Toadvine Blog

Bleachers are the most affordable form of mass seating and are used by schools around the country. However, this type of seating can come with a larger price tag if not maintained properly. With schools getting older and budgets sometimes getting smaller, bleachers in gymnasiums and stadiums are oftentimes ignored and do not go through necessary safety and maintenance checks. While the seating in your school remains the same, safety requirements continue to change.

The Problem Exists

Over 15,000 children under the age of 15 are injured each year by bleacher seating. This has prompted many state lawmakers to publish guidelines on retrofitting and updated existing bleachers to help lessen this number and prevent children from injury. These guidelines include a required maintenance inspection every year to ensure that your indoor or outdoor seating is safe and up to current regulations.

Is Your School Liable?

The truth is that if a school has not had its bleachers inspected by a certified service technician or has not done the required maintenance, then that school is likely to be found liable for any injury. The problems that cause these injuries are not always easy to see. Some of the issues that create a liability for schools include:

• Gaps in the floor or sides
• Poorly secured guardrails or handrails
• Lack of required guardrails or handrails
• Lack of required safety signage
• Poorly secured bleachers
• Failure to obtain maintenance inspection
• Slippery areas either dry or wet
• Debris or overhanging trees

If an accident were to occur on your indoor or outdoor bleacher seating, your school could be found liable for negligence. If a public school has events, such as sporting or music events that require school seating to be used, then the premises of the public event could be found liable. In a case where a school is privately owned, the owner of the property could be liable of an accident.

What Can Your School Do

In order to protect your school from liability issues and, more importantly, ensure the safety of your students, you have to make sure your bleachers are regularly maintained. When was your last inspection? Are you due for another one?

Toadvine Enterprises offers a maintenance and inspection program that takes the hassle of maintaining bleachers off of schools. Toadvine also offers yearly contracts to ensure that you never miss a required inspection. Learn more about our Vine & Branch maintenance and inspection program here.