ACT SECTION 91 — SAFETY

The Safety and Techniques Committee shall prepare a pamphlet on the safety policies of the NSS and the services offered by the Committee. This phamplet shall be distributed to both NSS and non-NSS cavers alike. The initial production cost of the phamplet shall be limited to $100. The phamplet will be financed by the Safety and Techniques Committee.

The National Speleological Society views the unnecessary and excessive installation of semi-permanent technical climbing hardware and similar aids (bolts, ladders, cables, etc.) in caves as presenting serious safety, conservation, and aesthetic problems and, consequently, the use of these devices should be held to an absolute minimum. In all cases the installation of such davices should not be for convenience sake, but as an aid to negotiate a particular section of a cave after deliberate consideration of the consequences of such installation has been made and all other reasonable alternatives exhausted. This is not to exclude the use of such devices in resuce operations, cave projects of a specified duration, exploration purposes, or other purposes where determination has been made that these devices are required for the safe and successful completion of the operation. The continued use of such devices as mentioned above should be in accord with safe caving practices, and inspection of the particular device should be made prior to its use on successive trips. After the installed device(s) have fulfilled their usefulness, all traces of their presence should be removed from the cave.

As a means of preserving fair and minimally restricted access to caves, the National Speleological Society encourages and supports the education of land owners and land managers concerning the cave resources under their control and the potential uses, including especially recreational uses, of these resources. The NSS will assist in such education wherever possible, and NSS members and groups are urged to do so also. Ideally, since no two caves or cavers are alike, such efforts should be directed to preparing cave owners and managers to make intelligent decisions concerning the appropriateness of each proposed cave visit in relation to the particular values and safety and conservation aspects of the cave concerned. Where, for administrative or other reasons, such an ideal is not possible, the NSS will assist in the inventory and classification of caves into classes according to such things as their best uses, fragility, or hazards and will recommend general criteria for approving prospective users, provided that is is always recognized that unthinking or inflexible administration of such schemes will always compromise management objectives of protection and fairness. In any event, the actual decision in each case as to whether a proposed visit or other use of a cave satisfies management objectives or criteria should and must be made by the owner or manager of the cave. The NSS will not officially certify individual cavers as meeting any such criteria.

The National Speleological Society recognizes that caving affords numerous opportunities for the development, testing, and modification and refinement of existing and/or new caving equipment and techniques. Further, the NSS recognizes that a variety of different caving equipment and techniques are utilized by persons engaged in this activity and that often no one piece of equipment, or a technique, may be termed "the best". However, the NSS recognizes its responsibility to the Society membership and others involved in caving to provide information regarding caving techniques, equipment, and safety considerations. The Safety and Techniques Committee of the NSS should be the repository for all information relating to caving safety, techniques, and equipment and is charged with the following activities and responsibilities:

(1) Provide assistance to internal organizations in regard to caving techniques, equipment, and safety considerations as requested, and in the establishment of grotto safety committees and educational programs.

(2) Upon request provide assistance and advice to other Society committees, activities, and programs in regard to caving techniques, equipment, and safety considerations.

(3) Prepare short articles on various caving techniques and/or equipment for distribution to the NSS membership; such activity should be coordinated through the Caving Information Series.

(4) Prepare slide show programs on various caving equipment, techniques, first aid, and safety considerations, with distribution to be cooridnated through the Audio-Visual Aids Committee.

(5) Provide information concerning caving techniques, equipment, safety, and safety education to the membership upon request and through the NSS NEWS.

(6) Conduct valuations on existing and new equipment used in caving and report these evaluations in a clear, objective, and precise manner to the membership via the NSS NEWS.

(7) Collect,catalog, and evaluate reports of caving accidents, equipment failures, and similar phenomena; provide non-anonymous information to the Editor for publication in AMERICAN CAVING ACCIDENTS; and, at the discretion of the Safety and Techniques Committee Chairman, report or publish such information through other outlets.

(8) Maintain and develop a repository of knowledge and information concerned with caving safety, techniques, and equipment, and conduct research on the imporvement of existing caving equipment and the development of new caving techniques and educational methods.

(9) Work with equipment manufacturers and distributors to mitigate or eliminate safety hazards of equipment.

The National Cave Rescue Commission is established in the Administrative Vice-President's Department. The duties, responsibilities, and privileges of the Commission are as specified in the Charter of the National Cave Rescue Commission which is hereby approved. (See Appendix S)

The NCRC shall hold not less than one meeting of its Regional Coordinators annually. The agenda of the meeting shall be distributed to all Regional Coordinators at least 30 days prior to the meeting. Minutes of the meeting shall be distributed to all Regional Coordinators not later than 30 days after the meeting. A copy of the agenda and minutes shall be available to all NSS members upon request.

7-9-96

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