PLAYGROUND SAFETY
Going to the playground is a fun-filled, memory-provoking
experience for both parents and children. However, there has been a dramatic
increase in playground related injuries over the past two decades due to safety
hazards (The Dirty Dozen Checklist).
According to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
statistics, it is estimated that nearly 200,000 playground- related injuries
requiring emergency room visits are now occurring each year. About 150,000 of
those injuries occur on public playgrounds.
Williamson County Schools takes playground safety (SAFE
Playgrounds) seriously and has developed a Playground Safety
Awareness Plan. (Copies may be obtained from the Maintenance Department) Each Williamson County Schools elementary
playground has been audited by a playground consultant certified by the
National Playground Safety Council.
As part of our school safety program, we include a regular inspection (WCS
Playground Inspection Checklist) of
playgrounds and playground equipment.
The inspection follows a two step plan involving a designated school
employee/safety patrol and the maintenance department.
Step 1
A designated school employee or a playground safety patrol of
older students (similar to a crosswalk safety patrol) will inspect the
playgrounds daily/weekly. A check list for this inspection is included on the
next page. This inspection will look for broken glass, vandalism, trash and
broken equipment. Work orders for repairs will be generated as needed.
Step 2
The maintenance department will conduct monthly inspections
of all playground equipment. We have three certified playgrounds specialists on
our staff. Repairs will be made and/or
replacement parts ordered. Unsafe equipment will be roped off until repaired. A
check list for this inspection is included in the addendum section of this
report.
Of
equal importance during school hours is adequately trained playground
supervision. Children should also know the in’s and
out’s of playground safety (A Lesson Plan for Kids). All
recess classes should have proper supervision overseeing playground activities.
If supervision is provided by adults other than teachers, they should receive
training and know the rules and guidelines needed to maintain a safe
playground. All schools should maintain and enforce written rules governing
playground behavior and equipment use.
The Dirty Dozen Checklist
(Top 12 Risks at Your Playground)
This "dirty dozen" of safety hazards
represents the top 12 problems found at playgrounds by the National Recreation
and Park Association's
(www.nrpa.org) National
Playground Safety Institute (NPSI).
1. Improper protective surfacing. This
includes the surface or ground under and around the
playground equipment.
2. Inadequate use zone. The use zone, under and around the
playground equipment, should extend at least six feet in all directions from
the edge of equipment.
3. Protrusion and entanglement hazards. Pieces of
hardware that could impale or cut a child or snag on clothing.
4. Entrapment in openings. This includes areas where an opening is
large enough for the lower body, but could entrap a child's head or upper body.
5. Insufficient equipment spacing. Improper spacing can cause
overcrowding of a play area, resulting in an unsafe environment.
6. Trip hazards. These include exposed concrete footings, abrupt
changes in elevation, tree roots or stumps and rocks.
7. Lack of supervision. A play area needs to be designed so
that is easy for a parent or caregiver to observe the children.
8. Age-appropriate activities. Make sure the play equipment is
appropriate for the age of the intended user.
9. Lack of maintenance. Systematic and preventive maintenance must
be performed to ensure safety.
10. Pinch, crush, shearing and edge hazards. Components should be
checked to make sure moving parts can't crush children's fingers, and
there should be no sharp edges anywhere on the equipment.
11. Platforms with
no rails. Elevated surfaces must have guardrails or barriers to prevent
falls.
12. Equipment that
isn't recommended for public playgrounds. This includes heavy swings,
free-swinging ropes, swinging exercise rings or trapeze bars. Requirements
for new playground purchases.
Safety Guidelines for
Playground Supervision
SAFE Playgrounds
Supervision is present, but strings and ropes
aren't.
Adult presence is needed to watch for potential hazards, observe, intercede and
facilitate play when necessary. Strings on clothing or ropes used for play can
cause accidental strangulation if caught on equipment.
All children play on age-appropriate
equipment.
Preschoolers, ages 2 - 5, and children, ages 5 - 12, are developmentally
different and need different equipment located in separate areas to keep the
playground safe and fun for all.
Falls to surface are cushioned.
Nearly 70 percent of all playground injuries are related to falls to the
surface. Acceptable surfaces include hardwood fiber/mulch, pea gravel, sand and
synthetic materials such as poured-in-place, rubber mats or tiles. Playground
surfaces should not be concrete, asphalt, grass, blacktop, packed dirt or
rocks.
Equipment maintenance.
Check to make sure the equipment is anchored safely in the ground, all
equipment pieces are in good working order, S-hooks are entirely closed, bolts
are not protruding, there are no exposed footings, etc
Playground
Inspection Checklist
Date:______________________________________
Inspector:___________________________________
Equipment
Location:__________________________
1. Is there damage due to vandalism, such as
graffiti, glass, trash, etc.?
______
2. Are there any loose or missing parts?
______
3. Have any foreign objects been brought into
the play environment? ______
4. Are
components secured with no loosening? ______
5. Are there any exposed footings?
______
6. Is there evidence of wood splintering or splitting? ______
7. Are swing
chains kinked, twisted or wrapped around the top rail? ______
8. Are swing seats cut, cracked, or
missing?
______
9. Are
walkways, steps, and platforms free of debris? ______
10. Is the area free of standing water?
______
11. Has the loose surfacing material been raked
and leveled? ______
12. Is the surfacing material free of foreign materials? ______
13.
