THE WORLD OF PLAYGROUND SAFETY

It seems like yesterday that I enjoyed a fast slide down the tall steel slide in the playground of my third grade. I recall skipping back to the line as another girl fell to the ground at my feet. She had come from the very top of the slide, right over the edge. I was the first to witness her injuries, an arm that now bent between her wrist and her elbow. My classmate was whisked away for a cast on her forearm.

I realize now that a broken arm was quite minimal compared to what might have resulted from such a fall to an asphalt surface. I actually know more now about playground safety than I ever thought I would.

When my children were beginning to explore playgrounds I was cautious to a fault. I insisted many times that they go down the slide not up, and spotted for them as they climbed any tricky apparatus. As I worked on losing my fear for them, I found myself hovering around the playground looking for things that could poke, picking up trash, encouraging the kids away from areas with broken parts. I envied moms who sat on nearby benches and read magazines. It wasn’t until several years later that I discovered that some of my fears were warranted. Last year I began working with a group of neighbors to build a community park. While doing so I have learned a great deal about playground safety.

All playgrounds are not created equal. The ones that many of us played on as kids are now considered obsolete due to their risk factor. Playgrounds today are built for safety as well as durability. Surfaces beneath the play structures are more shock absorbent for our little adventurers. Poorly designed and/or maintained equipment can strangle, entrap, cut, and scratch the unsuspecting users. Most of us never learn about surface attenuation, protrusions, or entrapments.

Many of the strides that have been made in playground safety are due to numerous organizations that work to lower playground injuries. There were 147 deaths associated with playground equipment reported from January 1, 1990 to August 1, 2000 by the Consumer Safety Products Commission (CSPC). The CSPC believes these numbers to be conservative because the cause of some fatalities may not have been reported. A summary of the recorded incidents:

82 deaths due to hanging
31 deaths due to falls
24 deaths due to tip-over or collapse of equipment
8 deaths due to entrapments and impact with equipment
2 cases, no information on circumstances available

CPSC also provides statistics on playground related injuries, mostly those that involve a trip to the emergency room. They report that a child is injured on a playground in the United States every four minutes. For more information on the details of these disturbing numbers visit their website: www.cpsc.org and go to their library of reports.

Deciding on the right apparatus for your community can be quite daunting. Some of the issues are:

  • How to determine where to locate the playground
  • How to assess the quality of manufacturing
  • How to provide proper safety zones around the play area
  • How to choose surfacing that minimizes injuries from falls
  • How to choose installers that are safety certified
  • How to ensure continued safety inspection of your playground
  • How to maintain it
  • How play will be supervised
  • How to educate the children (users) about playground safety.

Several organizations help address these concerns. The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) is a good starting point for finding out about some of the other associations. The NRPA supports The National Playground Safety Institute (NPSI) program which certifies playground safety inspectors. Many of the people involved in the building and maintaining of playgrounds have completed this safety certification program. I have learned of manufacturers, builders or installers, park directors, and school superintendents that are NPSI certified; with my new-found interest in parks I’m considering taking the course myself.

Playground equipment manufacturers have only been held to stricter standards since the 80s when The American Standard for Testing Materials (ASTM) first developed Standard F 1487 which provides detailed specifications for testing play equipment. The Consumer Safety Products Commission and the ASTM work together every year to understand statistics and develop ways to reduce injuries. Related organizations, such as the playground contractors’ and manufacturers’ associations, assist the ASTM in establishing standards that are appropriate. It seems that the checks and balances are in place to ensure that playgrounds are built safer, but the maintenance and use of them must always be monitored.

Perhaps the most endearing component of the crusade for playground safety is that of “Slyde, the Playground Hound”. Slyde is a larger-than-life hound character that children are drawn to as if he were a real puppy. He teaches playground safety in an entertaining way that kids love. He shows them how to “Tuck it in, or take it off”, to illustrate how drawstrings can strangle, and encourages them to have “Slyde Pride”. He hands out “Slyde Pride” patches once the children understand their role in reporting safety hazards and playing safely. His antics seem to make the message stick. His creators have developed an entire curriculum of his message for playground safety. Our group can’t wait to have him visit our park once we are up and running.

Our neighborhood group will make the tough decisions of which surface, which components from which manufacturer, and which installer to use in the coming months. Although there has been infinitely more background information than I expected, I look forward to the pay-off. We will be more educated in playground safety, and therefore able to see hazards before they harm our children. We will also be able to teach our children well and watch from the benches while they glide safely down the slide. I may even be able to have one eyeball in a Welcome Home magazine!

Resources and Additional Information:
Slyde the Playground Hound - www.slyde.com
Consumers Products Safety Commission – www.cpsc.org
National Recreation and Park Association – www.nrpa.org


BIO: Terre Short lives with her husband and two children (Erik 7 and Taylor 6) in the mountains of Southeastern Idaho from April through December, and then migrates to Monterey, California for the really chilly months. She enjoys teaching her children, reading, writing, playing in the mountains and at the shore.


Common Playground Hazards
1. Entrapment:
a. Bicycle helmets should not be worn at the playground


2. Entanglement:
a. “Tuck it in or Take it off” Says Slyde about drawstrings, or hood cords
b. Do not play with cords or ropes at the playground
c. Do not wear loose clothing that could get caught in the equipment

3. Surfaces:
a. Should be soft and litter free
b. There should be a safe fall zone around all structures

4. Protrusions:
a. Report loose nuts and bolts to an adult
b. Report broken parts of the play structure, they can cut or scratch