GUIDELINES FOR SNOWMOBILE TRAIL
           GROOMER OPERATOR TRAINING


A Resource Guide for Trail Grooming Managers and Equipment Operators:


Chapter 3 - Managing Grooming Operations
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Operator Safety:
Ensuring the safety of equipment operators must be the first priority of the grooming program. While the specific circumstances of every area’s operation are different, there are a number of common safety practices that should be followed universally. The following is a list of common operator safety considerations.

Local grooming entities are encouraged to add additional measures that fit their needs and local circumstances.

Always Wear Seat Belts:
Operators and passengers should wear seat belts at all times since sudden stops caused by the grooming equipment hitting fixed objects, such as rocks and stumps, are not uncommon and can easily launch the operator or passenger headfirst into the windshield or dashboard. Always proceed cautiously when operating grooming equipment since abrupt, dangerous stops can result in serious injuries.

Be Visible to Snowmobilers:
Ensure that the vehicle is highly visible in the daytime, as well as at night, by using reflective surfaces on the equipment and by always operating with cab marker lights, front and rear headlights, and an amber beacon turned “ON” at all times (day or night). Also operate a communicator radio beacon in the tractor at all times.

Be Prepared for Trouble
Grooming equipment will malfunction, break, and get stuck. Contemplate all potential problems and provide procedures, tools, spare parts, and supplies to deal with them. Provide first aid kits and training for operators. Remember that they may also encounter members of the public who need help. A GPS unit is valuable to provide guidance during whiteouts and to provide rescue coordinates.

Operators should be prepared to put winter survival techniques into effect in the event they become disabled in a remote area and must stay overnight. An avalanche beacon and probe (to assist with a rescue) should also be considered if operating in mountainous areas.

Essential tools that should always be carried include: An axe, chainsaw, jack, snow shovel, chain/tow strap, rope, and flashlight.

A list of standard safety/emergency equipment should be carried in the groomer. Items to consider include:
First Aid Kit, Spare Batteries, Fire Extinguisher,
Foil Blanket, Weatherproof Matches, Chains,
Flares, Hydraulic Hoses/Fittings, Pry Bar,
Spare Clothing, Tools, Paper Towels, Snow Scraper Plate for Jack, Hand Cleaner, Hi-Lift Jack, Tree Strap,
Oil, Extra Fuel Stakes, Sledge Hammer, Orange Spray Paint, Butane Torch/Heater

It is recommended that every grooming tractor carry a minimum of four 14-inch (36 cm), reflective, high visibility traffic cones. Use them to identify potential hazards such as a disabled groomer or winching cables, chains, or ropes temporarily strung across the trail.

Groomer operators should always be prepared by having a supply of high energy food, as well as a supply of drinking water, with in the tractor in the event they become stranded. Never leave home without packing a good sized lunch!

Avoid Grooming Across Ice:
Some State or Provincial trail programs do not allow groomed trails to cross lakes or other major ice crossings. If it is necessary to groom across ice, procedures (how thick, how is it checked, monitored, etc.) must be established to ensure that ice quality is adequate in thickness and quality before crossing.

Some manufacturers install escape hatches (sun roofs) in their units to facilitate emergency operator exit from the cab should the unit go through the ice.
Stay in Communication and Work the Plan Modern FM radios and cellular or satellite telephones make it easier for operators to stay in frequent contact with their home base.

Always file a “trip plan” before leaving on a grooming run. Agree upon a regular schedule of contact between the groomer operator and home base and the procedure that will be followed if contact is lost.

Ensure that a plan is in place should contact be overdue or an actual emergency is reported, and then stick to the plan.

Carry Extra Signs for Replacement:
A supply of extra trail signs, stakes, and fasteners should be carried on the grooming tractor to replace missing signs or stakes since the groomer operator is often the most familiar with where these signs should be along the trail.

Replacing the missing signs, particularly safety and regulatory signs, helps ensure that the route will be safe for snowmobilers, as well as for the groomer the next time it must pass through that area.

Routine Preventive Maintenance
The importance of an effective preventive maintenance program to safety should not be underestimated. Well maintained equipment is far less likely to injure an operator or to strand an operator in a dangerous situation. Failure to perform preventive maintenance procedures should be treated as a safety violation rather than an operational oversight.

Check Equipment Prior to Departure
Thoroughly check the tractor over prior to departure on a grooming run. Check the fuel and fluid levels. Check for cracked or broken parts. Check the tracks. Check the hydraulic lines. Check the flashlight and be sure the tool and emergency kits are together. Be sure to have adequate clothing along in case the heater or tractor quit. DO NOT leave unless everything checks out okay and is in place.

Use Caution When Stopping or Parking on the Trail
Always use caution when stopping or parking on the trail, so the groomer does not become a hazard for approaching snowmobilers. There are essentially two types of stops, planned and unplanned.

