Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Playground
  • Surfacing
  • Parks
  • Athletics
  • Aquatics
  • Play
Home
  • Playground
  • Surfacing
  • Parks
  • Athletics
  • Aquatics
  • Play
  • The Evolution of Playground Surfacing
  • Playground Supervision: How Much Is Too Much?
  • Girard Street Park Playground Goes Year Round
  • Designing A Great Skatepark
  • Is The Use of PVC in Playground Equipment Safe?

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Playground
  3. Safety
  4. Sunshine and Fresh Air

Sunshine and Fresh Air

Safety
November 01, 2002
Profile picture for user Playground Magazine
By Playground Magazine on
  • facebook-f
  • twitter
  • envelope
  • print
541
Sunshine and Fresh Air

Hazards Come In A Variety Of Packages

I am in no way what I would consider a playground safety expert. Luckily, there are numerous people that have the experience, training, and desire to be certified playground safety inspectors. The work each of them does for the safety of our children is more than worth the time they spend, or the money we spend, on the inspections.

I am, however, someone who has some experience in what makes a safe playground and what makes a dangerous playground. The differences are often subtle.

In speaking with Frances Wallach, one of the most respected playground experts in the country, earlier this year (see article on page 18), she explained to me the difference between a risk and a hazard.

“Hazards are hard for children to see,” she said. “Children take into account the risks involved with a particular activity—that’s part of the fun. They don’t take into account the
hazards involved.”

Risks are an important, and exciting, part of the playground. That is why children are continually pushing themselves on the play structure. It’s not enough to go down the slide anymore, so children try to climb on top of the tube slide. Taking away the risks means taking away the children from the playgrounds.

But there are hazards that seem to appear on every playground, hazards that are easily taken care of with a little bit of knowledge and effort.

A simple walk-through can help take care of a lot of hazards. 

I would like to share two experiences I had recently.

First, we were shooting the cover shot for our September 2002 issue at a local elementary school. I had already visited the location previous to the shoot and everything looked fine. When we arrived the morning of the shoot, there was a rope connected to an element of the playground, no doubt to help a smaller child reach something meant for an older child. I quickly—and quite easily—removed the rope, placed it in my car and, possibly, kept a child from getting hurt.

Second, at our most recent cover shoot, a similar thing happened. We were at a different elementary school on a different playground. I had previewed the playground before the shoot and checked it again as we got there. There was another piece of rope connected to a ladder—this time with no apparent reason—that I easily removed.

During shooting, however, we discovered that in one corner of the use zone there were several pieces of glass that had spilled into the wood-chip surfacing. The remnants of a broken bottle were evident on the blacktop close to the playground, and it looked as though the glass we found hiding was part of the same careless littering.

The glass was harder to see—it was located just under some wood surfacing—but was relatively easy to get rid of as well. It was also discovered, luckily before anyone was hurt, by some aware children working with us on the photos.

Now, this isn’t meant to place everyone in a state of alarm over our playgrounds. The point I would like to make is that a careful inspection of your playgrounds can help avoid major concerns, even if you aren’t a certified playground safety inspector. You should still participate in regularly scheduled professional inspections, which cover things untrained people can’t see, but you should also take responsibility for your own playgrounds on a day-to-day, week-to-week basis.

There are hazards that seem to appear on every playground, hazards that are easily taken care of with a little bit of knowledge and effort.

And it isn’t just the broken glass/dangling rope-type hazards that parents and supervisors need to be aware of. Bullies (covered more in-depth on page 20) are hazards that are difficult to spot and more difficult to deal with. There are ways to make your playgrounds safe from bullies as well. Careful planning and an execution of that plan can make bullies less frequent on your playgrounds.

With all of this, a little education is the key. Teach your employees the power of a simple comb-over of your playground. My simple search for hazards—even with limited understanding—has helped. Educate parents and children how to get rid of hazards that might be on your playground—even bullies.

Playgrounds are meant to be a child’s safe place. With proper maintenance and supervision, children can enjoy the risks of a playground without having to worry about the hazards that might be hiding.

Add new comment

About text formats

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
Profile picture for user Playground Magazine
Playground Magazine
Published 20 years ago
Last updated 1 month ago
541
2
min read
A- A+
  • facebook-f
  • twitter
  • envelope
  • print

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter

More About Safety

Protecting Your Children
Dec 13, 2018
Safety

Protecting Your Children

Elena Smith
How To Improve Playground Safety
Apr 29, 2021
Safety

How To Improve Playground Safety at School

PGP
Hazard versus Risk versus Injury Outcome Part 2
Jul 08, 2013
Safety

Hazard versus Risk versus Injury Outcome Part 2

Kenneth Kutska
Kids excited to ride a zip line.
May 31, 2018
Safety

Don’t Play Games with Playground Safety

Alan Crowe
Play Hard with Soft Contained Playgrounds?
Jul 01, 2003
Safety

Play Hard with Soft Contained Playgrounds?

Playground Magazine
What To Wear To The Playground
Sep 22, 2020
Safety

What To Wear To The Playground

Jackie Edwards
5 Tips to Equip a Safe Playground for Your Kids
May 26, 2021
Safety

5 Tips to Equip a Safe Playground for Your Kids

Jessica Fender
Dec 01, 2006
Safety

Dealing with the Aftermath

Playground Magazine
Playground Safety Quiz
May 03, 2022
Safety

Playground Safety Quiz

Joann Robertson
May 01, 2005
Safety

Adding Safety to Your Playground Fever

Playground Magazine
Risk taking play on playground equipment
Oct 01, 2014
Safety

Hazard Based Approach to Equipment Performance vs Defining Specific Equipment Requirements

Kenneth Kutska
Brachiating on monkey bars.
Aug 18, 2015
Safety

Monkey Business and Stupid Standards

Jay-Beckwith

Safety Professionals

Playground Safety Services, Inc.
Playground Safety Services, Inc.
Services
More
Safety Play, Inc.
Safety Play, Inc.
Services
More
ASTM International
ASTM International
Organization
More
Slyde the Playground Hound
Slyde the Playground Hound
Organization
More
National Program for Playground Safety
National Program for Playground Safety
Organization
More
ADA.gov
ADA.gov
Organization
More
International Playground Safety Institute
International Playground Safety Institute
Organization
More
United States Consumer Product Safety Commission
United States Consumer Product Safety Commission
Organization
More
Home

Follow Us

Play and playground news and information since 2001

  • instagram
  • facebook-f
  • twitter
  • pinterest
  • linkedin

Company

  • Playground Magazine
  • Contributors
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

Copyright © 2001 - 2023 Playground Professionals, LLC

Footer menu

  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Terms and conditions