SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONSin the DESIGN of

ATHLETIC andSPORT FIELDS

by Arlhur H. Mittelstaedt, Jr.Past PresidentRecreational Safety Institute, Ronkonkoma, N. Y.

Athletic and sports fields are facilities which have undergone years of scrutiny andchange. There can be no question that rules of the game, regulations for play,

criteria for development and maintenance, and a host of other recommendations aboundfor such field areas. It is not the intent of the author to repeat what is known about designand ultimate construction and operation of such field areas, but to highlight thoseelements that affect the safety of the players and spectators. As a result of the wealth ofknowledge compiled to date and our unending quest for further information, personalinjuries are becoming less attributed to the care of the owner or operator and more tothe recklessness of the players or spectators.

However, when an injury occurs, the victim looks to others to pinpoint the blame.That, plus an aggressive litigation environment and an array of books, criteria, hand-books, and other documents, plus numerous court decisions and theories of negligence,enables specialized experts to have their own "field day". A sympathetic jury makes thefinal decision, usually in favour of the injured party, which means that the owner/op-erator cannot afford to make mistakes. It is imperative that the owner/operator of anytype of athletic or sports field recognize that he cannot designate an alternate for theresponsibility but must face it squarely. He must ensure and assure that every reasonableeffort is and has been made to reduce his exposure. Diligence, not negligence, is thebyword.

The focus of the operation of a field is predicated on its design and construction, anintegral but yet separate responsibility, and subject to subsequent liability. There is nosuch thing as a sports field facility that is not designed. Any forethought given to theuse of a piece of land, whether it is already flat or has been graded, is considered design.Although every state has licensed professional engineers and landscape architects whohave licenses to practice the design of such fields and certify their correctness, very fewfields are certifiable. Only 2% of the sports fields now in existence have been designedwith the advice of such professionals. Most have been designed by the owner's bulldozeroperator, landscape contractor, athletic administrator, athletic trainer, manufacturer, turfgrower, grounds keeper, or other such person. When an accident happens, the "discoveryprocess" ultimately proves negligence, because nobody was charged with the responsi-bility, or assumed the responsibility, for the care of the fields. Those lay persons usuallyinvolved in the design were probably not aware of the state of the art in sports fielddesign and construction. Thus, an accident happens, and, ultimately, a judgement orsettlement results in favour of the injured party

What can be considered exposure today as it relates to athletic field liability? Virtuallyevery aspect of sports field development and management is vulnerable.

This paper addresses concerns related to the design and subsequent construction ofathletic and sports field facilities. In order to put into perspective the guidelines as setforth, it is critical that a difference be made between those fields used by amateurs forplay and those used by professionals for play. These guidelines address fields used foramateur play, although there is no distinguishing difference between spectators of bothamateur and professional play; thus, the guidelines cover safety for spectators of bothamateur and professional teams. It must also be noted that if such guidelines areappropriate for professional play, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administra-tion would be responsible for advancing these safety concerns ..

Facility Hazards,The athletic and sports field for amateur

play contains a multitude of hazards to theplayers. These guidelines will address dif-ferent aspects of the field as it relates toball fields, that is, softball and hardball andthen to football-related sports, that is, soc-cer, field hockey, lacrosse, and others.

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BALL FIELDSBall fields consist of the following com-

ponents: infield, outfield, and sidelines:each will be addressed separately.

Infield1. The surface, which may consist of clay

and turf or synthetic material, must befree of large grains, pebbles, rocks, de-bris, and other foreign objects.(Although various opinions have beenexpressed regarding the resiliency ofclay-turf or synthetic materials and itseffect in preventing injury, other paperswill address such studies.)

2. The surface must all be on a level oreven grade, with no depressions, ruts,mounds, or other irregularities.

3. The pitchers mound must be a rubber-ized or resilient material with roundededges.

4. The bases must be of a resilient or softmaterial, with a low profile or quickrelease capacity.

5. The baselines and batter's circle and theturf-clay edge must be straight andeven, with no irregularities creating anunforseen tripping hazard.

6. The baseline and other marking mate-rial must not be toxic to the skin or byinhalation.

Outfield1. See Infield 1.2. The surface grade must be even and

pitched in one direction, without anydepressions, ridges, or other irregulari-ties.

3. The outfield must have a fence of an

even arc or radius that can be judged bya player in pursuit of a fly or groundball, and a 4.6-m (l5-ft)-wide warningtrack of clay or synthetic surface with-out irregularities.

4. The outfield fence must be at least 2.4m (8 ft) in height to prevent an adultplayer, who is jumping up to catch a flyball, from falling over the fence. Fur-thermore, no obstructive or protrudingmaterial,such as posts or pipe, may beon the inside of the fence.

5. The fence, if chain link material is used,must have the top and bottom of themesh knuckled (with no barbed or pro-truding tops).

6. The fence, if made of plastic fabric withbendable vertical supports, must nothave any protrusions.

7. The outfield fence must not have anysolid wood or metal signs or plates fas-tened on the inside.

8. The outfield fence, if of a solid material,must have padding mounted on it.

9. The outfield must have no flagpoles,monuments, or other objects that pro-vide impact resistance.

10. The outfield must not have any score-boards, unless they are padded toprovide impact resilience.

11. The outfield must not have any treesor landscape materials.

12. The outfield must not have any draininlets or catch basins.

13. The outfield irrigation system mustoften be checked for any pop-up sprin-klers that may have had groundsettlement around them or that may bewithout caps.

