Item: Avalanche Accidents Involving People Along Transportation Corridors and the Implications for Avalanche Operations
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Title: Avalanche Accidents Involving People Along Transportation Corridors and the Implications for Avalanche Operations
Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop 2014 Proceedings, Banff, Canada
Authors:
- Timothy D. Glassett [ Alaska Department of Transportation, Girdwood, AK, USA ]
- Frank Techel [ WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Davos, Dorf, Switzerland ]
Date: 2014-09-29
Abstract: Here we investigate avalanche accidents involving people along transportation corridors (road or railroad) in the United States, Canada, Switzerland, and Italy. 408 avalanches involving 1257 people have been examined in the period from 1900 to 2014. Of these, 123 avalanches resulted in 382 fatalities. Three quarters of the accidents involved users, generally while travelling on an open road. In contrast, accidents involving workers occurred frequently when the transportation corridor was closed, during maintenance work (as snow or debris clearing). Secondary or delayed avalanches were responsible for more than one quarter of the accidents involving workers. Despite the increase in traffic volume, long-term statistics of the annual number of fatalities and the number of avalanches causing fatalities showed strongly decreasing trends for all four countries. This reduction we attribute to the successful implementation of snow safety programs. It is of note, however, that four of the six avalanches causing fatalities during the last two decades involved workers. Our results strongly emphasize the necessity of implementing and maintaining snow safety programs in avalanche threatened transportation corridors and being particularly aware of the danger of delayed avalanching.
Object ID: ISSW14_paper_O14.02.pdf
Language of Article: English
Presenter(s):
Keywords: road, railroad, avalanche accidents
Page Number(s): 381-388
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