One of the statements that many NRPA (National Recreation and Park Association) instructors make early in the first day of CPSI (Certified Playground Safety Inspector) training institutes is, “You will never look at playgrounds the same again.”
No truer words were ever spoken.
Watching the responses to that statement in the CPSI classes is always very interesting. Students who are re-certifying respond with a smile or a nod of the head, meaning, “You are correct.” New students aren’t sure what that means yet. Some students really do need convincing and may be thinking, “Prove it to me.” By the time the second day of the training comes around, most, if not all, of the “skeptics” are now convinced.
Yes, we are changed, but what does that really mean? The quote by Max DuPree sums it up...
“We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.”
We need to put into action the knowledge and experience we now have related to children’s safety on playgrounds. If we don’t do it, who will?
I believe that once we have this knowledge and training, we now have an obligation to put it to use and advocate on behalf of children’s safety on playgrounds. Knowledge means little if it is not shared and used. How can we, and how should we, share that information?
There are many ways to do that, but let me just touch on a couple of ways for us to make an impact. The people we supervise, who we work with, or who may be involved in playground safety and maintenance, are a great place to start. Share your knowledge and expertise with them.
We know the CPSI program is based on the ASTM 1487-07 Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specification for Playground Equipment for Public Use and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Public Playground Safety Handbook, so let’s use the information in those documents to get this important safety message out. Make sure the staff that is, for example, out there mowing and maintaining parks have that base knowledge on playground safety. They may not be expected to fix or maintain playgrounds, but we need more eyes out there letting us know when there are concerns that need to be addressed. One could put it this way: Make sure you put your staff through playground safety basic training. Educate your staff on a few of the most important safety issues to watch for.
Two items that jump out as points to be covered in basic training include potential falls and entanglement issues. Falls are the number one cause of playground injuries, and falls to the surface account for 68 percent of those injuries. That tells us we need to make sure we have proper surfacing that is maintained properly. The second item of entanglement or strangling issues on playgrounds is equally as important. Entanglement is the number one cause of playground fatalities. We should know that the transition platform at the top of a slide and the top swing support beam are the two areas where we have found the most entanglement concerns. If all park staff were aware of just these two issues, we might be able to help prevent future playground injuries.
You should always keep a supply of the “Daily Dozen” brochure available. They are available from the NRPA website. This is a great, user-friendly, easy-to-understand overview of the top 12 hazards on America’s playgrounds. Share the Daily Dozen with staff, boards, councils, civic groups, school/parent groups, and anyone you come in contact with who deals with playgrounds.
In our city, we work closely with ten elementary schools on playgrounds that are at those schools. The city partners with the schools on installing those playgrounds on school property. Our city CPSIs then take care of the inspections and maintenance of those playgrounds. Whenever a new playground goes in at a school, we make sure to share the “Daily Dozen” brochure with school staff and the Parent Teacher Organization. Also, use your local cable TV access to get the playground safety message out. You might be surprised how many people in your city actually do watch local cable access TV.
Why is it so important to get this message out? Kids play on playgrounds with little or no thought about what “hazards” may be present. The child’s job is to play, and while they are playing, they are growing socially, emotionally, physically, and intellectually. Our job is to make sure they have a safe playground environment in which to help make that growth happen. A playground that is free of hazards that could cause serious injury or death to the user is always our goal.
If we do our job of making sure our playgrounds are inspected and maintained properly, we will have a tremendous positive impact on young children, many of whom we will never see or know.
We also want to send a strong message to our community and let it know that the playgrounds in our parks and schools are an important part of all of our lives, that we do take very seriously the maintenance and operation of those playgrounds and we will do everything we can to help insure the safety of our children.
Thank you to all of you who help make our playgrounds safer. A quote from the “World According to Mr. Rogers” really sums it up.
“One of the greatest dignities of humankind is that each successive generation is invested in the welfare of each new generation.”
