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INDUSTRY EVENTS SKI AREA VEHICLE MAINTENANCE INSTITUTE, MAY 17-20, 2010 Nearly 300 vehicle mechanics, suppliers, instructors, and others attended the 25th annual Ski Area Vehicle Maintenance Insititute (SAVMI) at Grand Junction May 17-20. With founders Jim Touve and Steve Stephens on hand to recount the origins of the show, it was an occasion for measuring the progress made.As usual, there were several sessions dedicated to specific machines from PistenBully and Prinoth, and hands-on training for welding and flamebending. Even more than usual, there was an emphasis on safety, and on the potential for an increased OSHA presence at ski areas. Exhibit A: a workshop on “job hazard analysis,” a process that is required by OSHA for all tasks, not just those in the maintenance shop. A similar workshop was held at the RMLA show a week earlier. While OSHA has required JHAs in the past, not all areas have prepared them for all tasks, or kept them up-to-date with a high level of detail and precision. To assist with that process, NSAA is preparing a set of generic JHAs. That collaborative effort is precisely why SAVMI came to be 25 years ago. Stephens recounted how each maintenance shop “used to be our own little island.” The organization was formed to make it easy for areas to share information among themselves and learn from one another. “We all needed saving back in those days,” he added. SAVMI also recognized a select few as being at the top of their game. Beaver Creek’s Kevin Lagace received the Tim Crouse Award as tech of the year. The Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort maintenance team earned the SAVMI Safety Award for its accident-free string of 22,213 worker-days, covering a span of more than five years, and Carter Cowan of Prinoth took the Vehicle Maintenance Support Award. Given the hands-on nature of much of the training, it’s no surprise that the trade show portion of the event was packed. Product demos and display tables drew crowds, as did the hands-on roulette wheels and poker tables hosted by suppliers such as NAPA and BG Products.
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EVENTS WRAPUP 
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