Playground safety: how to reduce children's risk of injury at the playground. Includes information on surfaces, equipment and behavior guidelines.
Playgrounds are all about fun, fresh air and exercise. But in 1999, over half a million children and teens ended up in the hospital or doctor's office after suffering a playground injury. Here are some safety tips to consider when heading off to the park.
Getting to the Bottom of Things
Sixty percent of playground injuries are due to falls. Giving children something soft to land on could prevent or lessen the severity of some of those injuries. For this reason, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends steering clear of any playground with a concrete or asphalt surface. It also urges you to keep off the grass. Why? What's wrong with jumping off a swing into a thick carpet of grass? Nothing is wrong the first dozen times someone does it. But inevitably, wear and tear take a toll on the shock-absorbing properties of grass as well as other materials such as soil, packed dirt and turf. Weather conditions can also render these surfaces less effective.
The CPSC suggests the use of soft surfaces such as wood chips, shredded tires, double shredded bark mulch, fine gravel and fine sand to reduce the risk of injury. Areas of loose fill should be contained.
Safe Swinging
In 1999, there were over 150,000 swing-related injuries in the United States. According to the CPSC, swing seats should be made of rubber or plastic, not wood or metal. They should be only large enough to hold one child at a time. Bucket-type swings should support the child on all sides and be at least 24 inches from the ground.
Hangers at the top of the swing should be spaced at least 20 inches apart. This will minimize the possibility of side-to-side motion, reducing the chances of your child crashing into the swinger beside him. Swings should be at least 30 inches from the support structure and at least 2 feet away from each other. No more than two swings should be hung in one bay.
Slide Rules
The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) recommends the following rules for safe sliding.
Climb the steps slowly.
Hold onto the handrails.
Slide one person at a time.
Slide sitting down, not backwards or headfirst.
Move away from the slide exit as soon as reaching the ground.
Avoid wearing hooded sweatshirts or other clothing with long strings that could get tangled and create a choking hazard.
The CPSC notes that the slide's incline should average 30 degrees or less and at no point should the slide be steeper than 50 degrees.
Give the Playground a Quick Look-see
Children are not the only ones who use playgrounds. At night, they can turn into Party Central for assorted loiterers. Before you turn your little ones loose, check the area for potentially dangerous souvenirs such as broken bottles, discarded syringes and used condoms.
Adult supervision is key to reducing the risk of playground injury. Position yourself so that you can keep a watchful eye on the children in your care.
