base-risk-(reducing-)factors?

[mostwanted 0]

what about systematically working out "base-risk-(reducing-)factors" to help avoiding (reducing the risk for) accidents (which may lead to light injuries, serious injuries or death)?

...or is there already existing a document i did not find yet?

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let me give you some information how backcountry-skiers (may) do this (in europe):

do you know "werner munter", the swiss avalanche-expert who worked out a method (based on hard statistical data) helping people avoiding to set off avalanches when backcountry skiing?

if you use his method you should easily be able to "reduce the risk" to set off an avalanche by avoiding specific (risky) situations (on specific conditions) by following some basic rules.

"his" most important avalanche-set-off-risk-factors (beside the "general avalanche danger rating"):

• slope-angle


• slope-orientation (N-E-S-W)


• size of the group


• various safety precautions (e.g. spacing between the skiers of the group)

TO PUT IT IN A NUTSHELL:
the "general avalanche danger rating" sets the risk-level to a specific predefined value. you are then "allowed" to subtract from that value if you avoid specific situations. to stay "safe" the final value should stay below another specific predefined value.

e.g. you can easily minimize the risk to an acceptable level by avoiding slopes facing north with slope-angles greater than 35° when "general avalanche danger rating" is rated "moderate to high".

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what do you think: is it possible to systematically work out general "base-risk-(reducing-)factors" (or just some basic rules to follow)?



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[mostwanted 0]

...there are (already) some interesting postings in this forum concerning (also) this topic (august 2005):

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1769034#1769034
where jaap (referring to the base-fatality list) says, that between 1995 and 2005
14 beginners died
21 experienced jumpers died
16 jumpers I couldn't judge

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1769034#1769034

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1769079#1769079

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1771120#1771120
"The teaching that can be drawn by these two accidents is: do not jump Italian subterminal wall:
1) if you are a low timer;
2) if it's windy and/or gusty;
3) if you don't do the right delay;
4) if you don't do the right delay caring to do a good track away from wall/protruding talus. "

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1772049#1772049
"So, yes please, someone out there (who can handle the work load and the responsibility of doing it right) should start keeping track of the non-fatal BASE accidents. I know I and every other experienced BASE jumper has at least one good story to tell and this body of knowledge is worth preserving and passing on, just protect your nose . . . "

[JaapSuter 0]

Great post Mostwanted! I'll add some more thoughts later. For now, here's another article on risk management in BASE:

http://miller28.server101.com/discus/articles/risk.html

[Sean621 0]

stay home....that about sums it up

http://www.extreme-on-demand.com

[JaapSuter 0]

Quote

stay home....that about sums it up

Haha...

True, in a way. And I'm sure you understand this, but it might be worth pointing out that risk management is not the same as risk avoidance. The art and science of risk management consists of identifying dangers, attaching a probability to them, and knowing the consequences of those risks that materialize.

Once you have that knowledge you make a risk management plan, meaning that for every potential danger you decide what to do. That means picking one of four options.

• You can avoid the risk
  
• You can contain it
  
• You can mitigate it
  
• You can evade it
  

Avoiding the risk means doing what Sean621 suggests. You stay home and the risk has no chance to materialize.

Containing the risk means setting aside resources to handle its materialization better. In BASE this means wearing a helmet and body armor, having a cut-away for water landings, not jumping in high winds, etcetera.

Mitigating a risk is taking steps before it materializes to reduce eventual containment costs. Examples in BASE include doing obstacle avoidance drills, making sure your deep brake settings are properly tuned, and getting lots of skydiving experience before you get into BASE.

Evading a risk is when you do none of the above and the risk just happens to not come back and bite you. It doesn't materialize. Planning to evade a risk is th same as crossing your fingers.

The first three solutions are generally preferred over the last one. Nonetheless, everybody evades risk to a certain degree. I rarely worry about being hit by a meteor while BASE jumping. It's a risk that is not worth having a mitigation plan for.

It's worth considering some of the risks in BASE and understanding what the key components to its management are. Evading risks is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as you properly understand the risk and its probabilities and make sure the rewards are greater than the risk.