Guidelines for the safe installation of basketball rings

The Building Commission has developed the following nine guidelines for the installation, safe use and maintenance of basketball rings:

1. Always tell children to never hang or swing off the ring.
2. Dismantle any ring and backboard currently mounted on a single skin of brickwork - such as brickwork above a garage door.
3. Do not fix any ring and backboard under any circumstances to a single skin of brickwork.
4. Do not use any ring and backboard currently mounted on any brickwork until it has been checked for structural safety. If you plan to fix a ring and backboard to brickwork or any other structure, you should consult a structural engineer.
5.  A ring and backboard in normal suburban backyards, should ideally be fixed to a hot dip galvanised steel post - 90 mm x 90 mm with a 5 mm wall thickness. The post should be set at least 800 mm into a mass concrete footing 500 mm x 500 mm (or 500 mm diameter) by 1 metre deep.  Alternative systems can be provided by a structural engineer or by the equipment manufacturer.
6. Follow the manufacturer's instructions when attaching the basketball ring to the backboard, and the backboard to the post.
7. Check the stability of a post, brick wall or any other supporting structure on a regular basis, as it can deteriorate over time.
8. Ensure that water does not pond at the post - footing connection, this is especially important in saltwater environments.
9. If there is any doubt about the safety or stability of an installation, consult a structural engineer.