Standard Operating Procedures for CCFMS Field Trips

If you plan to attend a CCFMS field trip, please read this page carefully. Doing so will ensure that you have a safe and enjoyable time, and don't get yelled at. Collecting at working quarries is not a right, it is a privilege, and it is getting to be a very rare privilege at that. Lawyers and insurance companies would love a reason to ban everybody from doing anything, so don't give them a reason - read the rules and play safe! Dates & times of fieldtrips: http://www.ccfms.ca

1) Arrive on time - 8:30 a.m. at the latest - or early. There is a lot to do before we go in the quarry & stragglers hold us up and risk not being informed of important information.

2) As soon as you arrive, find someone with a clipboard to sign in with. This is the Liability Waiver. Do this first before you do anything, before you talk to friends etc. We need this to protect us.

3) Hang out & chat with your friends around the front of the convoy line - or wherever the designated trip leader is so that you will be ready to hear the safety talk when it starts at 8:45 a.m.

4) You must be at the safety talk when it happens at 8:45 a.m. no matter how often you have heard it before. Do not talk with your friends at this time. If you are with a newbie, give a running translation if necessary. If you are a newbie, identify yourself as such & ask for an experienced person to show you the ropes. We cannot get lax about safety or about respecting the property & additional rules set out by the quarry owners.

5) You must have proper safety equipment in order to collect in a quarry. This includes safety helmet, safety goggles and CSA Approved "green patch" steel-toed safety work boots. Wear your boots as soon as you arrive. It helps us know that you have them with you. As soon as you drive through the
front gates & are out of our vehicle, you need to also wear your helmet. Goggles need to be worn when you hit rocks or are near someone who is hitting rocks.

6) To be admitted to the quarry, collectors need to be 16 years old.

7) These trips are for members in good standing of CCFMS clubs. Be prepared to show your membership card if asked.

8) If in doubt - ask.

9) At the safety talk you will be told when the collecting for the day is over. If you are leaving early, let the trip leader or designate know that you are leaving.

10) If you arrive late (NEVER a good idea), you MUST sign in with the trip leader & sign the liability waiver before going about your collecting. It is not good enough that your friends know that you are there.

11) If you see someone doing something unsafe - working near a wall, climbing a loose pile, throwing down rocks from on high when people are working, splitting rock without goggles, not wearing a helmet, walking about in flip-flops etc. - do not hesitate to advise them to cease & desist. Most
of the time it is just forgetfulness. If it is deliberate, then we - the organizers - need to know. Telling the trip leader is not tattling - it is protecting all of our collecting rights. We are all responsible for promoting & protecting our hobby.

12) If you are asked who you are & what club you are from by one of the trip leaders, please don't take offense. We don't know everyone & sometimes we just want to connect with people.

13) If you are told by a trip leader to do something or not do something, then you have no option but to follow these directions. If you do not, you will be asked to leave.

IMPORTANT CHECKLIST! FOUR THINGS YOU DO NOT GET INTO THE QUARRY WITHOUT:

1) Club membership card (your club must be a member of CCFMS)

2) Steel toe safety boots

3) Hard hat

4) Safety goggles

Click here for more field trip safety tips

Dates & times of fieldtrips: http://www.ccfms.ca

Information on Ontario Minerals: http://www.ontariominerals.com

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