Artificial Surfaces
Each year, local authorities and facility management companies receive
compensation claims arising from injuries sustained on artificial sports pitches. As with all accidents, a broken ankle, damaged knee or sprained wrist can simply occur during active play on a sports surface; however, the condition of the artificial pitch itself could also be a contributory factor in a
player suffering injury.
The ‘blame culture’, ubiquitous in modern society, encourages the pursuit of litigation, and some injury claims firms even incorporate a dedicated Astroturf Accident
Compensation within their remit.
Claims are often centred on the performance characteristics of an artificial pitch, or else the
presence of rips or tears in the carpet. The performance, durability and safety of an artificial sports pitch is intrinsically linked to the level of maintenance completed throughout its life, and understanding your
maintenance responsibilities could go a long way to avoiding a costly court case in the future, as Nick Harris of Technical Surfaces explains
ARTIFICIAL PITCH MAINTENANCE
Understanding maintenance responsibilities
F
or the owners and operators of artificial sports pitches, it is important, first and foremost, to understand that there is a recommendation for such surfaces to conform to British standards. BS 7044 Artificial Sports Surfaces was developed by the British Standards Institution to set out the characteristics and performance requirements of artificial pitches. ‘Performance’, in this context, is determined by a pitch’s dimensions, durability, safety and playing performance. For an artificial pitch to conform to BS 7044, it must successfully pass a series of tests, including ball roll and rebound, traction, abrasion resistance and tensile strength, whilst 54 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
testing methods are also standardised to ensure uniformity.
An element of testing is completed in laboratory conditions (resistance to air ageing, abrasion resistance to metal blades, for example), and so holds little relevance in the practical day-to-day management of an artificial pitch; however, a series of maintenance procedures can be completed which will impact directly on criteria such as ball behaviour and player performance. This is particularly relevant when you consider that uneven ball bounce is cited on one injury claims company’s website as a likely cause of injury that can be sustained on an artificial pitch. It is also important to check that you
have sufficient cover within your insurance policy should an accident take place on your artificial pitch, as the facility might not be covered automatically by standard insurance. Artificial pitches require special consideration depending on their location, build quality, susceptibility to vandalism or damage, security in place, etc. and must be insured accordingly. However, it is not only to avoid the
threat of legal action arising from injury that maintenance should be completed regularly on artificial surfaces: The RFU stipulates that artificial pitches hosting competitive rugby matches must conform to IRB Regulation 22 as a requirement, not only of the IRB Law of the game but
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