Georgia State Soccer Association
Field/Facility Safety Audit Overview
This Audit is provided by the Georgia Soccer Risk Management Committee as a resource to help our Affiliates better manage their local field safety program.
This audit is not meant to be all inclusive but, rather, only to provide a suggested framework for each Affiliate to use in developing their local field safety program. We appreciate that Affiliates differ in the degree to which they control/manage their playing fields and/or the youth focus of their program (ie, a local program mainly composed of very young players might require a more stringent safety standard than a program composed mainly of older teenagers). Not all suggested items on this audit would be applicable to every Affiliate. However, we want to emphasize that, regardless of which party owns the fields, the responsibility for “reasonably” insuring a safe practice/playing environment for our players still rests jointly with that Affiliate & Ga Soccer.
We recommend that each venue should be audited no less than once prior to each playing season. Please remember that the responsibility for providing a safe venue extends beyond the immediate playing field(s). This responsibility includes not just players, but spectators and referees as well.
The Risk Management Committee also recommends that each Affiliate should implement their own safety education program that involves your coaches and parents. The more educated “eyes” on the look-out for possible safety issues at the local venue all the better!
Should you need further assistance or have additional questions please contact the Risk Management Committee.
Georgia State Soccer Association
Field/Facility Safety Audit
(see addendum for additional information)
Date: ______Auditor: ______
Affiliate: ______Venue: ______
A. # of Goals at Venue (used and unused): ______
1. All anchored securely when in use (practice & games)?: Yes ___ No ____
2. Unused goals secured?: Yes ___ No ____
3. For all portable goals, presence of adequate “weights”/Sandbags, Stakes, etc to safely anchor all at same time? Yes ____ No ____
4. All goals clearly marked with “Warning Labels”? Yes ____ No _____
5. Any goals needing repair (rust, protruding parts)? Yes ____ No ____
6. Established local policy on Goal Safety, Repair & handling? Yes ____ No ____
7. Misc. comments on action needed for Goal Safety/Repair:
______
B. General Facility Inspection:
1. Emergency Procedures/Phone No.s publically posted? Yes ___ No ____
2. Fences needing repair? Yes ____ No ____
3. Sufficient hazard- free clearance area around fields? Yes ____ No ____
4. Sufficient night lighting for fields, surrounding premises, parking area?
Yes ____ No ____
5. Traffic/Parking Lot Hazard?
a. Sufficient barriers between playing fields and traffic? Yes ___ No ___
b. Clearly marked and controlled pedestrian crosswalks? Yes ___ No ___
6. Pest Control Management?
a. Ant Hills present? Yes ____ No ____
b. Frequent trash disposal plan and/or otherwise trashcans kept distant from common public areas? Yes ___ No ____
7. Visible nests of other stinging insects (hornets, wasps, etc)? Yes___ No___
8. Misc. comments on action items needed for improvement for facility:
C. Individual Field Audit for Venue:
a. Common concerns (rock/gravel, potholes, ruts, lack of a reasonable clearance around fields, damaged fencing, etc)
b. Condition of bleachers?
c. Adequate Lighting?
FieldAudit (use separate page to add more fields):
Mark approximate area of potholes with a “P”
Mark exposed sprinkler heads or other obtrusions with a “S”
Identify any other deficiency needing further attention/repair, etc.
Identify the field number.
Field # ______
Field # ______
Georgia State Soccer Association
Suggested Items (not all inclusive) for Field/Facility Safety Audit
Addendum
A. Goal Safety:
1. For more information refer to: US Consumer Product Safety Commission Goal Safety
This link for proper Goal safety, as well as other risk management resources/topics, can be found on http://www.georgiasoccer.org/about/risk-management.aspx
2. Whether for practice or games, or even when unused, all goals should be properly anchored and/or secured.
3. Do not allow untrained personnel (ie youth) to transport portable goals.
4. Do not handle goal repair “in house” with volunteers. Suggest hiring outside experts to do the goal repair.
B. General Facility:
1. Consider posting local emergency procedures and/or emergency contact numbers in a public area.
2. If local tornado warning sirens sound is there a published local plan for giving direction to those at the venue as to how best take action for immediately seeking safety at that venue?
3. Is there suitable emergency vehicle access to all fields should an injury require such evacuation? If not, what is your back up plan?
4. Do adjoining fences have broken/protruding sharp wire? Is there appropriate clearance around the field to allow for players and referees room without reasonably being subject to hitting that fence during normal play activity?
5. What is the situation with regard to local “pests”? This will be a function of the time of year that the audit is conducted.
a. Eliminate all ant hills and other visible stinging pests.
b. Review placement of trash cans (particularly during warmer months): Placing trash cans during late spring near concession stands and/or bleachers invite stinging wasps/bees/hornets, etc into highly populated areas.
6. Are there sufficient barriers to prevent youth from running off the field into the local venue traffic flow?
7. Is there sufficient night lighting to make players & others clearly visible to car traffic as well as avoiding any facility obstructions away from the lighted fields?