59 AVOIDING RISKS AND ENSURING SAFETY A coach must always ensure the safety of the sports sessions he/she leads. Risks for the participants health may come from inadequate equipment, its wrong use, an inappropriate environment, or malpractice. Risks deriving from the equipment For example, weights too big or heavy for the athletes, if used, may cause back injuries. Can you think of examples of equipment which is not in appropriate working order? What obstacles may a coach need to remove? Unsuitable equipment may prove dangerous for the participants of a training session. Equipment can be dangerous when its size is not suitable for the participants , if it is damaged, or when it is not in correct working order . Before starting the session, coaches must check that all the pieces of the equipment available are of the correct dimensions for the athletes he/she is going to coach, check their conditions, remove any broken pieces, or report any damage to the person in charge. Risks deriving from malpractice A coach must constantly supervise the participants of a sports session to make sure they follow the instructions given in order to perform the planned activities correctly and avoid the risk of injury. For this reason, he/she must be with the group during the entire session, avoiding leaving participants working alone and following all the procedures necessary to carry out the session safely. Moreover, a coach should be aware of previous signs of injury or illnesses of participants and report them when necessary. This practice ensures the coach will not be accused of incorrect behaviour or neglect later and may address him/her towards more appropriate work for the participant who still has the marks of some previous injury. Risks deriving from the environment To be safe, the place where the sports session is delivered must be: appropriate in terms of space, especially in relation to the number of participants; free from obstacles and obstructions; clear from any hazards, for example spills of water or bumps on the floor. To avoid injuries during the session, a coach must check the working area, moving away any obstacles , marking out the unsafe space with cones, drying the floor if they see any drops of water, and reporting any hazard to the person responsible for the area. 116 PHYSICAL EDUCATION bump: gobba to deliver: effettuare to mark out: delimitare neglect: negligenza to slip: scivolare spill: fuoriuscita uneven: sconnesso working order: condizioni di lavoro