Have trash cans been emptied?
______
14.
Are water fountains clean and functional?
______
Comments/Problems:
Action
Taken:
Playgrounds - How Kids Can Make Them SAFE
(A Lesson Plan for
Kids)
Objective:
Students will be able to identify the four key areas of playground safety using
the acronym SAFE.
Materials Needed: SAFE background information; stopwatch or timer; flash cards
that spell out S-A-F-E
Lead-in questions
How many of you know someone who has been injured on a
playground? What happened?
How often do you think a child is taken to the
emergency room because they were hurt on a playground?
Answer: Every 2 1/2 minutes a child is taken to the emergency room for
playground related injuries in the
Set the timer every 2 1/2 minutes during this discussion to show the kids how
often a child is hurt. Choose a child to go to the designated
"hospital" area of the room every time the timer goes off.
Presentation
Because we want you to have fun and be safe when you play outside, we
are going to discuss playground safety. There are four different ways to make a
playground safe. A helpful way to remember these four areas of playground
safety is SAFE.
Display four different flash cards that spell out S-A-F-E. This can be altered
or discussed if children do not yet know how to spell or read.
Supervision (Point
to the S flash card.)
S stands for Supervision. Supervision is one of the ways to make a playground
safer. Does anyone know what 'supervision' means?
Why is it important that adults watch you play
on the playground?
Answer: Adults realize that you are supposed to run, jump, shout, laugh and
explore the playground. But sometimes, other things happen on a playground that need an adult to help.
Can you think of a time when you needed help
from an adult on a playground? What happened?
Age-Appropriate Equipment (Point to the A flash card.)
The second way to make playgrounds safer is making sure that you are using
age-appropriate equipment on the playground. One of the reasons so many
children are hurt on the playground is because they are playing on equipment
that is too big or too little for them.
Smaller children playing on equipment designed
for older, bigger kids, don't realize that the
handles, railings, and steps are too big for them, so they slip or fall off,
and get hurt.
When older children play on equipment that is
too small for them, they get bored. When they get bored, what do you think they
do? They use the equipment in ways it isn't supposed to be used. And then they
get hurt.
If you need help, who can help you decide what
equipment is best for you?
Answer: Adult supervisors -- point back to the S flash card.
What size of equipment should you be playing on? Why? What can you do to avoid getting
hurt?"
Answer: Depending on their age, size, and cognitive level, children within the
same class may differ in their abilities.
Falls to the Surface Should be Cushioned (Point
to the F flash card.)
Has anyone ever fallen on the sidewalk or on the street or road? What happened?
How did you feel? Sidewalks and streets are made of concrete and asphalt. They
are great to ride your bike or roller-skate on, but it really hurts when you
fall. That's why playground equipment should not have hard stuff -- concrete or
asphalt -- underneath it.
What do you think it should have underneath it?
Answer: Softer material, like sand, wood chips, rubber or pea gravel. That way,
if you do fall, it won't hurt as much as the hard stuff would.
What should you do if the playground equipment
has hard stuff underneath it?
Answer: Avoid playing on it and talk to some adults about it. Look for
equipment with soft surfacing underneath it.
What should you do if the soft surfacing has
been displaced underneath swings and slides?
Answer: Make sure no one is using these play structures, push or rake the soft
surfacing back to the area that has been displaced.
Equipment Maintenance
(Point to the E flash card.)
When something gets broken, what should you do with it?
Answer: Fix it!
If you don't fix it, what happens?
Answer: It won't work and you can't use it.
With lots of kids using the playground every day,
sometimes they break down, too. Adult maintenance workers, playground
supervisors and parents should all be inspecting the playground equipment you
play on to make sure it's in good condition. But sometimes they need your help.
Is our playground SAFE? 
Let's use the following checklist to find out!
___ Is there trash on the ground?
___ How many adult supervisors are on
the playground at recess?
___ Is the surfacing underneath the
equipment hard (concrete, asphalt, dirt or grass) or soft (wood chips, sand,
rubber or pea gravel)?
___ Do the swings and slides have enough soft surfacing
underneath them, or is it displaced?
___ Do the swings have twisted or broken seats?
___ Is there anything sticking out of
the ground that would trip you when you are running?
___ Does the equipment have any chipped or peeling paint?
___ Does the metal equipment have any rust?
___ Are there any holes or cracks in plastic equipment?
___ Does the wooden equipment have any rough wood or splinters?
___ Are there any nails or bolts sticking out of the play
equipment?
___ Is there any place that your
fingers might get stuck or pinched when you are playing?
Closure
Review the four areas of a SAFE playground: Supervision, Age-appropriate
equipment, Falls to the surface, and Equipment maintenance.
NEW PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT
PURCHASES
The Williamson
County Schools Maintenance Department strongly recommends that all new
playground equipment purchased with
county funds, school funds, or PTO/PTA funds must
adhere to
the following guidelines:
- The manufacturer product line should
carry the IPEMA certification
- Playground equipment to be
manufactured to ASTM F1487-98 standards
- All equipment purchased and installed
should comply with the CPSC Handbook for Public Playground Safety
The installation
crew for any new playground equipment should include a certified playground
safety inspector.