by Paisley Parmer

Created on: June 07, 2010

Before sending your children out for some fun on playground equipment, whether in your own backyard or at a public facility, take the time to evaluate the safety of not only the equipment, but the surrounding area as well. While time spent on monkey bars or imagining they are sailing through space on a swing should be fun, children, an estimated 207,000 under the age of 14 in 2003, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), end up in a hospital emergency room from playground related injuries.

Ground Inspection

Begin your evaluation of the playground equipment by inspecting the ground under and around it. The surface under the equipment should offer some sort of shock absorption in the event of a fall. Loose gravel, mulch and specialized rubbers are appropriate while concrete, hard dirt and other similar ground coverings are not. Make sure also that if materials such as gravel or mulch are used, that there is more than a thin layer of the material. Try poking a pencil or stick into the surface to ensure that there are inches of the substance laid to help absorb the shock from a fall. While on the ground checking out the surfaces, look around and make sure there are no foreign objects lying around such as broken glass, immense amounts of trash or hazardous waste.

Design and Layout

Setting your three-year-old child loose on playground equipment designed for children five to 12 years old is setting yourself up for disaster. Newer equipment clearer states what age group it is intended for, if there is no clear designation take the time to evaluate the equipment to decide if it is age appropriate for your child. Look for sufficient railings and barriers, the size and height of the steps or platforms for the child to gain access to the equipment and the height of the equipment itself. Swings require their own design specifications to ensure safety. No more than two swings should be suspended from a single support beam and the seats should never me made of hard or heavy surfaces such as wood or metal, this includes popular glider type swings and trapeze bars as they have the potential to cause serious head injuries.

Fall Zones

Places from which your child could fall from the playground equipment are called the fall zones. Walk around the equipment to determine the locations and evaluate their safety. How far will your child fall? If the equipment sits 6 feet or higher off the ground, it was not designed with the safety of children in mind and

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>