Question of the Month
April
2004
Which
Midwestern states have bleacher safety codes in their statutes?
Minnesota is
currently the only state in the nation with a state statute requiring
bleachers to meet the uniform building code. The 1999 Minnesota
Bleacher Safety Act calls for bleachers more than 55 inches high to
meet specific structural requirements. For example, the gap between
seat boards and footboards can be no larger than 4 inches. The law was
passed a year after a Minnesota child fell to his death through a gap
in bleachers during a hockey game. The tragedy prompted a group of
parents to form the Minnesota Bleacher Safety Committee, which lobbied
aggressively for passage of the act. In addition to specific
structural requirements, the legislation requires that guardrails and
footboards be inspected every five years; a full structural inspection
of the bleachers must be conducted every 10 years.
An Illinois proposal would amend
its school code to "authorize the levy of life safety taxes and
issuance of life safety bonds for [the] alteration or reconstruction
of bleachers." According to the National Safe Kids Campaign, at
least four bleacher-related deaths, all involving children, have
occurred since 1988. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports
that 19,100 people have been injured in bleacher-related accidents
over the past 20 years. Of that number, more than 80 percent have been
under the age of 15.
One of the concerns with the Minnesota
legislation was the cost of compliance, especially to retrofit older
bleachers. The compliance date in the original proposal was extended a
year to accommodate cost pressures (the law went into effect in
January 2002). In addition, the state provides assistance to local
schools through its Health and Safety Capital Expenditures Program.
The League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust has developed a
Bleacher Improvements Financing Program that offers low-interest loans
to towns wishing to borrow money to retrofit their old bleachers.
A little more than three years ago, the
Consumer Product Safety Commission developed guidelines for
retrofitting bleachers. The guidelines were put in place to help
bleacher owners safely and effectively renovate older bleachers that
might pose a danger to their users. The commission’s report is
available online at www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/330.pdf.
For
more information on this or any other public policy issue, please call
630-925-1922 or complete the online
form for research services.
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