Edition
7/2000
IEA is
pleased to present the October edition of the IEA Sport Monthly Update. This monthly publication will address topical
issues specific to the management of sport. For
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We
welcome questions from subscribers which will be addressed in future editions of the
Monthly Update.
Competent
Supervision or Beware the Consequences
In the article titled "Standards for Fitness, Sport and Recreation
Facilities" appearing in the Spring 2000 edition of our "Safer Sports"
newsletter, it was outlined how sporting negligence litigation in the USA has identified
that the most common claims fall into three general categories; namely failure to
supervise, failure to warn and failure to properly instruct. In this edition of the
IEA Sport Monthly Update we will discuss further the topic of supervision.
Supervising sport facilities and
programs requires attention to numerous management details and a continuing emphasis on
safety and order. Competition conducted under intense conditions may cause some
competitors to participate with reduced judgement and unacceptable behaviours. Risk
Management programs and consistent execution of supervisory responsibilities can prevent
many accidents and injuries. |
|
Ensuring that athletes participating
within a club or sporting facility are supervised competently is the obvious
responsibility of those who are administering or managing the organisation. All
supervisors, whether assigned from within the organisation or contracted form elsewhere,
must have the training and qualifications needed to adequately perform their supervisory
duties. Administrators must develop a method for ensuring that appropriate
supervision is provided at all times. Coaches for example, should be physically
present before and during practices and competitive activities, and they must also
implement accepted practices to protect the safety of participants. After completion
of activities children should not be left alone unsupervised waiting to be picked up by
parents.
Criteria for selection of supervisors
should include knowledge of the fundamentals and instructional techniques of an activity
and their ability to teach these skills effectively. They should be able to teach or
demonstrate the use of equipment items and to identify and stop hazardous activity within
all programs under their supervision. Supervisors should have an emergency response
plan, including their own ability to implement approved responses to injuries ranging from
simple to life-threatening. Clearly stated safety policies and procedures can help
reduce the incidence of accident and injury.
Liability reduction principles should
be consistently applied in every sporting facility, however the type of activity and the
age and maturity of the user population will influence your method of supervision. ......
....Continued page 2 |
