Safety and Security

and S wimming P ool In the present scenario of competition in games and sports, coaches and athletes are mostly concerned with the winning spirit and hard but systematic sports training. During sports training and competitions of various games, safety measures and security of players need to be kept in mind. Injuries during sports training lead to fearful emotional or psychological phobia. To save the players from such phobia, simple safety rules and measures should be applied.

These safety rules are to be observed by the physical education teachers, sports trainers, coaches, school administrators as well as sports equipment manufacturers. Besides these, students who are taking part in technical sports such as gymnastics and swimming, and self-defense activities shall also be taught to avoid injuries and observe safety measures during sports training. These safety measures may be applied in the following steps: Safety regarding Sports Facilities One of the most important safety measures which shall be kept in mind is regarding the sports ground, sports instruments and sports uniform. Sports ground While preparing sports ground, the construction company should try to remove all the possible hazards such as nearby high tension electric line, barbed wire, bushes or wild grass bushes, close wall with hard surface and shifting of trees.

The surface of the ground should be safe and clean, free from hazardous material like stone, broken bricks, etc. Wherever possible, the construction of hard surfaces for games like basketball, badminton and tennis should be built up properly with proper space. The chain link fencing or stairs for accommodating trainers, coaches and players or spectators should be away from the playing area, probably meters away from the end lines of the play field. Field Proper and separate sitting area for extra players of the participating teams shall also be provided to avoid the mixing of players.

Playing area of sports should be sufficient enough to prevent accidental injuries. Sitting area for spectators should be away from the actual playing area to avoid any untoward incident during competitions. Playing area should be clean and away from the hazardous materials/objects. Trees and bushes should be shifted from the play field to avoid collision.

Sufficient warming up area away from the competition arena may be provided. Dangerous broken glass material or sharp edged stones should also be removed from the playing area to avoid potential injury. Safety regarding sports instruments Due to sports engineering and technological advancement, modern sports are played with sports equipment which are performance friendly and add technical support during movements. During planning and organising of sports equipment, the manufactures shall add the ‘concept of safety to sportsperson’ as priority.

The material used for manufacturing the instrument/equipment shall be of high standard as the sportsperson is highly dependent on them for performing their skills. Players are also advised not to use the damaged equipment/instruments to avoid accidents. Efforts should be made that the playing surface of different games and sports should be constructed separately as advised by the respective officials, federations or associations, if space is available. Safety regarding uniforms Sports uniform adds glamour and advantage to the performance in games and sports but poor fabric and non- Do You Know?

Due to decreasing land and forest ratio, cutting or eliminating trees is not permissible. Activity . •• Collect information about the safety measures taken in your school building play field/indoor hall and equipment. •• Discuss with teacher.

suitable shoes may be painful to the players. Sports uniforms play an important role to prepare the mood of sportspersons, as it helps the players to feel better. Preparation of sportspersons for competition includes selection of— a) Types of shoes b) Fabric of the T-shirt and its colour c) Selection of the shoe — Most of the novice players do not know how to select the shoe for sports training, as they are not aware of the injuries caused by the poorly manufactured shoes. Generally the defect is either in the material or the arch of the sole.

The defection arch may not provide support to the foot resulting in unbalanced body weight. In some cases, it has been noticed that the lack of proper arch support in the shoes may cause stress in the legs that leads to muscles stiffness. Ultimately the sportsperson gets tired and may rupture leg muscles if the activity is not done with proper shoes. The objective of wearing properly manufactured shoes are: (i) comfortable feeling (ii) proper ankle support (iii) proper balance (iv) avoiding leg injury due to uncomfortable shoes d.

Fabric of the T-shirt: T-shirt and its colour are important for the players, especially for the novice. Due to weather variations in India, a light colored fabric which does not absorb sweat is considered better. Fabric which consumes sweat may cause allergy and skin problem if it remains in contact with the body for longer duration. Safety measures in relation to Gymnasium Gymnasium in any institution is used for sports training for multiple sports.

It is considered as an asset to the institute, and students often visit the gymnasium for the purpose of building their body, rehabilitation after injury as well as to get into proper shape. Injury in gymnasium may take place due to the following: a) Unsafe method of keeping equipment b) Lack of proper place for exercises c) Lack of warm-up area d) Old equipment e) Unsafe fitting of electrical gadgets Do You Know? The game of Kabaddi and Kho- Kho in modern time is played on synthetic surface. Usually indoor synthetic surfaces are less vulnerable to injuries.

f) Uncleaned surface g) Slippery gymnasium surface h) Poor lighting conditions i) Poor sanitation and lack of water supply j) Not observing safety measures during lifting and keeping the weight barbells k) Lack of proper knowledge of using equipment Safety measures in relation to swimming pool The schools or institutions having swimming pool need to operate it with proper safety measures. To observe safety rules in swimming pool, there shall be instructors, assistant coaches, life guards, gatekeeper and sweepers. Availability of human power, water quality and cleanliness of the swimming pool are very important aspects of safety measures. The following steps should be taken for safe and hygienic pool conditions: a) There should be separate swimming pool for the beginners and the advance swimmers.

b) Students should avoid going into the deeper side of the swimming pool without proper safety measures. c) Life guards should be well trained and careful during the pool activity. Special attention should be paid for the swimming and diving activities towards the deep end of the pool. d) Swimming pool instructors/coaches and life guards should be well equipped with life saving devices such as, long stick, rope, whistle, lifesaving jackets, swimming pads and kicking boards, etc.

e) Students should follow proper instructions and guidelines of swimming pool for safety measures as well as to avoid injuries. f) Proper swimming uniform like costume, cap and eye protector must be used regularly during swimming in the pool. g) Water treatment plant must be operational during the swimming activities of the students. h) Chlorination of water through proper amount of chlorine will be helpful in removing accumulated algae from the water.

i) Surface of the swimming pool should be cleaned regularly with the help of suction head brushing machine. j) Swimming activities should be allowed only in the presence of life guards. k) While constructing the surface of pool, smooth finishing and use of standard chemicals may be ensured. l) Safety stairs and hangers in the pool will help swimmers to enter in the pool.

m) Showers at pool side with fresh water taps should also be facilitated for pre and post swim showers. n) The surface of washrooms in swimming pool site should be supported through matting to avoid injury from the slippery surface. o) Proper lighting in the pool is always useful particularly in the evening for supervising swimmers inside the pool.