SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 01 January 1985
STP46652S

Injuries from T-Bar Ski Lifts

Source

This is a report on injuries sustained from T-bar ski lifts during three seasons at the Lindvallen and Granfjällsstöten ski centers in Sälen, Sweden. The number of cases was 168, or 7.5% of all treated skiing injuries. The risk of sustaining an injury was about 1/80 000 runs. Most of the injuries were not serious and could be treated at the local emergency room. Only 4 patients were referred for hospital care. The most common injuries were wounds of the head and face caused by blows from swinging T-bars. Most of the patients injured by falls in the lift track were women. The most common injury from a fall was a knee sprain. The injury panorama was more varied among patients who had gotten caught by the T-bar. Suggested measures for improving the safety of T-bar ski lifts include information on and training in the T-bar lift technique at ski school classes for beginners, intensified supervision of the lift tracks with a high preparedness for shutting off the machinery, a lower speed for nonmanned lifts, safer alighting ramps which push the skiers away from the lift track, and better padding of the T-bars.

Author Information

Lindsjö, Ulf
University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden
Hellquist, Einar
University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden
Engkvist, Ove
University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden
Balkfors, Bengt
Malmo General Hospital, Malmo, Sweden
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Details
Developed by Committee: F27
Pages: 367–374
DOI: 10.1520/STP46652S
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-6832-9
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-6833-6