Risk Management Advisories
FREE STANDING NETS
In February of 1992, an accident occurred in the gymnasium at one of our member's
schools involving a European handball net. A 14 year old student, as a result
of jumping up to and hanging from the top horizontal bar of the net, caused
it to tip forward, resulting in fatal injuries to the student. Some months later
in an unrelated incident a 6 year old Kent County youth was fatally injured
when struck by a free standing soccer net when it toppled over. A coroner's
inquest has been held into the first incident which has resulted in
the following 8 recommendations by the Coroner's jury.
- Portable goals for Indoor use should be made of lightweight materials and
either counter weighted with sandbags or anchored with a flexible anchoring
system which allows the goal to move in a lateral direction but not tip over.
- Portable goals for outdoor use should have an anchoring device to allow
for stability during the game and which will allow the goal to be removed
for storage.
- Consumer and Corporate Affairs should amend the Hazardous products Act
to include the equipment and to acquire a standards program from the Canadian
Standards Association in order to ensure that manufacturers' products meet
minimum safety standards.
- Suppliers should ensure that all of this equipment meets C.S.A. standards
before shipping to purchaser.
- The Department of Consumer and Corporate Affairs should be notified by
Coroner's offices, hospitals and police departments immediately of death or
catastrophic injuries resulting from accidents involving sports equipment
and they in turn should use their computer system, which can have the capacity
to highlight incidents, and advise the Ministry of Education, Boards of Education,
Ministry of Tourism and Recreation, Municipalities, Associations, suppliers
and distributors.
- Permanent manufacturers' labels should be clearly displayed indicating
manufacturer, address, year of manufacture.
- Any cautionary advise regarding equipment use and handling should be clearly
displayed separately and in a contrasting colour. Manufacturer and cautionary
advise should appear prominently on all product documentation.
- Qualified independent safety inspections should be conducted on an annual
basis and following repairs or modifications, and inspection records should
be kept on file by user.
Please note that these recommendations have been directed to apply
to portable soccer goals, handball goals and field hockey goals and other similar
sports equipment for recreational and school use in both indoor and outdoor
settings.
Our board survey and review of supplier catalogues has revealed a number of
different nets in use for European handball, all essentially free standing,
portable and not anchored or supported in anyway. The Official European team
handball rules require:
"Nets consisting of two upright posts, equidistant from the corners of
the playing area, 3 meters apart and two meters high, firmly fixed to the ground
and firmly joined by a horizontal crossbar."
Nets can weigh in excess of 150 lbs. each for some models. The newer models
are made of lightweight aluminum or heavy duty plastic frames and may weigh
less.
The recommendations of the jury provide a guideline for school boards to incorporate
into their safety and loss prevention policies.
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