“Children fall and hurt themselves. They fall everywhere…but society views playground injuries differently; playground equipment should offer acceptable risks for learning to cope with falling and risk of falling, while lessening the seriousness of falls as far as possible.” 1
As councils own playgrounds, they own the risks too. Unfortunately, critical playground injuries are still occurring and have even increased over the past 30 years.
Removal of playgrounds is not a practical answer. So, it is councils’ responsibility to ensure the playground risks are identified and minimised. The following tips might help:
- When contracting to build a playground, council must ensure the equipment is well-designed, durable and of good quality. A well-designed playground will allow for easy supervision (especially in case of climbing), provide age appropriate activities, and provide shade and adequate drainage.
- There is nothing wrong with outsourcing the regular inspections, but there must be some form of follow up to ensure inspections are being carried out regularly, and that the inspection criteria are adequate for the equipment being inspected. These are some tips for inspection criteria:
- While checking the equipment the inspector should get down to child level to check for potential bumping, choking and entrapment risks.
- Inspector should ensure all elements are in working condition and securely attached.
- Less evident risks might be posed by damaged equipment, for example, a damaged surface might become a water catchment area presenting a drowning risk for children.
- Some risks might be invisible. For example, surfaces such as metal or plastic can heat up in direct sunlight and burn children’s skin. The same surfaces might collect dew in the morning and become slippery.
- In cases of playground maintenance, the council must ensure a prompt response and adequate fencing erected (children might be unsupervised and unable to read signs).
If you have any safety questions or concerns please contact Local Government Safety for free evaluation or free consultation by filling out a form on www.lgsafety.com.au/free
1 TÜV AUSTRIA Playground Safety Day 2013, www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tuv-austria-playground-safety-day-2013-228772341.html
