It may seem obvious, but the best way to not get hurt by an Avalanche is to stay away from one. For the most part, Avalanches occur in remote places where the potential harm to people is small. However, for those populations in Mountainous areas, there is a serious concern for the population's safety. That is where zoning comes into play.
Surprisingly enough, there is no Federally mandated zoning laws in the U.S. The onus lies on State and local governments. The places that have made the most progess with zoning laws in the U.S. are Colorado and Utah, specifically Alta, Utah.
Outside of the U.S. the country that seems to be the leader in Avalanche zoning would be Switzerland. Zoning laws were mandated by the Government in 1951, but it took the individual Cantons (similar to our States) a while to comply. The Swiss currently have a "3 zone" system with designations being:
red = high Hazard
blue = potential hazard
white = no hazard
A red designation means that the return interval of a destructive Avalache is less than 30 years or that the impact pressure of a Potential Avalanche could exceed 3 ton/m^3. Buildings and Parking lots are generally not permitted here.
A blue designation is for an Avalanche return interval between 30 and 300 years, with an impact pressure less than 3 ton/m^3. Private home are permitted here, but building that encourage the gathering of people are typically not allowed.
A white designation means there is no hazard, and you can do anything you want on this land, with in the confines of all the other laws that is.