How Safe is the Bleacher Seating At Sporting Facilities?

How Safe is the Bleacher Seating At Sporting Facilities?

There are several potential hazards involved with bleacher and grandstand seating, yet many people attending sporting events as well as facility managers and contractors who install such equipment are unaware of how to identify and avoid exposure to them.

Per this WKYC News segment, "unless bleachers were built within the last couple of years they are not likely to be up to code," exposing users to injury and facilities to lawsuits (example ; example), among other things.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) was petitioned in 1999 to develop a publication which established guidelines and standards for bleachers and grandstands. During a 'roundtable meeting' they identified several disturbing statistics:

• 4 deaths due to a fall from bleacher seating that were reported due within the timeframe of 1988-1999
• an average of 19,100 injuries requiring emergency room (ER) visits due to inadequate safety features of bleachers occurred annually each year from 1991-1998
• In 1999 alone, there were 22,100 injuries treated in ERs which involved bleachers – about 6,100 of these were due to falling from the bleachers onto the surface below. Eighty percent of the 6,100 involved children under the age of 15
• Children who fell from bleachers were 50% more likely to incur an injury to the head than any other body area

• Many seating assemblies at sporting facilities involve bleachers with large openings between seat and walkway planks, often more than several feet above ground level, with no protective guard to prevent a person from falling through, especially small children. Worse yet, many installations did not have guards at the backs or ends of seating.

Suppliers of aluminum bleachers often make claims that their products are ICC300-2007 'compliant'...how much? Full compliance to all provisions, some compliance to some provisions? In addition, the CPSC has recommended (in Publication 330):

 “only use chain link fencing which has a mesh size of 1.25-inch square or less...so that the widest measurement of the openings measures 1.75 inches or less. This will discourage climbing by young children.” 

While exclusive of ICC regulation, many suppliers do not adhere to this design feature in their product offerings. Everyone should be aware of bleacher safety issues, and be proactive with reporting & avoiding such if need be.

Common fall hazards – most are caused by one or more of the following conditions:

• Missing/defective guardrails – sides, back, or front (if elevated). A 2012 incident in Illinois involving a loose guardrail led to a woman's fall and injury, resulting in a property negligence lawsuit
• Openings between adjacent seat, walkway or guardrail members – per ICC, openings should be 4” or less in railings, or gaps. A 2010 incident in Washington state resulted in an infant falling 20-30' to the ground below
• Open sections of the guardrail – compromised or non-existent fencing.
• Inadequate/missing anchoring – if soil has low compaction or bleacher has more than rows, a strip foundation and slab of concrete construction (as specified in accordance with the latest edition of the American Concrete Institute's ACI 318-02 "Building Code Requirements for Reinforced Concrete”) in conjunction with concrete anchors is required.

Common structural issues – factors due to faults in:

• design and/or manufacturing
• installation process and/or conditions
• inspection and/or maintenance
• misuse (overloading, sway forces, etc.)

So...

– Contractors who assemble and install bleachers should follow all applicable building codes specific to the product (ICC 300-2007 or 2012, CPSC 330) as well as the Manufacturer's instructions included with the product
– Users of bleacher and grandstand seating should be proactive but practical when attending sporting events – before accessing the structure, take a brief look (1-2 minutes) at the overall seating assembly and note any areas which show compromised members (bends, punctures, missing fastener bolts or nuts at frame or seat junctions). Notify facilities staff of any issues observed, and consider sitting/standing elsewhere if you are unsure of seating safety, and conditions permit. While such matters should be addressed by facility managers before an event, you should employ a 'trust but verify' approach to your own safety as well as fellow spectators
– Facility managers and maintenance personnel should recognize their responsibility to use preventive maintenance practices, and spread awareness and training to their staff – ICC 300-2007 indicates:
“All existing tiered seating shall be inspected and evaluated at least once a year by a qualified person for compliance with the provisions of this chapter. All folding and telescopic seating shall be inspected to evaluate compliance with the manufacturer’s installation and operational instructions, including an inspection during the opening and closing of such seating.”

• Routine inspection and maintenance schedules should be created, followed, and recorded for each location/facility – the frequency of which should be based on the amount of use. For example, a facility which hosts several areas schools for their sporting events should be designated by facility managers for bi-annual or quarterly inspections
  
• Any accidents involving one or more persons in contact with bleacher seating should be recorded and reported to administrative staff for review and decision as to implementation of corrective actions.
  

Every spectator should be able to enjoy events without fear of mishap or injury; however, as with many other things in our daily activities there is no 100% guarantee of avoiding adversity. Therefore, all of us should be proactive and self-responsible to reasonable extent with personal safety.


Sturdy-Lite Sports is a U.S. manufacturer and distributor of aluminum Bleacher products which comply with all provisions in ICC 300-2007 and 300-2012