Don’t Miss It — Hazard Hunter Contest Begins
March 1

Better get ready — PDRMA’s Hazard Hunter Contest begins March 1, so be sure your agency’s registered to participate! Part of PDRMA’s renewed focus on helping members eliminate the risk of slips, trips and falls, the contest encourages agencies to take a proactive — and competitive — role in identifying trip hazards.

"Our Hazard Hunter Contest is a fun spin on the traditional technique known as hazard recognition," explains Jesse Kinsland, PDRMA Risk Management Consultant. “It’s easy to walk past a tripping hazard like uneven concrete or exposed pipe — but if noticing and fixing it earns your agency a prize, we think people are more likely to take the initiative and report it. Hopefully, recognition and resolution of those hazards will continue even after the contest ends.”

The contest runs from March 1 through March 31, and every agency that registers receives a complimentary Hazard Hunter kit from PDRMA along with instructions for creating additional kits. Even better, each agency receives a $250 award from PDRMA for participating. There also are three trophies for which members can compete.

“We created categories to make the hunt fun and open to everyone employed at a park district,” says Kinsland. “And there will be bragging-rights trophies for the Gnarliest Hazard, Best Non-parkie Hazard and Seasonal Star winners. We want all employees to become engaged in hazard recognition to help create a true safety culture.”

One agency — Arlington Heights Park District (AHPD) — has been gearing up for this contest since the beginning of the year. “Our 10-member Safety Committee developed a Plan of Action for us to implement,” says Pat Klawitter, Training and Safety Supervisor at AHPD. “They decided to market the contest using a mascot of our own, so we’ll be ‘Hunting Hazards with Harry the Penguin.’ We decided to use Harry as our mascot, because we’re part of the Penguins Lacrosse League.

“Although our hunt starts Monday, March 5, we began promoting it in February,” Klawitter explains, “spreading the word at staff meetings, in our district newsletter, on the intranet and through ‘Countdown’ posters and flyers in staff areas.” To add to AHPD's fun, agency teams must register with a team name to get a hazard kit — and a mascot. The district will also have first-, second-, and third-place team winners with prizes valued at $100, $75 and $50, respectively. The Safety Committee will determine the winners based on the number of authentic hazards reported, but regardless of where a team finishes, they all get to keep their Harry-the-Penguin mascots.