Playground Equipment Safety
Outdoor summer month activities often include the use of home playground
equipment. Unfortunately, each year about 50, 000 children are
taken to U.S. hospital emergency rooms because of injuries on playground
equipment. About 80% of the injuries occur when children fall
from the equipment. Children are also injured when they are hit by swings
or are cut on sharp edges and protruding bolts. In addition, children can
be strangled by ropes or cords attached to play equipment, or when
clothing drawstrings or items worn around the child’s neck catch on
equipment. Others die when their head or neck is trapped in narrow spaces,
when they fall from equipment, or when they are struck by playground
equipment that moves or tips over.
The good news is that many of these injuries can be prevented. A
handbook developed by the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC), highlights safety information about planning and maintaining an
outdoor playground. Use the handbook to evaluate the safety of your
playground or any other playground used by your children. The publication
is available on the CPSC website, http://www.cpsc.gov.