facility environment
- Workplace Hazardous Materials Information (WHMIS) and what to look for in a recreation facility
- Confined Space Entry – learn to recognize hazardous areas that were considered safe yesterday
- Fall Restraint – working safely at heights
- Human Body Fluid Contact – what you don’t see can hurt you
- Mechanical room safety – what’s in those noisy, smelly rooms can be dangerous
Fossil Fuel Safety in a Recreation Setting
This workshop will assist facility management in meeting the TSSA requirement that employees working with fossil fuels be properly trained in the safe handling, storage, and use.
It will also help in complying with Section 25 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) which “requires employers to provide regular training to all employees on any equipment or chemical in the workplace”. Confirmation of such training may be sought during a routine Ministry of Labour (MOL) workplace inspection.
The workshop further exposes the participant to the B-149.2-00 Propane Storage and Handling Code Section 5.5.5 - Subsection 5.5.5.3.
After completing the workshop, participants will be able to evaluate the hazards associated with all fossil fuels in a recreation environment! They will also be able to recognize the associated risks in poor handling, storage and transportation of fossil fuels in a workplace setting!
The workshop will focus in on gasoline, diesel, varsols, natural gas and propane. The workshop includes classroom instruction, hands-on training with various fuels and equipment.
- Fossil fuel properties
- Safe handling, storage, transportation strategies
- Fuel storage container safety and inspection
- Material Safety Data Sheet review
- Emergency preparedness
- Workplace specific training – hands-on demonstrations
- Written test
Successful completion and full attendance will be acknowledged by a certificate from the ORFA.
Participants must:
- Pre-register
- Come prepared for outdoor weather conditions for hands-on exercises
- Wear CSA-certified foot protection
Introduction to Health and Safety - Personal Protective Equipment
The first step to health and safety in the workplace is to understanding the different pieces of legislation that might apply. Part-time, full-time and even volunteers require basic health and safety training exposure. This workshop helps you evaluate if in fact you are meeting the basic requirements of health and safety, while helping you identify the pitfalls others have experienced in the recreation business. Understanding your obligations of providing and maintaining Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for workers, such as Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) in recreation facilities is a complicated subject. SCBA is merely one piece of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to be considered if a facility houses a chlorine room, ammonia, Freon or other explosive gases. This workshop openly reviews known legislated obligations to all PPE requirements in a recreation setting.
Maximizing Facility Revenues
Recreation facilities throughout Canada are being pressured to generate more revenue from their current operations. This workshop investigates new revenue trends and alternate sources of revenue for today's recreation professional.
Topics include:
- Pricing our services - understanding how to calculate what an hour of ice, field time or pool time actually costs
- Customer service - understanding basic customer service skills is essential to patron satisfaction and overall sales
- Concession planning, design and set-up
- Tips on menu planning/branding
- Joint responsibilities - when user groups, receptions or special events take place on municipal property - which is responsible and for what and at what potential cost
- Vending machines - a source of revenue with legal requirements for proper installation, maintenance and upkeep
- Basics of inventory control
- Profit planning and cost control
- Setting pricing - what percentage should be made from sales, how much waste is acceptable
- Alcohol sales and food service - Special Occasion Permits verses full time bar operations. What are the pros, cons and responsibilities?
- Pit falls of leasing municipal owned concessions
- Concerts, circuses, trade and consumer shows
- Special Event Considerations
- Retail operations - pro shop, skate sharpening and other related services
- Public private partnerships
- Generating revenue through other sources - facility advertising [dasher boards, clocks, wall signs etc.] and other ideas to help generate operational dollars
- Taxes - when to charge PST and GST on food and what is RST
Who should attend? This workshop is designed for operations with limited staff that find they handle all the responsibilities of a facility or recreation department revenue generation.
Municipal Alcohol Policy Development or Review
The ORFA has partnered with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in creating a self-help tool for recreation departments to follow when developing a Municipal Alcohol Policy (MAP) or updating an existing policy. This detailed resource is exclusive to the ORFA and we are confident that it will help the municipal director or facility manager educate incoming committee members or other municipal staff on the rational behind the existence of the current MAP, while ensuring that it remains current and up to date at all times. Once a municipality has received this self help resource it will allow for greater ongoing monitoring and upgrade of current policies related to alcohol consumption in a recreation setting.
Refrigeration Plant Room Entry and Reading Orientation
Refrigeration Safety Awareness
This workshop introduces workers to the realities of working in a refrigeration room. As set out in Section 25 of the OHSA, each employer must provide training on any piece of equipment, chemical or substance that might harm a worker in the workplace. Understanding the hidden dangers inside a refrigeration room is the first step toward ensuring employee safety. This workshop is a great first step prior to mandating either the Basic Refrigeration certificate or higher for any employee who has work responsibilities within the mechanical room.
Safe Food Handling in a Recreation Environment
Safe Ice Resurfacer Operator (SIRO)
The Safe Ice Resurfacer Operator awareness workshop is an introduction or refresher to ice resurfacer operations. Health and Safety laws require that employers provide annual training to all workers on all chemicals and equipment that are present in the workplace. This workshop utilizes the on-site ice resurfacer, as it takes the worker through the necessary pre-flood, flood, daily and weekly maintenance inspection activities.
Ultimately, the ice resurfacer manufacturers owner's manual will guide each workplace however; the SIRO workshop is an accumulation of known incidents involving an ice resurfacer that have resulted in worker injury while reviewing proven “industry best practices” in hopes of avoiding future accidents. The workshop reinforces the benefit of a “log book” to maintain the ice resurfacer in top form. This important tool will not only help reduce the potential for down time, it will also create a permanent record of maintenance and upkeep activities to help guide replacement or major overhauls of the unit.
Workers conducting a quick inspection of their equipment, while knowing what to look for as potential problem areas prior to moving the ice resurfacer can avoid 99% of all equipment failures on the ice. Remember, that as soon as the wheels cross the threshold onto the ice, the operator in control is now responsible for all incidents related to the equipments operation or failure. If your current employees arrive at work and “get on it and drive” this workshop is for them.
Topics include:
- History of the IR
- Occupational Health & Safety- Stop Work
- IR Operational Safety Activities
- Sample Policy Statement
- Sample Operating Procedures Guidelines
- Fuel Types- Gasoline-Propane-Natural Gas
- Escaping Gas Detection - Fire Extinguisher use
- Air Quality
- Circle Checking Activities
- Mounting/Dismounting-Moving the IR-Fall Arrest
- Water systems
- Scheduled Operational Maintenance Activities
- Final written test
Safe Ice Resurfacer Operator (SIRO) Dates
Working at Height and Fall Restraint Awareness
