The Brain Injury Association of Canada – BIAC – would like to thank the Standing Committee on Health for their invitation to speak to and answer questions with regards to Helmet Certification on Thursday, May 28, 2009
The Brain Injury Association of Canada strongly urges the Standing Committee on Health studying Bill C-6 to support regulations requiring minimum standards for sport helmets, and in particular to include the contents of Bill C-289, a private member’s bill introduced by Dr. Hedy Fry. As well, within the legislation, BIAC would like to see provisions that would allow CSA helmet standards implemented in a far more timely manner once all CSA product testing has been satisfactorily completed. Health Canada staff should continue to take an active role during the standards development process; that they develop ongoing impact assessments on the implications and / or changes to the standard; and that Heath Canada staff consult widely with stakeholders during the process of standard development.
When the CSA has underwritten a standard there must be a quicker process to access the Hazardous Product Act within Bill C-6. When CSA underwrites a standard it goes through a very long process working with all stakeholders, this process must be taken into account and recognized in Bill C-6. If we could use the process that was applied when underwriting the standards for Alpine Sport Helmets; this new standard should have been given the Hazardous Product Act status once the process was completed.
The leading killer and disabler of youth in Canada is preventable injury. Many serious and fatal injuries are sport-related head injuries. A quality sport helmet is a proven way of helping to prevent injury in sport. Studies show that effective helmets can prevent up to 85% of sport-related deaths. Helmets are also exceptionally cost-effective: a major US study has shown that for every $1 spent on helmets, $29 is saved in health, productivity, and other costs of injury.
The Canadian government has committed to increasing physical activity in Canada by 10% in anticipation of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. It follows that a similar increase in safe sport practices, such as wearing helmets, is necessary to ensure the health, social and economic outcomes associated with sport and physical activity are not erased by an increase in injury.
Effective helmets reduce the risk of serious brain injury or death to youth and adults alike. However, there are currently no minimum standards in place to ensure that the helmets Canadians use are safe and effective.
Presently, the Hazardous Product Act provides the authority needed to ensure all helmets in Canada are effective enough to save lives.
The Hazardous Products Act includes a list of “prohibited products” which may not be advertised, sold or imported. Hockey helmets have been classified under federal hazardous product legislation, and as such, this legislation requires all hockey helmets sold in Canada to be approved by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA).
All sport helmets should be treated as hockey helmets are. If a helmet is not effective enough to pass CSA standards, it has no place on Canadian shelves. The inclusion of the contents of Bill C-289 into Bill C-6 will begin this process by placing ski and snowboard helmets on the Hazardous Products list alongside hockey helmets.
Youth and adults across Canada see this as good for their health. I ask you to do all you can to ensure that all helmets meet minimum standards, so that we may prevent death and disability among Canadians.
Submitted by:
Richard Kinar, BIAC Board Member
Harry Zarins, Executive Director
Helmet Certification, Usage and Injury Prevention
Submitted on : June 10, 2009