Dam Owner Fact Sheet: Public Safety At Dams

ASDSO Resources for Dam Owners and Operators: https://damsafety.org/dam-owners

Dams are becoming public destinations for a wide range of recreational activities. Many of these activities make use of dam features for extreme sports and other unauthorized and unsafe actions for which they were not intended. In addition, not all accidents and fatalities are from public use of the sites but from unsafe operations by owners and operators. Several incidences are the result of carelessness during routine maintenance, inspection, or observation. Many accidents and fatalities are due to first responders and good samaritans succumbing to the hazard(s) while attempting to rescue victims or by maintenance staff and others working around dams.

Safety at Dams is a term used to describe the identification, management, and treatment of all risks to the public around existing dams, except those risks associated with dam failure. This includes all access and uses, permitted or not permitted, on or near a dam and its accompanying water bodies, hydraulics, accessories, and facilities.