Did you know over 200,000 children are injured each year on playgrounds, both public and private? That’s a scary figure! Many broken bones and head injuries are suffered due to playground related incidents, falling from high equipment ranking the highest.
With nice, warm weather on the horizon, it’s important for you to know what to look for to ensure your playground is a safe haven for your children. This week is National Playground Safety Week, sponsored by the National Program for Playground Safety. Safe Kids USA has provided the following tips to help you determine whether your local playground is kid-friendly, safe, and ready for play! Of course, we would never wish a broken bone on anyone, but CastCoverz! will be here if you or a loved one are ever in need. We provide fun and functional products that comfort orthopedic patients. Now, on to those tips…
Top Playground Safety Tips:
Look for playgrounds with shredded rubber, mulch, wood chips or sand. Grass and soil are not good surfaces.
Playground surfacing material should be 12 inches deep and extend 6 feet in all directions around equipment.
Make sure playground equipment is inspected frequently and kept in good repair. If it’s not, report this to your local parks and recreations office.
Remove hood and neck drawstrings from children’s clothing and outerwear and don’t let kids wear helmets, necklaces, purses or scarves on the playground.
Don’t allow your kids to engage in, or play near, any pushing, shoving or crowding around playground equipment.
Keep toddlers under age 5 in a separate play area, away from equipment designed for bigger kids.
Actively supervise kids on a playground. Just being in the same area isn’t good enough – they need your undivided attention while playing on or around the equipment.
