Here are some important facts/tips about playground safety:
- The majority of unintentional injury related deaths among children occur during evening hours when children are most likely to be out of school and unsupervised It is important for parents to make sure that their children receive the proper supervision at all times.
- Most playground injuries result from falls. Children can fall of equipment, fall from heights (the top of a slide on a monkey bar) and trip over equipment.
- Drawstrings of hoods and collars of jackets, shirts and hats can strangle a child if caught on playground equipment. One way to prevent this is to remove the drawstrings from the child’s clothing or apparel. For similar reasons, scarves should not be worn either during play.
- Make sure that metal slides are cool in order to prevent children’s legs from getting burned while sliding down. Also, check that there are no splinters or nails sticking out on the surface of playground equipment.
- Make sure that there are no rocks, pieces of glass, toys, debris or other children at the bottom of a playground slide.
- Do not let young children play in areas designated for older children as the young ones can accidentally get hurt by older children or equipment not meant for them.
- It is important to make sure that playground equipment meets current government safety standards.
- In order to prevent young children from wandering off into heavy traffic areas or streets, playgrounds or play areas should be fenced in.
- After a long winter, playgrounds and other play areas should be inspected for any damage or rust resulting from harsh “winter weather wear and tear”. Only after inspection and repairs(if necessary) should children be allowed to use these. Also, be sure to refresh your memory with the potential hazards these pose to children and how to prevent them.
- It is always a good idea to know what kind of games children are playing at school or in the playground. Sometimes seemingly innocent games can end up tragically. Being aware of any potential danger to your child is the first step in accident prevention.
Have fun and play safe!