Home Playground Safety

An estimated 51,000 child injuries, and 15 deaths occur each year on home playground equipment. Most of these injuries are the result of falls, and most of the deaths that are reported each year are due to strangulation. You can prevent these accidents in your own backyard by following the guidelines provided by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

1. Protective Surfacing
Almost 60% of all injuries are caused by falls to the ground, many of which could be reduced by the use of protective surfacing under and around the playground equipment.

Do not place equipment over asphalt or concrete. A fall onto a surface such as this could result in serious head injury and even death. Grass and turf are also not suitable, as they lose their ability to absorb shock through wear and environmental conditions.

Suitable protective surfacing materials include double shredded bark mulch, wood chips, fine sand, and fine gravel.

2. Use Zones A use zone, covered by protective surfacing material, is essential under and around equipment where a child might fall. This area should be free of other equipment and obstacles onto which a child might fall.

Stationary climbing equipment and slides should have a use zone extending a minimum of 6' in all directions from the perimeter of the equipment.

Swings should have a use zone extending a minimum of 6' from the outer edge of the support structure on each side. The use zone in front and back of the swing should extend out a minimum distance of twice the height of the swing as measured from the ground to the swing hangers on support structure.

3. Swing Spacing
To prevent injuries from impact with moving swings, swings should not be too close together or too close to support structures. Swing spacing should be:

• At least 8 inches between suspended swings and between a swing and a support frame.
• At least 16 inches from swing support frame to a pendulum seesaw.
• Minimum clearance between the ground and underside of swing seat should be 8 inches.
• Swing sets should be securely anchored.

4. Elevated Surfaces
Platforms more than 30" above the ground should have guardrails to prevent falls.

5. Potential Head Entrapment Hazards
Openings that are closed on all sides, should be less than 3 ½" or greater than 9". Openings that are between 3 ½" or greater than 9" present a head entrapment hazard because they are large enough to permit a child's body to go through, but are too small to permit the head to go through. When children enter such openings, feet first, they may become entrapped by the head and strangle.

6. Potential Entrapment and Strangulation Hazards
Open "S" hooks, especially on swings, and any protrusions or equipment component/hardware which may act as hooks or catch-points can entangle with children's clothing and cause strangulation incidents. Close "S" hooks as tightly as possible and eliminate protrusions or catch-points on playground equipment.

7. Pinch or Crush Points
There should be no exposed moving parts, which may present a pinching or crushing hazard.

8. Playground Maintenance
Playgrounds should be inspected on a regular basis. Inspect protective surfacing, especially mulch, and maintain the proper depth. If any of the following conditions are noted, they should be removed, corrected or repaired immediately to prevent injuries:

• Hardware is loose or worn, or that has protrusions or projections.
• Ropes, and items with cords placed around the neck can get caught on playground equipment and strangle a child. Many children have died when a rope they were wearing got caught on playground equipment, or they became entangled in a rope.
• Supervise, and teach your child safe play. Teach your child not to walk or play close to a moving swing, and not to tie ropes to playground equipment.
• Exposed equipment footings.
• Scattered debris, litter, rocks, or tree roots.
• Rust and chipped paint on metal components.
• Splinters, large cracks, and decayed wood components.
• Deterioration and corrosion on structural components, which connect to the ground.
• Missing or damaged equipment components, such as handholds, guardrails, and swing seats.