Hazards in sports settings
Indoor settings
| Setting | Hazards | How to reduce the risk |
|---|---|---|
| Sports hall | Slippery or wet floor; equipment left out; walls close to the court; poor lighting | Check and dry the floor; put equipment away; leave space round the court |
| Broken or faulty equipment; weights left on the floor; overcrowding; lack of supervision; litter | Check equipment regularly; an induction for new users; staff supervising; put weights away | |
| Swimming pool | Slippery poolside; diving into shallow water; deep water for weak swimmers; overcrowding | No running; depth signs and no-diving signs; lifeguards on duty; limit numbers |
Key terms
Outdoor settings
| Setting | Hazards | How to reduce the risk |
|---|---|---|
| Playing field | Litter, glass or dog mess; holes and uneven ground; frozen or waterlogged ground; goalposts that aren't secured; bad weather | Check the field before use; remove litter; secure the posts; cancel in dangerous weather |
| Artificial outdoor areas (such as 3G and AstroTurf pitches) | Friction burns from the surface; slippery when wet or frosty; a hard surface to fall on | Wear the right footwear; cover the arms and legs; check the surface before use |
Whatever the setting, a before the session spots the hazards and decides how to reduce them.
Key terms
Hazard or risk?
A is something that could cause harm, such as a wet floor. A is the chance that the harm will happen, and how serious it would be. A wet floor in a busy sports hall is a high risk; the same floor in an empty hall, roped off, is a low one.
Reducing a risk usually means removing the hazard (drying the floor), keeping people away from it (roping it off), or making it less likely to cause harm (non-slip footwear).
Common mistake
Don't swap the two words: the hazard is the thing; the risk is the chance of harm from it.
Carrying out a risk assessment
A follows the same steps in any setting:
- Identify the hazards, by checking the area and the equipment.
- Decide who might be harmed, such as performers, officials or spectators.
- Judge how likely harm is, and how serious it would be.
- Decide on controls to reduce each risk, such as signs, supervision or removing equipment.
- Record the findings, and review them regularly, or when something changes.
A hockey coach, for example, walks the pitch before training, picks up litter, checks the goals are secure and decides to cancel if the surface is frozen.