chapter

Facility Organization and Risk

Management

21

Facility Organization
and Risk
Management

Michael Greenwood, PhD; CSCS,*D; FACSM; FISSN;

FNSCA
Lori Greenwood, PhD, ATC, LAT

Chapter Objectives
Identify phases and specific components
of planning and designing a strength and
conditioning facility.
Identify specific program needs of athletic
groups that use the strength and conditioning facility.
Identify key elements for assessing space
requirements and equipment needs.
(continued)

Chapter Objectives (continued)

Explain various strategies for effectively
scheduling the strength and conditioning
facility.
Identify key aspects of facility and equip-ment
maintenance and cleaning.
Identify tools and supplies necessary for
maintaining the strength and conditioning
facility and equipment.
Identify common areas of potential litigation in
the strength and conditioning facility.

Section Outline
General Aspects of New Facility Design

Predesign Phase
Design Phase
Construction Phase
Preoperation Phase

General Aspects
of New Facility Design
Forming a committee of professionals is the
first step in planning and designing a new
strength and conditioning facility.

General Aspects
of New Facility Design
Predesign Phase
This phase usually requires 25% of the total project
time (about six months).
There is no greater priority when designing a facility
than completing a needs analysis or assessment.

General Aspects
of New Facility Design
Design Phase
May require about 10% of the total project time
(approximately three months)

General Aspects
of New Facility Design
Construction Phase
Normally 50% of the total project time (about
12 months)

General Aspects
of New Facility Design
Preoperation Phase
Also called the start-up phase
Requires about 15% of the total project time
(approximately three to four months)

Section Outline
Existing Strength and Conditioning
Facilities

Existing Strength
and Conditioning Facilities
The strength and conditioning professional
should assess existing equipment based on
the needs of all athletes and teams that use
the facility.

Section Outline
Assessing Athletic Program Needs

Assessing Athletic Program Needs

The following questions need to be answered:
How many athletes will use the facility?
What types of specific strength and conditioning training does
each athletic group require?
What are the age groups of the athletes using the strength and
conditioning facility?
What is the training experience of the athletes using the
facility?
When will resistance training fit into each athletic teams
schedule?
What repairs and adaptations to equipment must be made to
meet the athletes needs?

Section Outline
Designing the Strength and Conditioning
Facility

Designing the Strength

and Conditioning Facility
Decisions must be made about the following
issues:

Location
Supervision location
Access
Ceiling height
Flooring
Environmental factors
Electrical service
Mirrors

Section Outline
Arranging Equipment in the Strength
and Conditioning Facility

Arranging Equipment in the Strength

and Conditioning Facility
There are two generally accepted methods
for organizing the facility:
Creating resistance training areas that emphasize
different body parts
Creating training areas according to types of
equipment

Arranging Equipment in the Strength

and Conditioning Facility
Decisions must be made about the following
issues:

Equipment placement
Traffic flow
Stretching and warm-up area
Circuit training area
Free weights
Olympic lifting area
Aerobic area

Table 21.1

(continued)

Table 21.1 (continued)

(continued)

Floor Plan: Secondary School

Figure 21.3 (next slide)
Example of a secondary school strength and
conditioning facility floor plan
3 feet (ft) 1 m

Figure 21.3

Floor Plan: University

Figure 21.4 (next slide)
Example of a university strength and conditioning
facility floor plan
3 feet (ft) 1 m

Figure 21.4

Section Outline
Maintaining and Cleaning Surfaces

Key Point
Scheduling frequent maintenance and
cleaning ensures safe training, protects
investments, and maintains the strength
and conditioning facilitys appearance.

Section Outline
Maintaining and Cleaning Equipment

Key Point
The strength and conditioning professional
should clean and maintain equipment on a
regular basis.

Figure 21.6

Section Outline
Scheduling the Strength and Conditioning
Facility
Seasonal Priority and Peak Hours
Staff-to-Athlete Ratio

Scheduling the Strength

and Conditioning Facility
Seasonal Priority and Peak Hours
Athletic teams that are in-season normally have
priority over off-season teams in the facility
schedule.
2:00 to 6:00 p.m. is usually peak time in the strength
and conditioning facility, especially for in-season
teams.
Another popular time block for facility usage at
universities is 6:30 to 8:00 a.m. before athletes
attend morning classes.

