Paintball Safety
The fact that Paintball is now the 4th most popular Extreme Sport
is not solely do to the fact that it is one of the most fun
sports around it is also because of the fact it is also safe to
play. How can a sport where people go around shooting each other
with paintballs going 280 fps (feet per second) be safe you ask?,
well in this section I will explain how that is possible.
The first and foremost reason that Paintball is safe is because
there are rules and regulations in place to insure that the
players are safe during game-play. These rules are set by the
Paintball Insurance Companies that insure the Recreational
Fields. I will list a couple of the many companies that insure
fields and the rules that most of these companies enforce. Two of
the most popular companies that provide insurance to fields are
listed below along with their website links;
American Paintball League
National Paintball Association
I will now explain in detail the most important of these rules
and regulations used at all insured fields;
Goggles/Masks
The 1st and most important rule is that all players must wear
Paintball approved Goggles/Masks at all times during game-play
and if they are on the play field at all whether in play or not.
The goal of these systems is to protect the face and eyes of the
players from injury. The approved systems do a wonderful job of
protecting the player as I can attest to having been hit square a
few times. I know that the fields are very strict about this rule
cause if they are not they will lose their insurance or be fined.
I will add a few more recommended suggestions in regards to
Goggles/Masks that are not a rule or regulation but are important
none the less. Each and every time before you play for the day
inspect your goggles to make sure they are in tip top shape and
pay special attention to the lenses for cracks. If you see any
cracks in the lenses DO NOT use those goggles they WILL NOT be
safe until you get NEW lenses installed. If you have ever taken a
direct hit in the lenses it is recommended that you Do Not Use
those goggles until New lenses are installed due to the fact that
they may have been weakened and not give proper protection.
Barrel Plugs/Socks
The 2nd most important rule is that all players must affix their
Barrel plug or Sock on when not on the field or when they have
been eliminated and are walking off the field. A barrel plug/sock
is a piece of equipment that can come in many styles and types
that all have the goal of preventing a paintball from being shot
from the marker. The use of a barrel plug/sock is important
because they prevent accidental injury due to close range shots
while not on the field. Below are some images of the different
barrel plugs available (the industry seems to be leaning towards
the Barrel Socks because they provide better protection than
Plugs);
Velocity of Paintballs
The rule of safety is really just as important as Barrel Plugs
but has a little more variety in actual implementation. Velocity
of the paintball is the speed the paintball is traveling in "feet
per second" (FPS). There is not one set velocity throughout the
Paintball world but there is a range that all fields fall in as
far as enforcement. The velocity range is about 275 fps to 290
fps depending on field. Each player must get their marker checked
for velocity by a referee who tags the marker if is is at or
below the fields speed rule. Each player is also subject to
random test while in game-play at the discretion of the referees.
I would recommend all players to check their velocity at least
every other game they play because the last thing you want to do
is get removed from the game or the field do to shooting faster
than the fields legal limit. Getting your velocity checked is a
quick and painless procedure so in my opinion there should be no
reason to ever shoot what is called hot!
Referee Administered Games
Games at the insured fields are usually if not always refereed by
a minimum of 2 referees. These referees are trained to watch for
safety related issues and if they see any they have the authority
to due whatever they feel is appropriate to repress the issue,
anything from removing the offending player(s) or stopping the
game-play.
Dead Zone (Staging Area)
All fields have an area that is apart from the play fields for
the purpose of preparing yourself to play. This area is usually
called the "Dead Zone", Safe Zone" or "Staging Area" it is where
all players meet before playing to be divided into teams, hear
the rules and regulation for the field, return to when eliminated
and to get equipment ready for play. In this area it is against
the rules to fire your marker at all regardless of whether it is
loaded, because in this area players do not have to have their
goggles on.
Equipment Fail safes
Above I listed the safety rules & regulations at the field level
which in themselves prevent a lot of injuries while playing
Paintball. There are other safety measure in place also that a
lot of people are unaware of because it does not directly effect
them as far as person actions. These safety measures are at the
equipment level and are implemented by the manufacturers of the
equipment. Below I will explain some of them in detail;
Air Tank Expiration Dates - All tanks High Pressure Air, CO2 and
NO2 have a date listed on them that after the date you have to
get the tank tested and approved for safety before it can be
filled again.
Air Pressure Release Valve - All Air tanks also have a valve up
on the fill valve that has what they call a burst disk which is a
thin piece of metal that will burst if the pressure in the tank
gets above acceptable limits allowing the tank to release the air
preventing the tank from bursting.
Safety Switches on Markers - All markers are equipped with a
safety on the trigger frame which when in the safe position
prevents the trigger from being pulled.
Powerfeed turn off - Some markers have a powerfeed which is a
type of feed for the paintballs to enter the marker. These
powerfeeds have a plastic plug on the bottom that you can turn
180 degrees which will prevent balls from entering the marker
thus if the marker is shot no paintball will be projected.
For more info go to
www.redcellpaintball.com
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