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Iceland seems to have a very relaxed approach to health and safety. I visited in 2006 and remember walking around boiling pools of mud on very slippery ground w

Iceland seems to have a very relaxed approach to health and safety. I visited in 2006 and remember walking around boiling pools of mud on very slippery ground with nothing but a single token piece of rope to prevent tourists from slipping and falling to a slow and painful death.

MrDresden 6y ago
Since the meteoric rise in tourism post financial crisis, more funds have been put into upgrading many of the tourist areas with propper walking paths and cordoning off certain areas. This has mostly been done to preserve the areas from undue damage from humans, but also for their increased safety. Our view of health and safety is still vastly different from the US for example. It does help that liability for your own personal health most often lies on your own shoulders instead of somebody else's.
chrisco255 6y ago
Iceland must be less litigious and have less lawyers per capita.
- Moru 6y ago
  I believe at least the lawyer thing is true for most of the world compared to USA.
  - perl4ever 6y ago
    I get irritated whenever people make a snarky comment about litigiousness in the US, because I used to work in litigation support and one day I came across an issue of an industry magazine which had an article about how Brits were financing American lawsuits essentially as a form of venture capital. Whenever any American is involved in something sketchy anywhere in the world, it's obviously another example of Americans corrupting things. But whenever anyone is making American problems worse for profit, it is assumed to be the US at fault for providing the opportunity.
lostlogin 6y ago
New Zealand is/was similar. Then in 2019 White Island erupted and killed 22 people and injured a similar number. The injuries have been truely horrific. Skin grafts alone came to a quarter of a million square centimetres of skin for victims. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Whakaari_/_White_Island_eruption https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Whakaari_/_White_Island... https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/health/118741979/whakaari--white-island-eruption-story-behind-the-skin-grafts-coming-for-burn-victims https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/health/118741979/whakaari--wh...
sizzzzlerz 6y ago
That's what has been done at Yellowstone National Park. All the tourist-accessible thermal features have boardwalks built out to and around them for both safety and environmental protection from the millions of vistors. Other features, like Old Faithful geyser, has been surround by cement paths and benches for visitors to view eruptions from. The backcountry, however, has no such facilities and people who visit those are basically on their own and need to use their own discretion. That said, people die in hot springs every year because they're too dumb to recognize the dangers.
pkingolfsson 6y ago
This approach has yielded us Icelandair's with fewer idiots therefore no baseless claims for lawsuit. You see.. they fall into these boiling pools of mud. Problem solved.

MrDresden 6y ago

Since the meteoric rise in tourism post financial crisis, more funds have been put into upgrading many of the tourist areas with propper walking paths and cordoning off certain areas. This has mostly been done to preserve the areas from undue damage from humans, but also for their increased safety. Our view of health and safety is still vastly different from the US for example. It does help that liability for your own personal health most often lies on your own shoulders instead of somebody else's.

chrisco255 6y ago

Iceland must be less litigious and have less lawyers per capita.

Moru 6y ago
I believe at least the lawyer thing is true for most of the world compared to USA.
- perl4ever 6y ago
  I get irritated whenever people make a snarky comment about litigiousness in the US, because I used to work in litigation support and one day I came across an issue of an industry magazine which had an article about how Brits were financing American lawsuits essentially as a form of venture capital. Whenever any American is involved in something sketchy anywhere in the world, it's obviously another example of Americans corrupting things. But whenever anyone is making American problems worse for profit, it is assumed to be the US at fault for providing the opportunity.

lostlogin 6y ago

New Zealand is/was similar. Then in 2019 White Island erupted and killed 22 people and injured a similar number. The injuries have been truely horrific. Skin grafts alone came to a quarter of a million square centimetres of skin for victims. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Whakaari_/_White_Island_eruption https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Whakaari_/_White_Island... https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/health/118741979/whakaari--white-island-eruption-story-behind-the-skin-grafts-coming-for-burn-victims https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/health/118741979/whakaari--wh...

sizzzzlerz 6y ago

That's what has been done at Yellowstone National Park. All the tourist-accessible thermal features have boardwalks built out to and around them for both safety and environmental protection from the millions of vistors. Other features, like Old Faithful geyser, has been surround by cement paths and benches for visitors to view eruptions from. The backcountry, however, has no such facilities and people who visit those are basically on their own and need to use their own discretion. That said, people die in hot springs every year because they're too dumb to recognize the dangers.

pkingolfsson 6y ago

This approach has yielded us Icelandair's with fewer idiots therefore no baseless claims for lawsuit. You see.. they fall into these boiling pools of mud. Problem solved.