Defeat the Villians of Playground Safety

The Strangler

Never attach ropes, jump ropes, pet leashes, or strings to playground equipment. Children can strangle on these as well as loose strings on clothing.

Hardhead

Make sure there is shock-absorbing material under the play set as falls are the biggest risk to children on the playground

The Fireball

Don’t let kids play on slides/ surfaces that are hot. If it feels hot to your hand, it may be too hot for a child’s bare skin.

Distractatron

Always supervise children on playground to make sure they are safe.

The report also finds:

The tow most common hazards patterns are falls and dangers posed by the equipment, which together account for 81 percent of the reported incidents.

The most common diagnoses are fractures and contusions/abrasions.

Monkey bars and swings account for the majority of the total injuries, although slides account for one-fifth of the injuries.

More than half of the victims seen in ER’s were between ages five and nine.

Always supervise kids and make sure kids use playground equipment appropriate for their age.

Never attach ropes, jump ropes, pet leashes or strings to playground equipment; children can strangle on these.

Make sure children’s clothing does not have any drawstrings as they can catch o slides and other equipment.

Make sure surfaces around playgrounds have 9-12 inches of wood chips, mulch, sand, pea gravel, or mats made of safety tested rubber.

Check that protective surfacing extends at least 6 feet in all directions from play equipment. For swings, be sure surfacing extends, in back and front, twice the height of the suspending bar. Look out for tripping hazards, like exposed concrete footings, tree stumps, and rocks.

Don’t let kids play on slides/ surfaces that are burning hot. The weather does not have to be 1000 in order for equipment to heat up and cause burns. If it feels hot to your hand, it may be too hot for a child’s bare skin.

If you believe your child’s playground is not safe, report your concerns to the appropriate owner, park district or school. Kids just want to have fun and they should. CPSC wants to make sure they do it safely.

Playgrounds shouldn’t hurt!