Playgrounds are fun, challenging, and essential for children’s physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and spiritual growth. But playgrounds also pose risks that can lead to serious injuries. Fortunately, a little planning, upkeep, and supervision can help keep children safe in the playground environment.
Playground Equipment and Surfacing Hazards
When a child falls off of playground equipment, he or she is at risk for severe head injuries that require emergency hospitalization. This is especially true for playground equipment that exceeds 30 inches in height, such as platforms intended for school-aged children.
One way to make the 검증놀이터 safer is by installing shock-absorbing materials beneath play equipment that can absorb the impact of a fall. These include rubber tiles and mats, poured-in-place surfacing or compacted mulch material.
It is critical to check surfacing material for signs of wear and tear, such as cracks or craters. It’s also important to remove trash, glass, sharp objects and other hazards from playground surfaces to prevent injuries.
Safety Training
In addition to being aware of all the hazards that can be found in playgrounds, it’s important to ensure that staff members receive appropriate training on how to safely supervise children on playground equipment and enforce proper behavioral rules for use of the equipment. This training may be received in person or through real-time virtual sessions.
* Supervision and Behavior Hazards*
Nearly half of all playground injuries are caused by a lack of supervision or improper behavior. This is a big reason why playgrounds are so dangerous. The best ways to prevent injuries are to train staff in the basics of playground safety and to have a safe, well-supervised playground that children enjoy using at all times.
* Playground Equipment and Surface Hazards*
The most common playground equipment injuries involve fall-related surfacing hazards, such as chips, loose or cracked material that’s too thick or too thin to support the weight of the playground equipment. These hazards can be corrected by regularly raking or sweeping the areas of compacted mulch and other playground material that surrounds equipment, ensuring that footings are covered and checking to ensure that the surfacing is deep enough for the equipment’s height.
* Proper Surfacing*
To prevent playground injuries, it’s imperative that the surfacing of playgrounds be designed and installed to meet ASTM standards and CPSC requirements. Often, these standards can be met by using resilient poured-in-place or rubber surfacing that is ADA compliant and meets all American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) safety specifications.
It’s important to ensure that the surfacing material is durable and does not degrade under sun and heat exposure. In most cases, poured-in-place or rubber paving or tarmac surfacing is more durable than loose-fill surfacing, which can deteriorate rapidly under sunlight and heat.
Another key hazard that needs to be addressed is the risk of strangulation due to clothing that is too large or has drawstrings, including hoodies and shirts. CPSC guidelines for this type of clothing can help minimize the risk, but caregivers need to be careful not to allow children to wear any oversized clothing or clothes with drawstrings that can become entangled in playground equipment.
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