14. The outfield must have no lightingstandards, footings,or stanchions.

15. The outfield must have no drainagecourses or structures and must not beshortened by such structures or by roadsor jogging/walking paths.

Sidelines1.The dugout or player's bench must have

a protective fence or screen or haveunbreakable plastic or glass in front ofit.

2. The backstop must have an overhang ofsufficient size to contain foul balls thatwould impact on other areas in use.

3. The backstop must be constructed of25.4-mm (I-in.) mesh to prohibit climb-ing.

4. The backstop, where an overhang will

not be effective, must have netting util-ized to contain foul balls.

5. The backstop must be designed to ac-commodate the site's specificrequirements for protection of specta-tors, users, and bystanders.

6. The sideline fence between the specta-tors and the playing field must be 2.4 m(8 ft) inheight as specified by the Ama-teur Softball Association of America(ASA).

7. The sideline fence must extend from thebackstop a minimum of 6.1 m (20 ft)beyond first and third base.

8. The outfield distance must be no shorterthan that specified by the various organ-izational rules of the game.

9. The outfield fence, if removable formultipurpose play, must have sleeves atleast 0.1 m (4 in.) below the top of thegrade of the surface material.

10. The outfield turf or synthetic materialmust have no joints that could catch ashoe.

11. The outfield turf sod must have noburlap or other mesh materials thatcould catch spikes.

•FOOTBALL FIELDS

Football and related field sports consistof the following components: the field,sidelines, end zone, and surrounding area.Each will be address separately.

The designing of a sports field also re-quire consideration of a host of factors thatcan result in negligence if not considered.

Field1. The field should not interfere with an-

other facility, track, or jogging path.2. The field should have no surface drain

inlets, pop-up sprinkler heads, metalsleeves, or other obstructions unlessthese are rubber capped.

3. The field should be lined to the sportsregulation size with a nontoxic paint orpowder.

Sidelines1.The sidelines should have no permanent

markers or pylons which could causetripping or falling and should be of aflexible material that cannot causepenetration.

2. The sidelines should have officials' ta-bles no closer than 6.1 m (20 ft),

3. The sidelines should have players'benches no closer than 6.1 m (20 ft).

4...The sideline should have equipment,refreshment, and emergency equipmentno closer than 9.1 m (30 ft).

5. The sideline positioning of officials,players, coaches, and related penaltyzones or official space should be as perthe rules of the game.

End Zone1. The furthest game line of the end zone

shall be no closer than 9.1 m (30 ft), or,if a closer dimension is required, a pad-ded fence or wall shall be installed.

2. The end zone should have no lightingwith fixtures directed to the field thatcould cause a blinding glare whenplayed at night:

3. The end zone should have a high fence,hight net, or adequate warnings protect-ing the public from goals.

Surrounding Area1.The area around the activity field should

be controlled so that there is no interfer-ence from the traffic of pedestrians,buses, automobiles, service vehicles, orbikes.

2. The area around the activity field shouldbe planned to give direct access to park-ing areas and should bisect or parallelplay areas. Adequate fencing should beinstalled to separate the areas of use.

3. The area should have adequate pad anddriveways providing a station for emer-gency vehicles and rapid ingress andegress.

General Site HazardsThe planning of a sports field requires

consideration of a variety of factors thataffect safety and that can result in negli-gence if not considered.1. A field without fencing must not be

located directly adjacent to a parkinglot, park drive or road, which mightcause play interference or injury.

2. A field must not have unguided or un-controlled access to it without trafficcrossing signs and markings or childrenplaying signs.

3. A field must have access for emergencyvehicles and must not be remote fromemergency phones.

4. A field must have a potable water serv-ice and sanitary service.

5. A field must not be unfenced or containnatural hazards for spectators or play-ers.

6. A field must not be near unprotectedrailroads or power lines.

The designing of a sports field also re-quire consideration of a host of factors thatcan result in negligence if not considered.1. A field must not be orientated so that

untrained players can be momentarilyblinded by the sun or lights when flyballs, line drives, wild throws or similaraspects of the game occur that can resultin injury.

2. A field must not have obstacles alongthe sidelines, behind the plate, or in theoutfield that can not be protected.

3. A field must have fencing in front oftheplayers' benches and parts of the spec-tator outfield that are not protected.

4. A field must have fencing or a deterrenton top of the backstop or on top of thedugouts preventing youths from climb-ing them.

5. A field must not have exposed pop-upirrigation or other valves for sprinklers,exposed drainage inlets , or exposedmanhole covers.

6. A field must not have exposed sharpcomers or footings.

7. A field must not have steep slopes in theplaying area, rutted outfields, depressedbaselines, or holes in the outfield.

8. A field must not have puddles or collectwater in the field or along the parime-ters, which can cause mosquitos tobreed and can create slippery condi-tions.

These are only a few of the problems thatcan arise in the planning and deigning/en-gineering stages of playing field develop-ment. It is in these stages that the input ofthe planner, designer/engineer, and opera-tor, working together, can be used to avoidfuture problems resulting in claims fornegligence. The plans and specifications,the change order or other documents, andsupervision of the construction and instal-lation are all areas in which the cause ofconcern can and must be addressed.

GrCllss

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