"Safety First: The C.Y.A. Way."

C.Y.A. 101
We like to think of safety as a method by which we care for our guests; a benovolent course of action to providing a great experience. No matter how experience hardens our emotions to the cruel winds of our litigious society, we should think of safety as caring for our guests.

Safety is also covering your a**. Let's face it, there are fewer afronts more agregeous than being sued. It's happened to me and I'll share with you what I learned from the experience and how we use systems to minimize future problems.

Notify, Notify, Notify. We tell people to be careful, watch their step and do not run before they enter  the maze. We tell them, they read it on the video screen, repeat it back to the introduction staff AND carry it with them on their game sheet through the maze.

Notification is your first line of defense. By telling the gest what to expect you are transferring the responsibility to the guest. Have a system by which you notify guests.

Have a system, not a person. People are faulty by nature. You cannot rely on a 14-year-old to remember to tell everyone the rules, we use a video. You can't rely on your tractor drivers to information the guests of the safety precautions on each and every ride, we just press a button.

Have an instant communication system. We couldn't live without our handheld radios. Instantly, we can reach our staff to respond, act, or simply rotate work positions. Each member of the staff is conected to all the others for quick communication. It is absolutely vital to our operation. It saves money as well. We can operate with fewer staff, if we can move the staff we have where we need them.

Plan ahead so you remain calm. In an emergency it get's hard to remember everything you need to do. We have radio codes for our employees, maps for emergency service people, managers on duty, and incident report forms ready to go.

There are lots more tips in our FREE Corn Maze Safety Guide. Just downloading the guide and planning your farm's crisis reaction ahead of time, will put you on the path to safety for the season.

Safety is not only important to your farm, but to our industry. Do your part to make sure we, as an industry, have a great, safe fall season.

Have a great week. - Hugh