Playground Safety
Kids love to play on the playground. Swings, slide and monkey bars are on almost every playground. But in many playgrounds, the rules are not followed properly. Every so often there are horror stories of children getting hurt on the playground. Here are some guidelines for playground safety.
Safety Issues
While playgrounds are increasing standards for the equipment found, there are still a number of playgrounds that don’t post playground safety rules. These rules help parents, kids and others who are responsible for the kids keep all users of the playground safe.
Even when the playground rules are posted, many kids simply do not read (or cannot read) these rules. It is the responsibility of the kids’ guardians to make sure these rules are enforced and obeyed.
Playground Equipment
Most playgrounds are safe. They are designed with safety in mind. But accidents do occur even with the rules being obeyed. Here is a list of common playground equipment and possible hazards associated with each item.
Swings
Even toddler and infant swings are have chances to lead to injury if not properly used. The most common injuries occur when children pass too closely in front of swings being used by others. These children often get hit in the face by the child swinging.
Some playgrounds have built a space around the swing, both in front and in back, to indicate where children should pass when passing the swing set. A lot of injuries occur because the kids do not follow this simple guideline.
Toddler and infant swings while less prone to cause injury can also cause pinching of little fingers. They can flip and drop the rider out of the seat if the toddler or infant is not properly watched.
Other less severe injuries could include pinching fingers in the chains of the swings. Some playgrounds have installed plastic sheathing over the chains to prevent this common occurrence.
Slides
The most common injuries with slides occur from kids falling of the top of slides. Most slides are at least five feet high and that could cause significant injury to a child, especially a smaller, younger child.
Kids pushing their way through on a slide or kids not waiting until the slide is cleared are other common ways that injuries occur. Even the slides that twist and turn can be dangerous if not properly used.
Some kids climb up the wrong way on the slide. While that in itself is not necessarily dangerous, it can cause injury if other kids are not aware of the child climbing up the slide.
Monkey Bars
Injuries from falls are common with monkey bars or other climbing equipment. A lot of younger children try to climb across the top of the monkey bars and end up falling through the bars. This can cause significant injury.
Toddler Equipment
Those toddler playgrounds complete with small slides, ropes and even protective bars can cause injuries. Any small areas such as swings and chains can cause pinched hands and fingers. Kids sometimes climb on equipment in a manner that was not intended to be it’s original purpose.
Be aware that even though the playgrounds with the smaller child in mind are safe, there are still possibilities of injury if rules and common sense are not instilled into the child.
Merry Go Round
A lot of playgrounds are getting rid of this once common item at the playground. The reason is because of the dangerous situation when many children get on the merry go round, someone spins it and some kids want to jump off or they can’t hold on properly. While most injuries are probably minor from scrapes, some other possible injuries could become severe if a child is thrown from the merry go round and gets caught or gets thrown in a way that they get caught underneath the equipment.
Consequences
There are safety issues which must be addressed before letting the kids play on the playground. Consequences must be taught to kids in order to prevent many playground injuries. The rules should be strictly enforced. This way, the playground can remain a fun, active part of the child’s life and can remain fun for all.