Safety, risk management, and duty of care
What the exam tests
This domain tests duty of care, dynamic risk assessment and incident response within your qualification and the resort's procedures.
Core rules
- Duty of care means reasonable care: foresee risk, supervise, warn and act. You are not expected to eliminate all risk, but you must not create it or ignore it.
- Assess terrain, snow, weather, crowds, lifts, equipment and group behaviour continuously. Reassess when conditions change.
- Apply the responsibility code: control speed, yield to downhill traffic, stop where visible, respect closures and signs.
- Have an emergency action plan: secure the scene, call patrol, give first aid within training, document and report. Do not move an injured person unless there is immediate danger.
- Safeguarding: ratios, appropriate contact, head-injury awareness, hydration, cold and fatigue. Avalanche terrain only within your training and with the right equipment.
Worked example
A student falls on a blue run and holds a wrist. Reasoning: stop the group in a safe zone above or beside the injury, send one person for patrol, do not remove equipment or move the wrist, keep the student warm and complete an incident report. The lesson ends or is handed over; you do not continue with the group unsupervised.
Traps
Assuming a waiver removes duty; leaving the group unsupervised; failing to document; ignoring changing weather; taking a group onto terrain beyond your qualification; giving medical advice.