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A model lightning safety policy for athletics
1Brian L. Bennett is Assistant Athletic Trainer at Division of Sports Medicine, The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA 23187-0399.
Objective:
The purpose of this paper is to present a model policy on lightning safety for athletic trainers.
Background:
Among college athletic programs in the United States there is a serious lack of written policy on lightning safety. Available evidence shows that most National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I institutions, even though they are located in high lightning activity areas of the country, do not have formal, written lightning safety policies.
Clinical Advantages/ Recommendations:
The policy presented herein, which is at the forefront of such policies, is the lightning safety policy written as part of a policies and procedures manual for the division of sports medicine at a public NCAA Division I university. This is a policy based on practicality that utilizes the "flash-to- bang" method for determining the distance of lightning activity from the observer. The policy begins with the importance of prevention, including the daily monitoring of weather reports. The policy defines a "safe shelter" and specifies the chain of command for determining who removes a team or individuals from an athletic site in the event of dangerous lightning activity.
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