Equipment Safety Standards: High Priority for Athletic Directors

Interscholastic athletics are a vital part of the secondary school experience for those who participate. A common opinion among the athletic community is that athletics are the “front porch” of a school district. School-sponsored sports allow students to pursue areas of interest outside of what the school offers academically and are regularly a foundation of learning and fun outside of the classroom.

In the last 10 years, however, a great deal has changed in high school sports. There is more at stake regarding equipment, safety and risk management.

Athletic administrators should make choosing and implementing equipment safety standards a high priority. Athletic directors have various responsibilities, and among the most important aspects of their job is to inform parents, coaches and athletes about the risks and dangers of participating in athletics. They have a duty to protect all participants and ensure that all student-athletes have properly fitting equipment.

Coaches and athletic directors should, and at the very least, seasonally:

• Provide equipment that is in good condition and maintained properly.

• Certify that the equipment meets all pertinent specifications.

• Teach participants how to properly check equipment for defects or failures.

• Ensure instruction is provided on the proper use of the equipment.

In addition, parents and athletes need to be informed and updated continually on details concerning equipment safety. It should also be mentioned in these educational efforts that helmets and shoulder pads for football need to be reconditioned and recertified on an annual basis. Those pieces of equipment that do not meet the standard for safety must be discontinued from use. Likewise, the life of a football helmet is 10 years; once it has reached this point, it must be withdrawn from use and discarded. Other key details to share with parents and students are:

• When and how new equipment is purchased.

• All equipment must meet standards set by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE).

• Coaches should be trained to properly fit helmets and other protective equipment.

If essential equipment cannot be provided, then the sport should be terminated until proper equipment can be obtained. Various sources for purchasing equipment exist, including several different grades and quality of materials. The use of a standard checklist is a good practice to follow to ensure the proper equipment is being purchased. Necessary equipment does not mean ultramodern equipment; it simply means equipment that is safe and necessary to participate in the designated sport.

The selection of equipment should be based on several factors, including the level of the program or participants, as well as the age, skill level and experience of the user. The ultimate decision should be made by the school’s athletic administrator in consultation with sport-specific professionals such as technicians from major helmet manufacturers, and not purchased by coaches or parents.

The athletic administrator or the person selecting the equipment should be competent and knowledgeable about the equipment being purchased and should consider cost, durability, brand, maintenance, and upkeep, but most importantly safety. The selection should also consider the national standards of the equipment and should have the stamp of approval from NOCSAE. The NOCSAE seal ensures that equipment has been properly constructed and certified, and this also meets all National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) rules regarding sports equipment.

Football, baseball, softball, ice hockey and boys lacrosse are sports that require the use of helmets by student-athletes to participate, and having proper fitting and age-appropriate equipment is vital for the protection of these athletes. Purchasing helmets for these sports is one of the more critical responsibilities of an athletic director, and one that needs to be taken seriously and with great care and research.

Ensuring that a helmet is properly fitted is vitally important because it is a crucial piece of equipment designed to minimize the risk of injury from concussions and traumatic brain injuries. While proper helmet fitting takes time, it should be done with care, and in an appropriate environment where there are limited distractions, and with one-on-one attention given to each individual being fitted and where the individuals fitting the helmets can concentrate on the details of the task.

Individuals purchasing and using athletic equipment must be aware of product liability. Among some of the more common concerns are the modification or misuse of a product, failure to follow guidelines related to selection and fitting, inadequate or poor instruction related to the equipment, or failure to warn participants and parents regarding the risk of participating in a particular sport. In addition, yearly inspections should be conducted to determine what is safe to use, what should be reconditioned, and what should be disposed of.

The wearing of protective gear helps to improve the safety of participants when it is fitted properly. Investing in high quality helmets and equipment should be a high priority, therefore, for athletic administrators. By taking this step, athletic directors will help protect coaches, students and their schools from costly lawsuits resulting from negligence.

In addition, it is imperative to remind parents and athletes that there are risks when playing any sport, and while there are developments and initiatives to improve safety, it is impossible to keep everyone injury-free. If administrators take reasonable, proactive steps to purchase the proper equipment and train coaches, the risk of injury decreases.

Dr. Ronald Kennedy currently serves as the executive director of Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) District III. Kennedy was a high school athletic director at Donegal High School in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, for more than 25 years and served in various leadership roles at both the local and state levels. Kennedy is a national faculty member for the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA).

Dr. Branden Lippy has served as the athletic director at Lampeter-Strasburg School District in Lancaster, Pennsylvania since 2011. She also serves as the PIAA District III Vice-Chair, is on the PIAA Board of Directors, and is a national faculty member for the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA).