Baseball
Field Maintenance
Preseason Ball Park Audit Checklist
adapted
from Pre-Season Ground Audit July 2005

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Playing
Surface – Infield Dirt Area
Soil
• too loose to provide good running traction or balls die instead of bouncing.
• surface is not loose enough around sliding zones for safe sliding or
balls bounce too high.
• too abrasive (rocks, etc) for safe sliding.
• too compacted to provide good drainage.
Running paths / Sliding zones – have become worn and
dip down near bases and need to be leveled off.
Batter’s box / Home plate / Pitcher’s mound – have become
worn and uneven.
Pitching mound – does not include the proper ‘table’
area at the top of mound behind and to the sides of the rubber.
Infield area – has low spots, holes or is not level and
should be dragged / re-graded.
Soil build-up – there is a hazardous lip or rolling hump
between the skinned area and the turf.
Skinned areas – have unsafe wet spots and / or puddles.
Warning track – there is no track or it is less than
10 feet wide.
Warning track – is overgrown with vegetation and / or
uneven in grade. Watch out for unmarked sprinkler boxes in this area.
Foul areas – are uneven in grade, need reconditioning,
or are overgrown with vegetation.
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Playing
Surface – Grass Checklist
Bare spots – hard soil surface exposed.
Soil sub-surface – is roughly graded
making an unsafe running surface.
Grass edges – grass to dirt area is not
a straight line, is not level, or turf is worn too back from proper line.
Soil sub-surface – is too wet or drains
poorly making an unsafe running surface.
Sprinklers – stick up above the dirt
level and could cause a player to trip.
Texture, density or height – turf is
not uniform making an unsafe running surface.
Irrigation – irrigation system does not
adequately cover turf areas or comes on during practices or games.
Thatch – excessive thatch is causing
turf to be lumpy and unsafe to run on.
Vegetation – there are weeds with thorns,
bristles, or burrs in turf.
Uneven surfaces – there are animal mounds
and holes in the turf area.
Tire ruts – there are hazardous tire
ruts in turf.
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Playing
Surface – General Checklist
Maintenance equipment – such as rakes, hoses, etc, have
been left on the field.
Litter and unsafe debris – is scattered
around the field and player / spectator areas.
Sprinkler heads, drainage grates, valve boxes,
etc, - in the field are above grade or have sharp edges or unsafe
protrusions or boxes have no covers.
Accidents – there have been reports from
/ about players running into surrounding objects such as fencing, light
posts, bleachers, etc.
Field design – our facility does not
comply with recommended field design specifications. May vary from specs
provided that the safety of players and spectators is not compromised.
Home plate / Field layout – has been
unsafely altered. Home plate has been moved back toward the backstop.
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Bases
& Anchoring Checklist
Base coverings – have unsafe rips or gouges.
Base framework or hardware – is loose
or damaged.
Base ground stake – is unsafely protruding
above the surface grade.
Base ground stake – is out of alignment
or not level with the surface.
Base ground stake – is not firmly secured
in its concrete footing.
Base ground stake – and its footing are
not installed according to the manufacturer’s requirements.
Bases – do not seat properly with the
ground elevation or they are seated loosely.
Bases – are not entirely within fair
territory when foul line is drawn from home plate to foul pole.
Concrete footings – have rounded edges
and may twist out of place in the ground.
Home plate – surface is not level with
the surrounding surface. Corners of plate are turned
upward.
Home plate – surface is worn or irregular.
Pitcher’s rubber – is not level with
the surrounding surface or is not secured safely into the ground.
Pitcher’s rubber – is showing unsafe
wear or gouges.
Pitcher rubber and home plate – are not
aligned with each other and angle off.
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Fencing
Checklist
Fence posts –
• are loose or improperly set in the ground.
• are on the inside of the playing area.
Dome caps – all dome caps are not in place.
Concrete footings – are exposed above
ground.
Fencing – is not securely attached to
the fence posts with loose or broken ties; boards not securely attached
to anchor frame.
Gaps – there are unsafe gaps under fencing.
Bottom of fence – there is no bottom
tension wire or railing to secure the bottom of fence; there are gaps
between the bottom of the fence and the dirt.
Top rail – there is no top railing to
secure fence.
Chain link – wire ends are exposed along
the top.
Protrusions – there are damaged portions of fencing that
are loose, sharp, or unsafe.
Gates - are hard to open / close. Hinge
or latch problems.
Backstop – there are unsafe gaps or netting
with worn out boards or fencing.
Outfield fence – temporary fence is sturdy
and not collapsible.
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Spectator
Area Checklist
Nuts and bolts – on the seating area are loose or missing
or protruding.
Guard railing – side and back protective
railing is not in place and solid.
End caps – plank or railing end caps
are loose or missing.
Walking surfaces – are uneven and inaccessible.
Steps – are even and accessible.
Wooden planks – are worn out or splintered.
Grandstand – there are gaps between adjacent
units.
Grandstand – adjacent units do not match
in size.
Other – there are hazardous protrusions,
edges, drop offs, gaps, or pinch points.
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General
Safety Checklist
Foul lines – skinned foul lines have become rutted.
Chalking material – use is irritating
to the eyes. Lime or similar base should not be used.
Signage – there are no warning signs
posted informing players or spectators of rules or hazardous conditions.
Comforts – there are no clean restrooms
for convenience.
Concessions – facility is not checked
for safety and compliance with local health regulations.
Construction areas – areas that are hazardous
or under repair have not been blocked off or identified.
Communications – is not happening between
the maintenance staff and the facility users.
Personal protective equipment – was not
distributed to all employees / volunteers based on the tasks at hand.
Car Parking – general lighting problems,
potholes, or not accessible from ball park.
Orientation – employees /volunteers did
not received safety orientation for job tasks and the operation of power
equipment.
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Dugout
Checklist
Fencing – does not extend to the end of the dugout area.
Benches – are worn and in disrepair.
Equipment – storage system is sharp,
worn and unsafe.
Waste containers – supply and location
is
inadequate.
Player area – is not large enough to
house all players or their equipment.
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Lighting
Checklist
Lighting system – Mandatory that an audit/check to be
completed by qualified personnel in accordance with AS 2650 before season
commences.
Light bulbs – there are burned out light
bulbs.
Utility poles – there is no padding for
the light poles, concrete bases or base bolts.
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