How Often Does A Sports Field Need A Safety Check?
A sports field is a great place for healthy recreation, allowing visitors to play a wide variety of sports in one area. Participants perform various potentially strenuous activities, which wears down energy levels but strengthens their bodies. The field can also wear down over time, which can change the area into hazardous territory.
To ensure the safety of everyone using the field, managers should do consistent safety checks. But what does a sports field safety check entail? How often should you complete an inspection, or when is the best time to do it? The River Region Sports Field team can provide answers to these questions and more to ensure our customers are safely enjoying their field to the fullest.
What Is A Safety Check?
A safety check allows the maintenance crew to review the condition of the entire field. The managers use various tools to watch for pertinent aspects of the athletic facility, such as:
- Sun exposure
- Weed amount
- Ground firmness
- Spots with bare soil
- Spots with poor water drainage
Something like sun exposure monitoring helps a natural field, but you can do safety checks in a variety of settings. Fields with artificial turf require different maintenance, like finding patchy spots or removing debris. Synthetic fields also need annual cleaning to remove bacterial residue and prevent the spread of diseases.
Sports field managers should check the soil regularly, especially before and after high-activity seasons. Spring, summer, and fall seasonal sports should only happen on a previewed field for the safety of players and other participants.
Why Do A Safety Check?
Green grass, low weed amounts, and proper mowing length do more than make the field look nice. These traits indicate healthy ground on which players can safely exercise. Below are four reasons of many to perform a sports field safety check.
- Increase traction: Cleats, football boots, and other specialized shoes can maintain better traction on a healthy natural lawn. Unwanted slips and falls become less common with a healthy, well-maintained sports field.
- Injury reduction: A 2010 study showed that poor field conditions were more likely to lead to player injuries. Although you can generally expect some injuries in a contact sport, good field conditions often reduce the number and severity of the injuries.
- Pest reduction: Pests can weaken the soil and lead to an unhealthy environment for breathing or playing. Checks allow management to identify and eradicate pests when they appear.
- Quality appearance: Many people don’t want to play on a field that looks worn or messy. A clean sports area with good grass or synthetic turf can attract business. Quality fields also make playing and exercising more fun and stress-relieving.
River Region Sports Fields helps maintain the safety and condition of various athletic fields in and around Millbrook, AL. If you don’t already have a maintenance team for your sports area, you can count on our trustworthy team! Our crew can identify problem areas, keep up consistent maintenance, and keep up-to-date care records regarding your arena. Call 205-617-4884 for help with your sports field maintenance in Millbrook, AL and to learn more about sports field safety checks.