Reduce Playground Injuries With Swingset Safety
When children think of the playground, they think of swings, jungle gyms, monkey bars, running, jumping, yelling and playing with their friends and classmates. Basically fun and games. Adults, on the other hand, tend to focus on slips and falls, scrapes and bruises, collisions and broken bones. This is natural. Parents and responsible adults need to be looking out for the safety of their children, because most kids are not exactly safety conscious, even if they are well behaved and otherwise responsible. Granted you cannot be with your children every moment of every day, but you should still have working knowledge of playground equipment and how to make sure they are safe for your kids. This way you can work with teachers, aids and supervisors to ensure the safest possible environment for children to play. Here is a quick checklist pertaining to the Playground Swingset and other equipment that children typically encounter on any given day at school or at the park.
Supervision should be present at All Times
The younger the children are, the more supervision is required to keep them safe. Adults should be watching for healthy and positive interaction. Make sure there is no bullying or risky behavior taking place. Also, adults need to constantly inspect the equipment. Some things to look out for are loose ropes or strings that can cause injury and/or strangulation. Ropes on jungle gyms should be securely fastened at both ends and should not be any long strings hanging from the children’s clothing while playing. If play time should get too rambunctious, or the kids are using the equipment in ways it was not designed to be used, then an adult should intervene immediately.
Is the equipment age appropriate?
Preschoolers should have play equipment that is separate from the grade school children. They are not on the same level physically or developmentally and their play equipment should reflect those differences. Smaller children naturally look up to the bigger kids and will try to emulate their behavior. This can cause safety hazards if the little ones are allowed to play on a Playground Swingset that is designed for an older age group.
What kind of surface is the ground surrounding the play area?
Approximately 3 out of every 4 playground injuries are due to a fall, usually from a piece of equipment onto the ground. The severity of these injuries can be dramatically reduced by choosing a more forgiving surface to help cushion falls. Mulch, pea gravel, sand, rubber mats and some other soft synthetic materials are all acceptable surfaces that will help save kids from painful injuries. Concrete, asphalt, rocks, dirt, and even grass are not ideal because they are too hard and most likely result in injury in the event that children fall from a Playground Swingset or any other piece of equipment.
Regular Maintenance and Safety Checks
Lastly, Splintered wood, rusted metal, loose rope, protruding screws and bolts, and other structural problems can cause injuries if play equipment is not regularly maintained. It is vital to inspect all playground equipment for such problems on a regular basis to ensure that children have the safest environment possible.
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