Combat Props and Structures Safety Guidelines

• All Static or Moveable Props and structures intended to be used in combat must be inspected by the referee team before

use each event

• All Carried Props must confirm to weapons check guidelines

The below guidelines are used when assessing the safety of Props and apply to all Props intended to be placed in areas intended for combat (including PD built props).
Props that are assessed as being unsafe may require changes to be made to remove the safety issues. If changes cannot be made then the Prop cannot be used and must either be removed or marked as unusable by the referee team e.g. by use of Hazard tape

Static Props and Structures

Static Props covers any prop or structure that is fixed in place or too heavy to be moved e.g. fencing against hedges, forts and walls, alters, shrines etc

• It must be free of sharp protrusions that could come into contact with combatants e.g. screws, bolts, nails or splintered edges
• It must be able to take the weight of several people falling against it without significant movement, collapse or breaking into pieces that may cause injury, or have a suitably safe failure mode in this scenario
• It must not create trip hazards
• Larger structures must not create choke points
• Any raised platforms must have suitable railings to prevent falls and must be built to carry the weight of people in armour standing closely packed together

Moveable Props

Moveable props are too large to be easily worn or carried by one person but can be carried by more than one person e.g. moveable walls and palisades, heavy chests on sleds, long flag poles etc. Note the carrying restrictions refer to OC portability as some props may have IC movement restrictions e.g. wall on battles cannot be moved IC.

• Props heaving enough to cause injury if dropped must be designed to minimise this risk e.g. designed to be dragged, are suitably padded or have suitable supports to prevent them falling over
• It must be free of sharp protrusions that could come into contact with combatants e.g. screws, bolts, nails or splintered edges
• The prop must be able to resist breakage if dropped or fallen on, or be designed to fail in a safe way e.g. a large water balloon
• It must not create unnecessary trip hazards but this may be relaxed on a situational basis if the referee team feel they can reduce this risk through close OC supervision

Carried Props

Carried props are described in the Weapons Check pages guidelines