Virginia Polytecilnic Institute and State University (VPI&SU) has embarked upon a project of planning, designing and constructing a Recreational Sports and Fitness Center. Because the center will be a building housing high levels of physical activity, the element of risk or danger is inevitably higher than in other types of facilities. This risk can lead to more accidents and injuries and ultimately to law suits. With the aid of a systematic facility wide program designed to reduce preventable injuries and to minimize the financial severity of potential claims, the administrators at VPI&SU can take steps to insure that the proposed facility is as safe as can be conceived. / Master of Science