Safety

Safety is very important to us and we do have a perfect safety record! You must be careful while running but the only way a player can be seriously injured by playing paintball is if he or she removes their goggles during play, or if a player uses a marker in an unsafe manner. Our referee's are there to ensure that everyone follows the safety rules. Any infraction of the safety rules will result in immediate ejection from the field. It is always Safety FIRST!

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NEWS from CPSC - U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 24, 2004

Release # 04-105 CPSC Consumer Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: Ken Giles, (301) 504-7052 or Eric Criss, (301) 504-7908
CPSC Issues New Safety Warning for Paintball Guns
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Based on its investigation of two deaths caused by carbon dioxide (CO2) canisters flying off paintball guns, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is issuing a new warning. Paintball gun users should be advised that the brass or nickel-plated valve that connects directly to the canister must not be unscrewed from the canister when removing the canister assembly from a paintball gun. This valve must stay secured and rotate with the CO2 canister.

In both of the deaths investigated by CPSC, the brass valve unscrewed from the canister, turning the pressurized canister into a deadly projectile. In June 2003, a 15-year-old boy died after being struck in the head by a paintball CO2 canister as he was removing the canister from the gun. In February 2004, a female bystander was killed by a CO2 canister that was expelled as someone else was removing the canister from a paintball gun. While these investigations are not complete, CPSC is issuing this new safety warning to help people avoid the hazard.

“We are very concerned about the recent deaths associated with paintball gun canisters,” said CPSC Chairman Hal Stratton. “We are actively investigating these cases. Even though our investigation is not complete, we believe it is urgent to provide this new safety message about the valve detaching from the canister while unscrewing it from the paintball gun.”

CPSC also recommends that people make sure that any modifications to the paintball gun or the CO2 canister are done properly. For example, installing anti-siphon tubes involves removing and re- installing the canister valve. It is critical that the valve be re- installed with the appropriate adhesive and the proper torque.

o Make sure the brass or nickel-plated
canister valve is securely attached to the
canister, rotates with the canister, and does not
unscrew from the canister.

o The canister assembly should unscrew from
the paintball gun in about three or four
full turns; if you finish the 4th full turn and
the canister is not unscrewed from the gun, stop!
Take it to a professional.

o Some people have used paint or nail polish
to mark the brass valve and the CO2 canister
so they can see that the valve and the
canister rotate together while being removed from the gun.

Figure 1: Paintball gun and carbon dioxide (CO2) canister.

Figure 2: Brass or nickel-plated valve must remain connected to the CO2 canister

Figure 3: Painted line between valve and CO2 canister.

Figure 4: Painted lines separating. The painted lines must stay together as you unscrew the canister assembly from the paintball gun. If the lines separate, stop unscrewing the canister and take the gun to a professional. If the valve unscrews from the canister, the canister can become a deadly projectile.