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Re: PCB revisited near a Ca super fund site - public liability



Original poster: Jim Lux <jimlux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>

At 12:06 PM 12/4/2006, Tesla list wrote:
Original poster: "Peter Terren" <pterren@xxxxxxxxxxxx>

Here in Australia liability insurance is $10 million which is standard. After a day of phone calls, the best cover I could get was $1500 for 6 public shows of a small TC. Seems a tall price to pay for interest in Science, Physics and Math. I asked what a Pony club premium was with the risk of making children quadriplegic if they fall off. The answer: "they pay less".Go figure.

It's the price of supporting our agrarian and pastoral heritage. It also helps that there's a lot more pony clubs than tesla coils, so they have a better feel for the actual risk exposure for the pony clubbers. (as in decades, if not centuries). While falling off is pretty common (yep, done it myself, more than once), serious injuries, on a "per exposure" basis are actually fairly rare (or at least comparable to a lot of other activities). I was interested to discover a few months ago that half of the serious head injuries in connection with horses are sustained to a person on the ground, not the rider. (kicks, etc) There's also well established procedures in the horse business (or, more properly, traditions) as to things like how far the audience should be, who can go which places when, and all that. People, in general, learned centuries ago not to stand right behind a horse. (granted I know of people who clearly didn't figure this out, even after getting hurt, but that's what the Darwin awards are for). The same cannot be said of tesla coils.

Jim

It seems that an injury (severe enough to require medical treatment) occurs about once per 1000 exposures for horseback riding. (my own experience and that of acquantainces seems to be in that sort of ballpark.. out of 50 or so riders at my local barn, there's probably one or two serious injuries a year). Since the mandatory helmet rules went into effect about 15 years ago (for competition in the US), the fraction of head injuries has gone down significantly (but neck injuries have increased... such is life).

On that basis, being a spectator at a tesla coil exhibition is a whole lot less dangerous than participating at a horse show.

A quick google turned up, for instance:

ANZ Journal of Surgery
Volume 73 Issue 5 Page 331 - May 2003
doi:10.1046/j.1445-2197.2003.t01-1-02618.x
Volume 73 Issue 5


Original Article
Spinal and spinal cord injuries in horse riding: the New South Wales experience 1976 1996 Justin P. Roe* Thomas K. F. Taylor* Ian A. Edmunds* Robert G. Cumming Stephen J. Ruff* Meg D. Plunkett-Cole* Marje Mikk§ and Richard F. Jones§

Objectives: The objective of the present study was to determine the incidence of acute spinal cord injuries (ASCI) in all forms of horse riding in New South Wales (NSW) for the period 1976 1996. Other aims of the present study were to compare and contrast ASCI with vertebral column injuries (VCI) without neurological damage and to define appropriate safety measures in relation to spinal injury in horse-riding.

Design: A retrospective review was done of all ASCI cases (n = 32) admitted to the two acute spinal cord injury units in NSW for the cited period. A comparable review of VCI cases (n = 30) admitted to these centres for the period 1987 1995 was also undertaken.

Results: A fall in flight was the commonest mode of injury in both groups. Occupational and leisure riding accounted for 88% of ASCI and VCI. The incidence of ASCI is very low in those riding under the aegis of the Equestrian Federation of Australia two cases in 21 years; and there were no cases in the Pony Club Riders or in Riding for the Disabled. The difference in the spinal damage caused by ASCI and VCI is in degree rather than kind. Associated appendicular/visceral injuries were common.

Conclusions: No measures were defined to improve spinal safety in any form of horse riding. The possible role of body protectors warrants formal evaluation. Contin