Rules Analysis
Any player who recognises a condition that endangers players, including if a player has an open or bleeding wound, should call a technical stoppage by calling “technical” or “stop”. Play must stop immediately.
A player can call a Technical Stoppage to remove or adjust a potentially dangerous object (i.e. rock, metal, wood piece, glass) found in the playing field. A receiver is not required to continue playing through a dangerous situation, such as a child wandering onto the field. In that case, the receiver should stop making a play on the disc in order to prioritize the safety of themselves and others, and the disc will be returned to the thrower once the dangerous situation is rectified.
A player who has an issue regarding an open or bleeding wound has seventy (70) seconds to effectively address the issue. If they need additional time to address the issue, they must choose either to be substituted, or to charge their own team with a time-out.
A bleeding or exposed open wound is 'effectively addressed' if it is covered with a dressing sturdy enough to withstand the demands of activity and able to prevent bodily fluids from coming in contact with other players. Any player whose clothing has blood on it must have the affected areas disinfected or must change the clothing before returning to play. Whether a player may return to play is determined by appropriate medical staff. If medical staff is not available, captains and coaches may agree that a wound has been effectively covered and any clothing issues have been addressed.The stoppage should only be used to address the blood issue.