Safety and Incident Reporting

This procedure establishes BYBA's expectations for responding to injuries, emergencies, safety concerns and other significant incidents involving players, coaches, parents, officials, facilities or equipment during BYBA practices, games, clinics, tournaments and other activities.

The coach or other responsible adult should first protect the injured person and others from immediate danger and provide assistance only within the person's level of training.

Call 911 whenever the situation appears serious, including loss of consciousness, difficulty breathing, suspected serious head, neck or spine injury, severe bleeding, seizure, chest pain, suspected cardiac event, or any other condition that may require emergency medical care.

A person with a suspected neck or spine injury should not be moved unless movement is necessary for immediate safety.

For any meaningful injury or incident involving a minor athlete, the coach should promptly notify the athlete's parent or guardian. An injured athlete should not return to participation when doing so may be unsafe.

Suspected concussions must be handled under BYBA's separate Concussion Awareness and Management Policy, including immediate removal from play and applicable medical-clearance requirements.

The coach should notify the designated BYBA administrator as soon as reasonably practicable following:

• an injury requiring medical attention or evaluation;
• an ambulance or 911 call;
• a suspected concussion or other significant head injury;
• an altercation involving players, coaches, parents, spectators or officials;
• an allegation of inappropriate conduct, abuse, harassment or other misconduct;
• a significant facility, equipment or environmental safety concern;
• an incident involving law enforcement; or
• any other unusual event that could create a significant safety, legal or insurance concern for BYBA.

A BYBA Incident Report should be completed as soon as practicable, preferably within 24 hours, for any significant incident.

The report should be factual and should include, when applicable:

• date, time and location;
• names of the people involved and known witnesses;
• a concise description of what occurred;
• the apparent injury or concern;
• actions taken, including first aid or removal from activity;
• whether 911, medical personnel or law enforcement were contacted; and
• whether and when a parent or guardian was notified.

Coaches should record observations and known facts and should avoid speculation, assigning blame or making conclusions about fault.

Suspected abuse, grooming, inappropriate adult-athlete conduct or other youth-protection concerns must be handled in accordance with BYBA's Sexual Abuse Prevention Policy. Nothing in this procedure delays or replaces any report required by law to law enforcement, child-protection authorities or emergency services.

Coaches should promptly report unsafe court conditions, damaged equipment, missing or inaccessible safety equipment, blocked exits or other hazards. If a condition presents an immediate risk, the coach should stop or modify the activity until it can be conducted safely.

Coaches should know the facility address, emergency entrance and AED location for each facility where they coach and should be prepared to direct emergency responders to the appropriate location.

Coaches should not make statements to the media, post identifying details about an incident on social media, or make admissions of liability on behalf of BYBA. Questions regarding insurance, liability or formal communications should be referred to BYBA.

Coaches and other BYBA personnel are expected to cooperate with reasonable follow-up requests and provide additional factual information when requested. BYBA will maintain incident records in a manner reasonably designed to protect privacy and support safety, insurance and administrative needs.

Report non-emergency incidents to the designated BYBA administrator or Safety Officer using the contact information provided for the season. Emergency medical care and legally required external reporting always take priority over internal BYBA notification.