The unfortunate part about human nature is we often fail to see something until it is too late. When everything in your gym or athletic facility moves along smoothly from day to day, it’s easy for us to simply trust that it will stay that way.
The reality is, when something does happen to go wrong in your gymnasium, it often goes very wrong, very quickly.
Eyes To The Sky & Ears On The Ground
Although annual inspections by an external profession are always recommended, completing regular in-house inspections should be done on a regular basis by facility employees.
It begins with informing your staff members of particular areas of interest and items that deserve constant attention and monitoring.
The first step usually being: look up.
A quick visual reference of wall mounted and ceiling mounted basketball systems above eye level are a great starting point. Some other areas that deserve attention are gym divider curtains, batting cages or any gym mats that might be stored in the ceiling high above the playing and spectator surfaces. Looking closely, you can usually identify any items that might eventually fall onto the gym floor or bleachers, protecting everyone inside your gymnasium or facility.
Listen up.
An acute ear can also aid identifying any future problems you might experience with the equipment in your gymnasium. If you notice the equipment makes an odd noise while it is being raised or lowered, it could very well be a good sign of a real problem.
Obviously a great deal of concern is placed upon the over-head equipment suspended above both player and spectators, but equipment on the ground should never be overlooked.
With the accessibility of equipment on the floor like volleyball and soccer equipment, it does not always necessitate an outside professional’s inspection. Volleyball equipment can be quickly inspected upon set-up or take-down, quickly assessing the condition of your net, net tension, antennas and boundary markers. It’s also worth checking the officials stand for stability when looking over your facilities volleyball equipment.
The same is true with respect to your soccer goals and equipment, along with ensuring the goals are always properly anchored, preventing them from falling on players.
Manually inspecting all the safety padding in your facility is also never a bad idea. Make sure all padding is still properly and firmly attached. So long as your protective padding is properly anchored at all times, and has no rips or tears, it has been known to serve facilities for 25 years in some cases.
Safety & Functionality
When it is all said and done, there are two main reasons your facility should be inspected on an annual basis: safety and functionality.
The first is obvious, safety in sports has always been, and always will be priority number one. A yearly inspection by an outside professional coupled with your well-trained facility staff will ensure your facility is operating at its highest level of safety possible.
Functionality on the other hand, lends itself to your gym or facilities overall experience. Keep in mind; equipment sitting idle in your facility because it is not up to par and not available for use contributes to a very negative experience for the user.
Another unique tip to getting the most out of your equipment in the safest manner possible is rotation. Rotating equipment, when possible, from high-use areas to those of lower-use can really extend the life of your equipment.
Combine the expertise of an outside professional inspection, with your facilities regular maintenance duties is a sure-fire way to ensure your facility and equipment remains in use, and held by the highest safety standard possible.