Summer Playground Safety Tips

With the summer months quickly approaching, parents and their children will be spending more time at the park on those beautiful summer days. While we all love being outdoors in the warm summer breeze, their are some steps that should be taken to ensure the safety of our children while playing on the playground.

The Us Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that annually, their are over 205,000 playground accidents involving preschool and elementary school aged children that require emergency treatment for injuries received while playing on unsafe playgrounds. Over 75% of these accidents occur on public playgrounds.

As a parent, it is our responsibility to make certain that the playground that our children play on is safe. Head injuries that are suffered on playgrounds that are not properly cushioned can be the most dangerous to small children. While advances have been made in ground cover, most playgrounds do not have the right depth or the right kind of ground cover to protect children properly.

NPS reports that up to 70% of playground injuries are caused by falls on the playground. By choosing a playground that has appropriate ground cover, you are greatly reducing the risk of injury to your child.

Choosing age appropriate playground equipment is important. Younger children should be limited to a smaller area of the playground so as not to be knocked down or trampled by older more rambunctious children. A well equipped playground will have a designated area for children under the age of 5 that has age appropriate playground equipment.

When arriving at the playground, take a few minutes to look over the playground equipment before the fun begins. By doing a quick inspection for loose ropes, missing screws or protruding bolts, you can greatly reduce the injury risks for your child. A quick look for glass or other dangerous objects lying on the ground is always a good idea as well.

For more information on playground safety, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission has several brochures available at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/playpubs.html