The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and Canada West Ski Areas Association (CWSAA) are the latest organizations to endorse the creation of a set of national standards for ski and snowboard helmets, joining groups like the Union of B.C. Municipalities, provincial medical associations, various local governments and elected members of both the B.C. legislature and House of Commons.
According to helmet advocate Richard Kinar, a mountain safety volunteer from the North Shore who has been working for almost two years to promote a national standard for skiing and snowboarding helmets, all the pieces are in place.
"It’s all in the politicians’ hands now, they have to come up with the money for the standards," said Kinar.
Hedy Fry, the MP from Vancouver Centre, has already brought the motion to fund a Canadian Standards Association standard to the federal B.C. Liberal Caucus, and it is expected that it will be introduced in Parliament during the current session.
"My guess is it will happen quite quickly now," said Kinar. "I know that Hedy and others on our side are looking at this as a health issue. A lot of people also believe we’re putting our young athletes at risk by not having standards for the Olympics."
The CSA estimates that it will cost $500,000 and take between 12 and 18 months to create a standard for helmet manufacturers and the public. At the same time, Health Canada will need to designate helmets for skiers, snowboarders, skateboarders and others as hazardous products, ensuring that the government has "the legislative teeth in place to enforce a single standard," said Kinar. Hockey helmets are currently designated as hazardous products, and as a result the CSA standards are closely followed by manufacturers.
Once standards are in place, helmets will have to undergo a number of tests, at various temperatures, before they can be sold or rented in Canada. Kinar estimates that it will take another year for manufacturers to conform to the standards.
"It will take a while, but I’m hoping we’ll have the standards in place at least a couple of years before the Olympics," said Kinar.
Most helmets sold for use in sports like skiing and snowboarding already conform to various American and European standards, but Kinar says standards differ considerably around the world. It’s also not a requirement for helmets sold or rented in Canada to conform to any standards whatsoever, he adds, and many don’t.
Because standards already apply to bike, hockey and motorcycle helmets, Kinar says some people assume that their ski and snowboard helmets have been subjected to standards as well, and are surprised to discover they don’t.
"One shop owner I talked to said he had never had a question about standards from a customer. People care how it looks on their head, but don’t pay much attention to the labels," said Kinar.
The fit of the helmet is just as important as the helmet itself, Kinar adds, but very few ski and rental techs have had any training on how to fit customers. Another shop owner told Kinar that he has had representatives from sporting goods manufacturers give seminars on socks, but not one representative from the helmet manufacturers.
Although there’s no data to determine what kind of health care savings could be realized by the creation of ski and snowboard helmet standards, one Canadian statistic suggests that every dollar spent on helmets for sports like biking and hockey results in $29 in health care savings.
In addition to those savings, municipalities are also supporting the creation of helmet standards in order to tackle rising insurance costs. Standards will make it easier for towns and cities that are looking to create helmet laws for skateboard parks and other facilities. In addition, ski resorts will benefit from a standard by ensuring that their customers have the best possible protection.
The CSA itself supports the creation of helmet standards, and is ready to go to work on this project if the funding is given the green light. "I have a report that says internally the CSA is all ready to go. They’ve looked at the issue, they’ve dealt with it at community levels and they agree that a standard is needed for ski and snowboard helmets," said Kinar.
Because it will be a few years before the standards are applied, providing the funding comes through soon, Kinar says people need to be more aware when they’re buying helmets.
"My recommendation is really buyer beware," said Kinar.
"Go to a ski shop where they really know what it is that they’re selling…. One, you should make sure it meets some standard and, two, that it is fitted properly. People also have to understand the difference between helmets that are designed for single impacts and for multi-impacts. And if a helmet is damaged or dropped or involved in a collision, particularly single-impact helmets, then they should send it back to the manufacturer for inspection or buy a new helmet."
Jimmy Spencer, the president and CEO of the CWSAA, says a helmet standard is overdue for the industry.
"It’s crazy that we have helmets out there that may not be of the right texture or strength for use," said Spencer. "Not to have a CSA standard is kind of crazy, and we think we should have one.
"There are quite a few helmets out there that are of good standard. The Snell-approved helmets have a very good rating because the WCB (Workers’ Compensation Board) have already passed them for certain duties in the ski industry. These are the helmets that people will be led towards or advocated towards until we have a Canadian standard.
"There are some helmets out there that are quite flimsy and probably not what you want your child or self in. If you’re going to go to the expense of buying a helmet then you want to make sure that you’ve got a well-constructed and a well-fitting helmet."
In addition to committing to the CSA standard, Spencer says the CWSAA is also committed to ensuring that staff know how to size and fit helmets for guests.
