The tort offenses normally dwell under the negligence issue. Negligence simply put is having a duty to do something that will help maintain the safety of those present and failing to fulfill that obligation. This article is designed around avoiding lawsuits for negligence by looking at your school through a magnifying glass for possible hazards. Break out the fine-tooth comb.

Training Area

One place to begin looking is at the training area itself. This is where many of the negligent lawsuits begin, and it is an area that should easily be prevented. Maintenance is a key factor in the upkeep of your training area. Additionally, as you look through your school, do not allow yourself to dismiss possible hazards as "good enough." It normally isn't. If you see a floor mat that has a tear in it, replace that mat or tape down the torn section. A foot could get caught in that tear and cause an injury.

Look at the floors. Are there any uneven portions. This could also cause someone to trip. To fix this, found out why its uneven (warped board, etc.). If possible, fix it. If not, maybe you can keep people away from this area so they do not trip and fall.

Protruding objects should be an obvious hazard. I know when I moved into a new building, it had old nails everywhere. I removed most and pounded in others so they could not cause a possible hazard. If you see nails, splinters, etc., remove them so they do not have anything that can catch on anybody.

Slick areas on the floor are also a problem area. If you have a problem with this, keep a towel on hand. They clean up slick spots at basketball games so players don't get injured. Clean up yours. Another problem is in sticky spots. With kids walking around drinking soft drinks and fruit juices, something is bound to get on the floor.

Another area of serious concern would be that of chemicals. You more than likely have some liquids / powders around that clean glass, and others that disinfect toilets and sinks. These are some strong chemicals that explicitly warn you to keep away from children and to not drink. So put them in a drawer or a cupboard well out of reach of any children.

Many of our schools also use mirrors in the front of the room and dread when students are tossed or rolled near them. If you do not have them glued to the wall as well as hung, you need to do this. If a student breaks a mirror and it is not glued as well as hung properly, it will spill shards of glass on the floor. By making sure its glued, a student can break it but those individual pieces are still glued on the wall.

A final area to look at would be that of how you have your tools for class organized. If your weapons are stakced so they may fall over or be loosely mounted on the wall, the last thing we would want is to have them fall on students. So maintain these fixtures and keep them sturdy, well-attached, and organzied well.

Training Equipment

Once the training area is cleaned up to prevent unnecessary injuries, take a look at your equipment. If your staves, sticks, or nunchukus have splinters, please spend a few minutes to either sand them down or replace them. If your weapons have frayed cords, they also need to be repaired. Anything sharp should be stored out of the way of busy hands.

I also had a heavy bag in my school that was used quite often. Upon checking it one day I noticed many of the bolts that had been screwed together were either loosening due to the constant bouncing strain on them while one bolt was actually bending. I replaced the bent bolt and adjusted the bag to not bend the one I replaced it with. I also dug out my two wrenches and made sure the bolts were as tight as possible. After that, I checked the bag at least once a month to make sure the bolts were coming loose again. Simple maintenance was all it took to prevent that from falling and potentially causing an injury.

Another troublesome area are students who are inexperienced. If you leave a staff or nunchuku laying around, they may be tempted to pick them up and try to replicate some moves they saw Bruce Lee do, injuring themselves in the process. Again, this kind of injury could be unnecessary. First, all students should follow rules and one of those should be to not play with weapons you haven't been trained with. Second, inexperienced students should not be left unsupervised as they may start horsing around, which could also cause unnecessary injuries.

Remember, go through your school like you are looking to sue yourself. If you find something that needs to be replaced, get rid of it, even if you can't afford a new one yet. It's better to do without than to cause an injury with it. If an accident happens today due to a problem you were planning to fix tomorrow, you will feel like an idiot.

Works Consulted

• Martial Arts Professional. National Association of Professional Martial Artists- NAPMA