Editorial | Goalpost death again!

For more than 10 years, safety of sport equipment in schools has been part of the national conversation. Nationwide concern about equipment used in competitive or recreational sport was triggered by the 2011 deaths of three students who were struck by goal posts at schools in St. Andrew, St. Ann and Westmoreland.

Sadly, it has happened again. On Tuesday, 13-year-old Rashad Richards of Campion College died after a goal post fell on him. Whether the teenager was actively playing a game, engaged in a practice session or simply having a frolic, will be revealed by the official report on his death.

Whatever the scenario, could Rashad’s death have been prevented? Richard Troupe, safety and security in the Ministry of Education reacted to the incident by saying: “We have a policy document for contact sports which speaks to the posts being planted because of these eventualities … we understand that in some spaces, an area is used for multiple activities, but what we have seen in the past is schools putting the goal post to lay down, so it does not provide that kind of threat to students.”

As far as we recall the safety policy ordered the removal of all unanchored goalposts in primary schools. And in the aftermath of a goal-post tragedy at Sts. Peter & Paul preparatory school in 2011, a parent used his engineering skills to design a lighter aluminium goal post for the school. This was being touted for use in other schools, although it was viewed as a costly solution.

OBVIOUS RISK

Regulation football goal posts can be made from steel, aluminium or metal, allowing for the mouth to be open to the field, only three sides can be stabilised. With the weight of these posts put between 250 to 800 pounds, the risk to players, fans, or others seems fairly obvious.

While acknowledging that most schools are conforming to the ministry’s policy, Mr. Troupe conceded that an audit of playfields might be necessary. He encouraged schools to do their own evaluation and seek to urgently correct any deficiencies.

Against the background of goal-post deaths and multiple injuries, it is incomprehensible that all schools have not developed safety protocols which include ministry guidelines, and routine examination and assessment of all equipment, including goal posts. In any event it would be good practice to check goal posts regularly to detect signs of wear or weakness with a view to replacing dangerous or dilapidated one.

Football is a widely played sport in Jamaica so the matter of securing goal posts should be a topic of discussion at all levels, i.e. school, clubs and community because of the potential for injury and death.

Are there safety standards for goal posts and if there are who is responsible for seeing that schools conform to these standards? Is there a role for the Bureau of Standards to test goal posts for strength, impact, and stability in order to certify them as being fit and proper? Should goal posts used in schools be made to a lower mass/weight than those made for adult professional teams?

NEED TO BE ADDRESSED

All the above questions need to be addressed, if we are serious about preventing one more playfield death by a falling goal post. After all, when parents send their children to school, they presume that they are in a safe environment. Whereas injuries associated with sports can be related to various factors, the rare event of a falling goal post is usually fatal.

Beyond that dealing with the death of a child is a heart-wrenching experience for the parents and the wider school community.

One of the priorities which should result from this latest tragedy is a comprehensive review of all playfields in schools. Best practice suggests that they should include installing goal posts according to manufacturer’s recommendations, making sure goal posts are properly anchored and when not in use, take measures to prevent access, making regular inspections and correcting any defects found, documenting all inspections and repairs and warning against misuse of these goal posts.

Herein is a call for more stringent safety regulations for goal posts. Rashad’s untimely death should be a wake-up call for parents and all concerned to demand more stringent safety measures on the field of play.