According to the National Safety Council, each year more than 200,000 children sustain injuries on playground equipment serious enough to require emergency room visits. The largest percentage of injuries, nearly 45%, occurred on school playgrounds. Approximately 15 children die per year from playground injuries.
Provide a safe playground for children by following
safety tips below:
Supervise children while they play.
Hoods and drawstrings should be removed so they do not get caught on equipment.
Most stationary equipment should have at least a 6 foot use zone in all directions.
Any openings (such as guardrails or ladder rungs) that can trap children should be less than 3.5 inches apart or more than 9 inches apart.
Guardrails should surround all elevated platforms and should be at least 29 inches in height for preschool age children and 38 inches in height for school age children.
Remove exposed concrete footings, tree roots or rocks that may trip and injure children.
Check for sharp edges and dangerous hardware, like open “S” hooks or protruding bolts.
Make sure children play on age-appropriate equipment.
Surfaces around playground equipment should be filled with at least 12 inches of loose fill, such as sand, pea gravel, wood chips or mulch.
Regularly maintain playgrounds and report any problems.
You can minimize your organization’s risk by keeping the playground safe.
For more information on reducing risk or any of our other services, please contact Jeff Harrison at jeff.harrison@cbservices.org or 800.807.0300 ext 2543