Playground Safety: 10 Tips to Minimize Risk

“No going UP the slide!” “Watch out!” “Hold on with both hands!” “Watch where you’re going!”

Sound familiar?!

Our playgrounds are a busy, happenin’ place, and I love the sounds associated with happy, energetic children who are free to make noise and move about the space as they wish. But of course, life is not without risk…

How often does a child get injured on your playground? Knee scrapes? Head bonks?

Most of us think this is a normal part of childhood and accept it as a fact of life. However, as a program director, you need to constantly think about potential liability. Your playground is likely your largest area of liability. Over 200,000 children per year visit the Emergency Room for injuries sustained on a playground. You should know these statistics:

Falls account for nearly 80% of injuries and 90% of the most severe injuries.

More than half of playground fatalities are strangulations.

Nearly half of the injuries to the head and face are happening to children 4 years and younger.

Slides, swings and climbing equipment have the highest rate of reported injuries
After I earned my Certified Playground Safety Inspector certificate (one of the hardest tests ever!), I saw every playground as a death trap! I had no idea how many opportunities for injury existed in an innocent-looking playground!

Well, we can’t wrap our children in bubble wrap, and our children do need to take a healthy amount of risk to develop and grow. But there are several things we can do to minimize the risk. Here are some things you can do right now that will support the safety of your playground:

Develop a system of daily outside safety checks. Use a comprehensive “Playground Safety Checklist” to make sure all major areas are covered daily. (One is included in the Director’s Companion Resource Binder)
Do not tolerate teachers sitting and chatting – movement around the playground increases the chances they will be able to intervene before an accident happens.
Have teachers pay special attention to the most dangerous area – climbing structures.
Ensure proper fall zones under all climbing equipment.
Require children to use materials and equipment appropriately. E.g., Don’t use jump ropes to tie around climbing equipment (strangulation), and don’t stack outdoor blocks for the purpose of climbing (fall).
Have an annual playground inspection by a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI.) You can find one here: https://www.nrpa.org/certification/CPSI/cpsi-online-registry/
Other things you can do to create a safe play area:

Cultivate a culture of “safety is everyone’s responsibility” and teach all staff what to look for while on the playground.
Sweep sand and gravel off the walkways; keep walkways clear.
Discourage two activities in one area that might interfere with each other (e.g., bouncing a ball in the middle of the trike path.)
Create schedules for different age groups to enjoy the playground independently. This prevents younger children from being injured by older children. It also decreases the number of children on the playground at any one time.
Avoidance is key.

Lawsuits can be detrimental to early childhood programs. People need to be held accountable if there is true negligence. However, it’s really frustrating when lawsuits are filed unnecessarily. Most insurance companies will ‘settle’ to avoid the expense of going to trial even if they know you were not at fault! All of this only happens after hours and hours of fact-finding which takes hours and hours of your, and your staff’s, time.

Ensuring your staff are trained properly about playground safety, and are providing the top quality care you have trained them for, is key to minimizing and avoiding playground injuries.

What does YOUR program do to create a safe play area?

SOURCES

www.nsc.org/library/facts/plgrdgen.htm
www.safekids.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=342&folder_id=177