Play Safe, Play Happy: A To A Secure Playground Experience

A trip to the playground provides a chance for children to exercise their bodies and minds while having fun. But a visit to the playground should not be at the expense of safety. Most playground injuries are due to falls. But a few simple steps can reduce the risk of injury.

Age-Appropriate Equipment

Children are at different stages of development when it comes to size and abilities. For playgrounds to be safe for all kids, it’s important to have age-appropriate equipment that allows them to advance physically and cognitively while having fun. When you see equipment categorized for specific age groups, it’s because the height of the deck, climbing features and other items are designed for children at that particular stage of life. If a child is too small to use certain equipment, they may become frustrated and not enjoy the play experience at all.

In addition, if children try to use equipment that is too advanced for their age, they could get injured. That’s why it’s so important to make sure the equipment is appropriate for their age group and that the proper surfacing materials are used. It’s also important to have equipment that’s accessible to kids with disabilities, and inclusive playground equipment that’s great for all children.

Inspect The Playground

Even when children follow playground rules and take safety seriously, they can still get injured. This is why it is so important that staff at playgrounds know how to inspect their facilities for safety hazards. Using easy-to-use inspection checklists tailored to the type of equipment and surfacing will help ensure that nothing is missed. These checklists should be based on the manufacturer’s recommendations as well as the Public Playground Safety Guidelines from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commision. It is also helpful to use a single staff person or group to conduct the inspections.

This will ensure that the same person is noticing the same issues and reporting them consistently, so that minor problems don’t slip through the cracks. In addition, having a defined inspection process will also help limit your organization’s liability in the event of an accident. Contact Playworld to learn more about creating a safe playground. Our expert team can walk you through the best practices.

Make Sure Your Child Wears Safe Clothing

Although age-appropriate equipment and 안전놀이터 layouts can reduce injuries, adult supervision is the most important preventative measure. Adults should supervise children at all times to teach them proper use of equipment and monitor their activity level. It is also essential to keep play surfaces free of trash, rust or damaged equipment that can cause falls.

Check that the surface under playground equipment is safe and is made of loose-fill material, such as sand or wood chips, that is at least six to 12 inches deep. This will help to cushion children's fall and reduce injuries. Look for areas where clothing can get caught on equipment, such as the tops of slides, S-shaped hooks on swings or joints in climbers. Remove drawstrings from your child's clothes and make sure that they are not wearing necklaces or scarves that could catch on equipment and strangle them. In addition, make sure that the ground surfacing around the playground is clear enough for adults to see all children at all times, especially during peak sun exposure hours.

Inspect The Surface

With busy streets and shrinking backyards, it’s hard for parents to find safe outdoor spaces for kids to play. That’s why public playgrounds are important — but only when they’re safe for children to use. Certified playground inspections are essential to ensuring that playground equipment and surfacing is up-to-code and safe for kids to play on. Certified Playground Safety Inspectors (CPSI) follow American Society for Testing and Materials International, CPSC, and Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) standards to examine the entire park including equipment, surfacing, and site selection. CPSIs also look at ADA accessibility, age separation, sight lines, activities, obstructions, and repairs.

After a storm, the surfacing under and around playground equipment should be inspected for debris such as tree roots and rocks that could trip a child or loose infill like rubber nuggets that could get displaced. These items can easily snag a child’s clothing or cause injuries. Additionally, it’s important to inspect for standing water that may increase the risk of drowning or tripping.

Conclusion

Playgrounds help children exercise, but they can also cause injuries. The most common are falls from equipment. Safe playgrounds include impact-absorbing surfacing, such as wood chips, mulch or safety-tested rubber. There should be adequate distance between pieces of equipment, and there shouldn't be spaces that could trap children, such as openings in guardrails or between ladder rungs.