Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2020-09-22 Origin: Site
Why Is Playground Safety Important? Playgrounds and outdoor playground equipment offer kids fresh air, friends, fun, and exercise. But it's important to make sure that faulty equipment, improper surfaces, and unsafe behavior don't ruin the fun.
The main points are as follows:
Adult Supervision Is Key
Swing Safety
Maintain outdoor playground equipment
Remove Recalled outdoor play equipment
Adults can help prevent injuries by making sure kids properly use outdoor play equipment. If an injury does happen, an adult can help the child and give any needed first aid right away.
Kids should always have adult supervision on the playground. Keep your eyes on young kids (and sometimes older ones) because they can't always be sure of distance and may not expect dangerous situations. Older kids like to test their limits on the playground, so it's important for an adult to keep them in check.
Before you visit a playground, check to make sure that outdoor playground equipment are designed to allow an adult to clearly see kids while they're playing on all the outdoor play equipment.
Swings are the most common source of childhood injuries from moving outdoor playground equipment on a playground. But a few simple precautions can help keep kids safely swinging:
Swings should be made of soft material such as rubber or plastic, not wood or metal.
Kids should always sit in the swing, not stand or kneel. They should hold on tightly with both hands while swinging, and when finished swinging, stop the swing completely before getting off.
Children should stay a safe distance from other kids on swings, being careful not to run or walk in front of or in back of moving swings.
Kids should never ride with more than one child to a swing. Swings are designed to safely hold only one person.
The last tip in the S.A.F.E. program is outdoor playground equipment maintenance. Playground and park administrators should regularly check on structures. Check for things like deteriorating structures, splinters on wood outdoor play equipment, cracks in plastic and rust. Since these issues can arise over time, it’s very important to check and re-check as time goes on. Remind parents and other supervisors to check the play area before they let their children play and to report any maintenance issues immediately.
Every once in a while, a popular piece of outdoor playground equipment is recalled. When this happens, it’s important that you removed it right away. For example, in 1995 the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recalled heavy animal swings. You can keep an eye on outdoor playground equipment recalls here.
Each year, more than 200,000 kids are treated in hospital ERs for playground-related injuries. Many of these accidents can be prevented with careful supervision. You can make the playground entertaining and safe for your kids by checking outdoor playground equipment for possible hazards and following some simple safety guidelines. And teaching kids how to play safely is important: If they know the rules of the playground, they're less likely to get hurt.