Woman Injured While Using Gymnastics Equipment

The starting point with uneven bars revolves around the material used to construct them. Up until the 1970s, most uneven bars were made with wood (mostly oak or maple). Following this period, however, most professional organizations encouraged a transition to composites (for example, fiberglass). The benefits of the transition highlight the different maintenance requirements. Composites resist different markings and mildew better than wood, as well as preventing warping and being stronger. Because of this, most professional competitions only use composite uneven bars. Uneven bars for children, however, are still usually made from wood. As such, if the uneven bars were wood, they should have been checked at least twice a day for any signs of structural weakness, excessive markings/wear, and mildew (especially on the top part of the bar). If the uneven bars were made from a composite material, maintenance is usually only required once a day. Within this analysis, there are other factors that should be considered to judge maintenance requirements, including the amount of average participants per day, the age of the participants, the conditions of the athletic center, and the expertise of those performing the maintenance. All should be considered, but a consistent survey of the bars is usually the standard of practice.