Scheduling the Strength

and Conditioning Facility
Staff-to-Athlete Ratio
Middle school strength and conditioning facilities
should not exceed a 1:10 staff-to-athlete ratio.
Secondary school facilities should not exceed a
1:15 ratio.
Facilities that serve athletes older than secondary
school should not exceed a 1:20 ratio.
Another recommendation is that facilities not exceed
a 1:50 staff-to-athlete ratio.

Key Point
Before scheduling the facility, the strength
and conditioning professional should
consider seasonal athletic priorities, group
size, equipment availability, and staff-toathlete ratios.

Section Outline
Litigation Issues

Common Legal Terminology

Supervision
Instruction
Medical Clearance
Emergency Care Plan
Record Keeping
Liability Insurance
Product Liability

Litigation Issues
Common Legal Terminology
To understand the potential legal ramifications of
running a strength and conditioning facility, the
strength and conditioning professional must first
understand some common legal terms.

Key Terms
liability: A legal responsibility, duty, or obligation.
standard of care: What a reasonable and prudent
person would do under similar circumstances.
negligence: Failure to act as a reasonable and prudent
person would under similar circumstances.
assumption of risk: Knowing that an inherent risk
exists with participation in an activity and voluntarily
deciding to participate anyway.

Litigation Issues
Supervision
An estimated 80% of athletic injury court cases deal
with some aspect of supervision.
All athletes should be constantly supervised.

Instruction
Emphasizing safety and proper technique helps to
reduce injuries and therefore liability exposure.

Litigation Issues
Medical Clearance
Athletes must have a preparticipation physical
examination.
Only sports medicine staff can provide medical
clearance and proof of medical clearance.

Emergency Care Plan

This is a posted document that details proper
procedures in case of injury. All personnel must
know the plan.

Litigation Issues
Emergency Care Plan
Following are typical items included or described in
an emergency plan:
EMS (emergency medical services) activation procedures
Names and telephone numbers of primary, secondary, and
tertiary individuals to contact
Specific address of the strength and conditioning facility (to
give directions to EMS)
Location of the telephones
(continued)

Litigation Issues
Emergency Care Plan
Following are typical items included or described in
an emergency plan (continued):
Location of nearest exits
Designated personnel qualified to care for injuries (i.e.,
sports medicine staff)
Ambulance access
Location of emergency supplies and first aid kit
Plan of action in case of fire, tornado, life-threatening injury,
crime, terrorism, and so forth

Litigation Issues
Record Keeping
Keep records of cleaning and maintenance, safety
procedures, manufacturers warranties and guidelines, assumption-of-risk forms, medical waivers and
clearance forms, personnel credentials, professional
guidelines, and injury report forms.

Liability Insurance
It is a good idea for strength and conditioning staff
members to purchase professional liability insurance, especially if they are not covered under the
facility policy.

Key Point
The risk of injury cannot be totally eliminated, but it can be effectively managed by
the strength and conditioning professional.

Litigation Issues
Product Liability
Product liability refers to the legal responsibilities of
those who manufacture or sell products if a person
sustains injury or damage as a result of using the
product.
Some behaviors can void the liability of the manufacturer or seller and place responsibility on the
strength and conditioning professional:
Changing the product or allowing it to deteriorate from the
condition in which it was originally sold
Using the product in a way other than that intended by the
manufacturer

Litigation Issues
Product Liability
Take the following steps to avoid injury to athletes
caused by strength and conditioning equipment:
Use equipment only for the purpose intended by the
manufacturer.
Be certain that equipment meets existing professional
standards and guidelines.
Do not modify equipment unless such adaptations are
clearly designated and instructions for doing so are
included in the product information.
Buy only from reputable manufacturers.
(continued)

Litigation Issues
Product Liability
Take the following steps to avoid injury to athletes
caused by strength and conditioning equipment
(continued):
Apply all warning labels that accompany a new equipment
purchase.
Continually inspect equipment for damage and wear that
may place an athlete at risk for injury.
Do not allow unsupervised athletes to use equipment.

Key Point
Strength and conditioning professionals
should understand the concept of product
liability and the actions that could place
them at risk for litigation.