The International Code Council’s Building Safety Month is well underway and this week’s Safety Theme is Disaster Safety and Mitigation. While this week’s theme focuses on Natural Disasters including earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, and more – we want to help you prevent a disaster on your playing field with grandstand and seating safety precautions.
First, we want to visit last week’s topic of Fire Safety & Awareness and remind you that fire safety isn’t just for indoors. The NFPA 102 Chapter 5.9 states:
Spaces underneath a grandstand shall be kept free of flammable or combustible materials unless protected by an approved, electronically supervised automatic sprinkler system in accordance with NFPA 13 Standard for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems, unless otherwise permitted by the following:
- This requirement shall not apply to accessory uses of 300ft or less, such as ticket booths, toilet facilities, or concession booths where constructed of non-combustible, limited-combustible, or fire-resistive construction, in otherwise nonsprinklered facilities
- This requirement shall not apply to rooms enclosed in not less than 1-hour fire resistance-rated construction that are of less than 1000ft², in otherwise nonsprinklered facilities.
In short, you want to make sure your understructure is free of combustibles from unruly vegetation to stored materials. If you do have stored materials that are combustible, you want to be sure to have proper sprinkler systems in place to prevent a fire from starting, spreading, and harming your patrons. Remember, disaster like this is less noticeable when the grandstands are full of a cheering crowd and with smells of summer and fall mixed in; smoke is not as easily detected. Taking the proper precaution to keep patrons safe is a priority.
Next, we want to share the importance of maintaining the structure on your seating unit whether it’s a concrete grandstand, aluminum, or a portable bleacher, you want to take precaution to prevent your seating from sinking, tipping or collapsing.
As we mentioned in our second quarter newsletter, changing of the seasons causes expansion and contraction of aluminum that can loosen hardware and sometimes causes end caps to come loose. You want to check for loose hardware periodically because it’s what holds your structure together. One missing bolt in the right spot can weaken the entire unit.
You also want to watch out for rust as it causes deterioration and weakens the steel structure. Rust spots should be sandblasted, primed, and repainted to maintain the structural integrity and rusted hardware should be replaced.
The understructure of your bleachers is made up of frame columns and bracing (compressive, angle, and tension bracing), and if the bracing is damaged whether they are bent, rusted, or missing hardware, they cause the frame columns to move and take away from the structural support.
You also want to look at the ground attachment. Per NFPA 5.8.2 [2]
Where portable grandstands rest directly on a base where settlement can or does occur beyond that allowed by design, mud sills of suitable material having sufficient area to prevent undue or dangerous settlement shall be installed under base plates, runners, or sleepers.
You want to make sure your bleachers are on a level surface. If portable bleachers do not have properly installed mud sills or ground bucks, or if foundation column supports are damaged, the unit may sink and become unstable.
Another place to check to prevent disaster: fencing on your guardrail system. We preach constantly about the importance of closing off all openings that do not prohibit the passage of a 4-inch sphere. But what you also need to keep an eye on is loose hardware around your fencing. When installed properly, the fencing is tied down around the edges. If one of these ties is broken and someone leans back they could fall through.
Don’t let tragedy be the reason to start a maintenance program, your patrons trust you to keep them safe, keep your promise and be proactive.
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