The ABC Operational Safety Standard requires that all “batters must wear helmets with face mask protection.” As such, ABC only sells helmets equipped with face masks.
It should be no surprise that the potential for injury to a batter’s face is the most serious type of injury in the batting cages. How these batters get hit in the face is often a mystery. We have heard of instances where the batter is standing on home plate. But regardless of how this happens, batters wearing face mask protection will not be injured as seriously as they would without it, period!
We have spoken to many operators that don’t use face masks. These operators say that their customers don’t like them. But this is not an excuse not to use them. Do customers complain? Yes. Do we still insist that they wear them? Yes! (The simple explanation is that our insurance company requires that they wear them). I don’t remember any of them walking away and not hitting balls.
Ask yourself how much money you lose by insisting that batters use face masks. I would guess a few hundred dollars each year. But when we factor in the cost of one serious injury (our deductible), it simply makes sense. If you don’t have face masks, get them! They are good business!