Playground Safety Checklist
Safety, safety, safety.
When planning, designing, building, and operating a playground, safety is going to be the top priority. Obviously, no one wants to see a child get injured while playing, or at any other time. While it might not be possible to prevent every single possible injury, the way you build and manage your playground can go a long way toward keeping kids safe. Use this playground safety checklist to ensure the children are protected. Then shop our durable, reliable playground equipment from American Swing.
Start with the Obvious
You don’t need to be an expert in playground safety to understand some of the obvious points that need to be monitored. If any of the issues below arises on your playground, action will need to be taken immediately.
- Broken equipment. Children should not be allowed to play on broken equipment. If something on your playground is broken, it is very likely going to pose a hazard of some kind. Take whatever action is necessary to ensure children won’t be playing on the broken piece of equipment until it can be repaired or replaced.
- Dangerous debris. It’s not only the playground equipment which can cause a dangerous situation. Something like broken glass on the ground can make for a dangerous play environment, so make sure any debris is cleaned up regularly.
- Absent surfacing material. For a playground that uses loose surfacing to pad the ground for the children – such as wood chips – it’s important to make sure that the material remains in place in sufficient quantity to provide the cushion it was meant to offer.
Safety from the Start
Ongoing maintenance is crucial for safety concerns, but your attention should be on this topic right from the beginning. The design of your playground should meet standard safety expectations for the kinds of equipment being used. For instance, you’ll need to have enough surfacing to protect children who fall, and there should be appropriate spacing between structures. Also, equipment needs to be properly anchored to the ground in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
No Substitute for Supervision
Proper design and consistent maintenance can do wonders in terms of injury avoidance. With that said, there is nothing quite like adult supervision when it comes to keeping kids safe. Children have an incredible ability to use playgrounds and toys in a way that was never imagined by the adults who presented those things to them in the first place. Even a relatively safe playground may be used in an unsafe manner if the children are left alone to play. It’s important to remind parents and other guardians that active, attentive supervision is the biggest step they can take toward keeping the kids healthy and happy while on the playground.
Shop American Swing
With the topic of safety in mind, American Swing is proud to offer a complete line of playground equipment products which are built to a high standard of quality and reliability. If you are looking for safe playground equipment which is priced fairly and built to stand the test of time, American Swing should be your first stop. Thanks for visiting!
