The daily dozen sport safety checklist.In August of 2004, I began recommending an oddly couched couch n. 1. a. A sofa. b. A sofa on which a patient lies while undergoing psychoanalysis or psychiatric treatment. 2. a. sport safety plan to the athletic administrators and coaches I deal with. It was called, "Keep Safety Boring." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Meaning: Simplify your safety plan to reduce the chances of injuries to the players and of lawsuits against the coaches and schools. We also recommend that our master list be checked before every practice and game. The list is composed of all the essential safety factors that I have learned as a so-called "expert witness" over the last 35 years. 1. Check the rule book. * Familiarize yourself with the rules, the current changes, and the basic safety issues. 2. Check your practice plan. * Have you planned your practices with safety considerations in mind? Did you include rest and water breaks? Did you establish your training rules and policies in accord with the directives of the school district? 3. Check the environment. * Are your practices and game areas free of hazards? * Have you walked and assessed the entire area? Did you repair the wall pad in the wrestling wrestling, sport in which two unarmed opponents grapple with one another. The object is to secure a fall, i.e., cause the opponent to lose balance and fall to the floor, and ultimately to pin the supine opponent's shoulders to the floor, through the use of body room? 4. Check all field equipment. * Are the backboards and football posts padded? Are the volleyball volleyball, outdoor or indoor ball and net game played on a level court. An upright net, 3 ft (or 1 m) high, the top of which stands 8 ft (2.43 m) from the ground for men, 7 ft 4 1/8 in (2. poles secured? Is the field free of holes? Are you observing all of the manufacturers' guidelines guidelines, n.pl a set of standards, criteria, or specifications to be used or followed in the performance of certain tasks. and avoiding the use of "homemade home·made adj. 1. Made or prepared in the home: homemade pie. 2. Made by oneself. 3. Crudely or simply made. Adj. 1. " equipment. 5. Check the individual player's equipment. * Does the protective equipment fit? Are you aware of the latest equipment that enhances safety? Are your players appropriately attired? 6. Check the coaches. * Are you and your staff current with the latest ways of decreasing the danger of injuries? Do you and your staff belong to professional organizations? 7. Check the condition of your players. * Are all your players physically ready to participate? Do you have a pre-season practice program? Does it include a warm-up, stretching, and a cool-down? Have all your physical exams been covered? 8. Check competition matching. * Have you avoided the mismatching Mismatching is the term given to the alleged negative effect that affirmative action has when it places a student into a college that is allegedly too diffucult for her. For example, according to the theory, in the absence of affirmative action, a student will be admitted to a college of the players with regard to size, age, and skill during practice and games? 9. Check the supervision. * Are the players always under the supervision of a qualified coach? Do you know the best spot from which to observe and scan the activity? 10. Check the medical and emergency plans. * Do you have an emergency plan in case of severe injury? Have you reviewed it with everyone concerned? Do you have medical support such as an athletic trainer An athletic trainer is an allied (non-physician) health care provider capable of performing immediate and emergency injury management, injury assessment, and rehabilitation. , emergency medical technician e·mer·gen·cy medical technician n. Abbr. EMT A person trained and certified to appraise and initiate the administration of emergency care for victims of trauma or acute illness before or during transportation of victims to a health care support, and a team doctor? Is an AED AED - Automated Engineering Design on the school grounds? 11. Check the record keeping. * Such as physical examinations, informed consent, emergency cards, return to play, attendance records, insurance forms, and eligibility forms. 12. Check the athletes' understanding of their responsibility. * Have you informed the players about the potential risks of participating on a regular basis and reminded them of their own role in injury prevention? As you review this list, remember that ... You are measured by a standard of care for your profession, not by the profession's standard of practice. A standard of practice would be to withhold with·hold v. with·held , with·hold·ing, with·holds v.tr. 1. To keep in check; restrain. 2. To refrain from giving, granting, or permitting. See Synonyms at keep. 3. liquids from wrestlers See
Know your legal duties as a coach. Basically, you have a duty to properly condition, supervise, offer instruction, offer correct equipment and facilities, offer emergency care, and warn players of potential injuries. The best defensive game plan is being a competent, caring professional who wants to run a worthwhile program. This establishes your professional credibility--a status that goes a long way in decreasing the chance of a lawsuit. The bottom line is to walk into every situation and ask yourself: "Have I done everything reasonable to reduce the danger of injuries to everyone in my charge?" By Richard Borkowski, Ed. D., C.M.A.A Sport and Recreation Safety Consultant, Narbeth, PA |
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