playgrounds

Play-Safe Playground Rules

200,000 children will visit the emergency room this year from playing on the playground. Around 15 or so will die on the playground. While much of these injuries have to do with the safety of the actual playground and how it was built, there are many things parents and kids can do to keep their kids safe while at play.

·	Scope out different playgrounds in your neighborhood, and check out how they score for child safety. Pick playgrounds for your children that are up to safety specs.

Here is what to look for: Soft cushioning material is underneath all equipment; Equipment has at least a 6 foot free zone in all area’s from other obstacles, such as tree’s, cement, or other equipment; Guardrails should be around all openings on platforms; Equipment should be maintained, with no loose bolts or protruding hardware.

·	Remove hoods or drawstrings that could become caught in equipment and cause a strangulation. Avoid baggy clothes.

·	Always make sure children are supervised by an adult while at play.

·	Make a habit of scanning all new playgrounds, and talking for a minute with your kids about area’s to be careful on them. It will help get them thinking about safety throughout their play.

Teach children to always be cautious about where the swings are in the playground. Explain to them the importance of staying away from kids who are swinging. Before you visit any playground, have your child point out to you where the swings are, and drive home that point to stay out of that general area at each playground you visit.

·	Get children in the habit of pushing resilient material (such as bark, pea gravel, or rubber chunks) underneath their swing before they get on and use it. The fall cushion material generally quickly gets pushed out from under the swing, making a fall on that area a potentially deadly event.

·	Make sure children keep their shoes on. Many public playgrounds can become hang out spots at night for drug users and teenagers. Hypodermic needles, razor blades, and open pocket knives are just some of the things that have been found on playgrounds and injured children.

·	Teach children to never rough-house on the top levels of the equipment, such as the jungle gyms, slides, or platforms.

·	Teach children to use the equipment properly...don’t climb on the outside of the guardrails, on top of the monkey bars, etc.

·	Take off all backpacks before playing so that they do not get caught on the equipment.

·	Stay off equipment when it is wet, as the metal and plastic becomes extremely slippery and dangerous.

·	Teach children to watch out for smaller kids, or bigger ones, as the case may be.