Risk Assessment & Safety Management

The safety of a youth athlete is the responsibility of the youth coach and because it can potentially be a matter of life and death, it is an area which coaches need to have a sound knowledge on. According to Sports Safety Management System Guidebook released by Singapore Sports Council (now Sports Singapore), all accidents are preventable and most accidents are a result of human error. These accidents are preventable by addressing the rooting factors which are possibly within the coaches’ sight daily.

Apart from hazards, sports also expose youth athletes to injuries. According to statistics from Singhealth, sport injuries account for 25% of all injuries to children and adolescents and is on the rise with higher sport participation. Prevention of sport injuries is thus needed and has to be done with improved education for athletes and youth coaches by understanding the requirements, risks involved and ways of preventing injury in the sport.

Implication

• Injury to youth athletes that range from minor injuries to death

Tips to help coaches regarding risk assessment (from Sports Safety Management System Guidebook)

• Know the sport activities including people, equipment, environment and procedure, gather information
• Identify hazards and consider if any youth could be harmed. 

• For instance, goal posts which are not rooted to the ground might fall and collapse on students if they swing onto it. 

• Determine the risks 
• Make subjective estimation of the risk associated with each hazard
• Effectiveness of the control 
• Consequence if ineffective 
• Decide if risk is intolerable 
• Even though there have been significant attempts to reduce the risk
• Prepare risk elimination or control measures for risk that is intolerable or has no existing risk control measures. 

Tips to help coaches regarding Safety Management

• Make sure the youth coach is first aid certified

• Sound knowledge on injury prevention in youth athletes

• Sound knowledge on LTAD model and injury prevention  

• Sound knowledge on injury prevention via parachute canada

Guidelines on Safety Management (adapted from "injury prevention in youth athletes: a summary in 9 key points)

• Be involved in pre-season conditioning before actual competition

• Number of hours a week the youth is involved in practice should not be more than their chronological age

• Have at least 1 day off from practice in a week

• Do not specialise in a single sport until at least 14 years old

• Adopt multi-sport approach

Reference

Injury Prevention in Youth Athletes: a Summary in 9 Key Points. (2017, April 16). Retrieved July 31, 2017, from https://ylmsportscience.com/2017/04/16/injury-prevention-in-youth-athletes-a-summary-in-9-key-points/

Orthopaedic Problems in Children - Sports Injuries. (n.d.). Retrieved July 31, 2017, from https://www.singhealth.com.sg/PatientCare/ConditionsAndTreatments/Pages/Orthopaedic-Problems-in-Children-Sports-Injuries.aspx

Sports Safety Management System Guidebook . (n.d.). Singapore Sports Council.

Further Readings Guidebook teaching on proper risk assessment   Instructions on using KT Tape Resource for youth sports injuries Resource for dealing with concussion