For most kids, the favorite part of the school day is lunch time and recess—a chance to break up the day, head out to the playground, and burn some of the extra energy that developed from being cooped up in a classroom all morning. The same holds true for time after school and free time with friends from the neighborhood—when all else fails—head to the playground! The combination of slides, swings, climbing, and open space for running and playing with friends makes the playground a perfect escape for any child. Although a playground is a place for carefree fun, there may be some potential dangers lurking where your children spend their playtime.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), more than 200,000 children in the United States go to hospital emergency rooms with injuries associated with playground equipment each year. In an effort to help reduce the number of playground-related injuries to children, the National Playground Safety Institute (NPSI) has established a list of the twelve leading causes of injury on playgrounds. The NPSI's "Dirty Dozen" includes:

Improper protective surfacing: The surface under playground equipment should be soft enough to cushion a fall. The National Safety Council (NSC) states that over 70% of all playground accidents are from children falling. Hard surfaces like blacktop, concrete, packed earth, or grass are not acceptable surfaces. Acceptable surfaces include hardwood mulch, fiber, sand, and pea gravel and the surface must be maintained at a depth of 12 inches, be free of standing water and debris, and not be allowed to become compacted. There are also synthetic rubber tiles and mats that are appropriate for use beneath play equipment.

Inadequate fall zone: The fall zone is an area beneath playground equipment where a child might fall. The fall zone should be covered with protective material a minimum of 6 feet in all directions from the edge of stationary play equipment. For swings, the protective surfacing should extend in back and front, twice the height of the suspending bar.

Protrusion and entanglement hazards: A protrusion hazard is a component or piece of hardware that might be capable of impaling or cutting a child if a child should fall against the hazard. Some protrusions are capable of catching strings or items of clothing, which could result in strangulation if the clothing is around a child's neck. Bolt ends should extend no more than two threads beyond the face of the nut. Other hazards include configurations that form a hook, leave a gap between components, and open "S" type hooks. Ropes should be securely anchored at both ends so they are not capable of forming a noose or loop.

Entrapment in openings: Generally there should be no openings on playground equipment that measure between 3-1/2" and 9". Children often enter openings feet first and if the opening is not large enough, it may allow the body to pass through but entrap the child's head.

Insufficient equipment spacing: Fall zones for equipment higher than 24" cannot overlap. There should be a minimum of 12 feet between two play structures. Swings and other moving equipment should be located in an area away from other play structures.

Trip hazards: Tree roots, rocks, tree stumps, changes in surface elevation, and exposed concrete footings are all examples of trip hazards that may exist in a play area.

Lack of supervision: Play areas should be designed so that it is easy for a parent or caregiver to observe the children. Young children often test their abilities and are often not able to recognize potential hazards. It is estimated that 40% of all playground injuries are in some way related to lack of supervision.

Age-inappropriate activities: Between the ages of 2 and 12, children have quite different developmental needs. Playground areas should be appropriate for a child's specific age. Play areas for pre-school children should be separate from those intended for school-age children.

Lack of maintenance: For playgrounds to remain safe, a program of systematic, preventive maintenance must be in place. Hardware must be secure, there should be no broken, missing, or worn-out components, and wood, metal, and plastic should be checked for signs of deterioration or fatigue. Surfacing material (in the fall zone) must also be maintained.

Pinch, crush, shearing, and sharp edge hazards: Play equipment should be inspected to make sure there are no sharp edges or points that could cut skin and moving components should be checked to make sure there are no moving parts or mechanisms that could crush or pinch a child's finger.

Platforms with no guardrails: Elevated surfaces such as bridgeways, platforms, and ramps should have guardrails to prevent accidental falls. For pre-school children, guardrails should be in place on elevated surfaces higher than 20 inches and at 30 inches and higher for elevated surfaces intended for school-age children.

Equipment not recommended for public playgrounds: Due to accidents, the CPSC has recommended that the following equipment not be used on public playgrounds:

• Free swinging ropes that can fray or from a loop
• Heavy swings such as animal figure swings
• Multiple occupancy/glider-type swings
• Swinging exercise rings
• Trapeze bars

Although these guidelines were established to provide safety guidelines when building a playground, they also provide you, as a parent, with a helpful checklist to use when evaluating the safety of the playgrounds your child uses. Periodically walk through the playground environment and look for things such as protruding screws and bolts that could catch clothing or cause cuts, observe whether there is sufficient and appropriate material in the fall zone beneath equipment, see if the fall zone is free from rocks, broken bottles, or other debris that could cause injury, run your hand across surfaces to see if they are smooth, observe gaps between equipment that could cause pinching or crushing, and see if elevated surfaces have the proper guardrails to prevent falls. If any of the aforementioned playground hazards are present, inform the owner, manager, or operator of the conditions and refrain from letting your child use the playground until the situation is corrected.

There are additional steps you can help your child take to provide an additional level safety while spending time on the playground. The Center for Children's Health Media recommends the following:

• Never push or roughhouse while on playground equipment such as slides, jungle gyms, swings, or seesaws.
• Don't wear clothes or other items with drawstrings or strings attached that could get caught on playground equipment.
• On sunny and even cloudy days, wear sunscreen to prevent sunburn.
• During the summer, playground equipment can become very hot. If a piece of equipment feels hot to the touch, avoid letting your child play on it.
• Avoid using playground equipment when it is wet. Wet equipment can become slippery and cause falls.
• Keep bikes, bags, and backpacks away from the equipment and play area where they could pose tripping hazards.
• Use equipment properly (i.e., don't stand on swings, slide feet first, don't climb outside of protective railings, etc.)

Also, playing—especially in warm weather—can cause dehydration. Kids should drink plenty of water when they become thirsty to keep their bodies fully hydrated. Wearing proper footwear at all time will also help reduce foot injuries from sharp rocks, broken glass, and other debris that may be on the ground.

Remember too that many families have playground equipment at their homes, and your child may also be playing in that environment. You might even have an elaborate playground in your own backyard. Many of the same danger elements can be present in backyard playgrounds as well, so periodically check your own backyard equipment using the NPSI's safety red flags as a guideline. Additionally, teach your child what is safe and what isn't, so he or she can make a responsible adult aware of any questionable safety situations.

A playground is a place for carefree fun. Do your part to monitor the areas where your child plays and help correct safety hazards so all children can avoid unnecessary injuries while at play.

Sources:
National Recreation and Park Association—www.nrpa.org
National Playground Safety Institute—www.nrpa.org
Consumer Product Safety Commission—www.cpsc.gov
National Safety Council—www.nsc.org
Nemours Foundation's Center for Children's Health Media—www.kidshealth.org

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