Planned Stops:
A “planned stop” is one made by a groomer operator when there is full control over when and where to stop.
Always use good judgment in where stops are made on the trail and be certain the groomer is well off the main traveled portion of the trail, if at all possible, when the machine is parked.

Plan ahead and pull over in an area that minimizes risk to traffic on the trail. Pull completely off the trail on a straightaway, at an intersection, or in a parking lot whenever possible to prevent having to stop on the trail and potentially create a hazard.

It is good to develop areas on the trail system where planned stops and/or turnarounds can be made safely, and then keep these areas packed throughout the winter season.

An example of when it is beneficial to try to use a planned stop is when snowmobilers approach from the rear of the groomer on a narrow or winding trail. Signal for them to wait to pass the groomer until you’ve found a safe location to stop the groomer. Once the groomer has stopped and it is clear ahead, signal for them to go by.

Unplanned Full Stops:
An unplanned full stop is one made by a groomer operator when there isn’t control over the location of the stop. This can include meeting snowmobiles on a very narrow trail, having snowmobilers stop the groomer to ask for information, encountering blow-downs or other situations requiring trail maintenance, mechanical failure of the groomer, encountering a disabled snowmobile, or encountering an accident on the trail.

Operators must use their best judgment to size up the location of the unplanned stop. Is the site safe or unsafe to stop with the groomer?

If you believe the location has good visibility, that the expected time to get underway again will not be lengthy, and that it overall is safe to stop at the site, stop briefly to correct the problem, handle the situation, or give information, but do it as quickly as possible and then get underway again.

If you believe the site is unsafe due to the location and/or visibility, look for other options and if possible use extreme caution while proceeding to a safer location to stop.

General guidelines for unplanned stops include:
Snowmobiles Approaching the Groomer from the Front: When snowmobilers approach the groomer from the front on a narrow trail, move the groomer to the far right side of the trail as quickly as possible and stop. After checking to see that no traffic is coming from the opposite direction, signal to the snowmobilers to proceed past the groomer.

       
Photo 3.1 Stop only where there is good sight distance

Informational Stop by Snowmobiler:
Tell the snowmobiler that it is not a safe location to stop. Request that they follow the groomer down the trail to a safer location where you’ll stop and answer their questions.

Repairs to the Trail or Removing Blow-Downs:
If you anticipate the time needed to stop to remove debris or deadfall or to repair the trail will be relatively short, make sure all of warning lights remain on, and quickly make the necessary corrections to the trail, then get underway again.

If the stop is anticipated to take a longer period of time, consider placing warning devices, like what are shown in Figure 3.2, on the trail to warn snowmobiles of the groomer’s presence.

                  

Figure 3.2 Use warning devices like traffic cones, flares, crossed poles, or flagging to warn snowmobilers of parked groomers and on-trail hazards.

Mechanical Failure of Groomer or Stuck on the Trail:
If the groomer becomes disabled or stuck on the trail and cannot be moved, take action quickly by placing warning devices in the front and rear of the groomer to warn approaching snowmobiles of the hazard. If the groomer needs to be left on the trail for an extended period of time, place additional warning signs or devices to mark the groomer’s presence.

       
Photo 3.3 Place cones or other warning devices around and in advance of a groomer that has broken down on the trail and must remain there for an extended period.

Assistance to Disabled Snowmobile:
If you anticipate that there will be a need to be in the location for an extended period of time, park the groomer as far right on the trail as is safely possible and place warning devices in front and back of the groomer. If communications are available, call for assistance for the snowmobiler and get underway again as quickly as possible.

Crash Related Stop:
If you come upon the site of any crash, presume that it is most likely an “Unsafe Site.” DO NOT proceed until the site is made safe!

First, park the groomer as far right on the trail as is safely possible and place warning devices on the trail to warn snowmobilers of the hazard.

After securing the site, assess the situation to determine if there are any injuries and, if so, the type of injuries and the number of people injured.
If the accident is because a snowmobile collided with the groomer, do not move the equipment – just secure the scene and assess the needs.

                  
Photo 3.4 Beware that collisions may be with the groomer!

As you assess the situation at the accident scene, determine if current resources at the site are sufficient to handle the emergency. If the answer is “Yes” – offer any assistance you can give and stay at the site until the trail has been cleared.

If the answer is “No” – the current resources at the site are not sufficient to handle the emergency, take control and:

A. Call local dispatch or 911 if phone or radio service
     is available. If not, send someone for help.
B. State the problem or situation.
C. Give the number of injured, if any.
D. Give the location, trail number, or trail name.
E. If known, state the best way for rescue to arrive.
F. Stay calm and do not talk too much.
G. Don’t move the injured, but protect all victims at
     the scene and keep the injured warm.
H. If there are bystanders, ask them to either close
     the trail or direct traffic until other help arrives.
I.  Update emergency personnel upon their arrival.
J. DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT! After the
    scene has been turned over to emergency
    personnel, write down everything thatyou observed
    and that transpired while you were at the accident
    scene.




Next Section - Common Operator Guidelines and
                         Policies

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