Safety and Potential Hazards

General Safety Rules

• Observe all event specific rules, cautions and advice.
• You must carry a whistle. The emergency signal is three blasts.
• You must abandon your course if you hear a distress whistle and must help participants in need.
• Always return to registration at the end of the event and sign out!
• Stop immediately if you become injured. Running through the pain will only make your injury worse. Return to the start area and seek medical treatment for all injuries.
• If you are lost or hurt, stay still and blow the distress call (three whistle blows) until help arrives.
• In case of an overdue person, the organizers will initiate a search. You can help by following the directions of the organizers.

Hazards

Vegetation

Full leg covering is recommended for all races in wooded areas and open fields due to the possibility of encountering:

Poison Ivy: Contact with poison ivy oil can cause skin irritation and blistering that will often last for 10 days or more. If you have made contact with poison ivy, handle clothing carefully and immediately wash down clothing and skin with soap and water. More details at this Health Canada site .

Wildlife

Ticks: Black-legged ticks (deer ticks) which are found most often in long grasses may carry Lyme Disease and may infect you after burrowing into your skin. Always do a thorough tick check after every event. For more information see these provicial public health pages: New Brunswick , Nova Scotia

See also: Orienteering Canada’s General Guidelines for Personal Safety in Orienteering