Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Playground
  • Surfacing
  • Parks
  • Athletics
  • Aquatics
  • Play
Home
  • Playground
  • Surfacing
  • Parks
  • Athletics
  • Aquatics
  • Play
  • 9 Things You No Longer See on Playgrounds
  • Benefits of Nature Play
  • Kindergarteners Need Play
  • Train Themed Playground
  • It's the Contractor's Fault
  • The World is a Kiwanis Playground

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
542
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

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
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 5 months ago
542
2
min read
A- A+
  • facebook-f
  • twitter
  • envelope
  • print

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter

More About Safety

Common Labeling Mistakes That Can Jeopardize Playground Safety
Apr 25, 2023
Safety

Common Labeling Mistakes That Can Jeopardize Playground Safety

George Nelson
Signs or Supervision
Jul 01, 2003
Safety

Signs or Supervision

Mary Cooney
How To Treat Serious Playground Injuries
Feb 15, 2022
Safety

How To Treat Serious Playground Injuries

PGP
May 01, 2005
Safety

Adding Safety to Your Playground Fever

Playground Magazine
Age-Appropriate Playgrounds
Sep 01, 2009
Safety

Age-Appropriate Playgrounds

Kaisja Clark
Risk taking play on playground equipment
Oct 01, 2014
Safety

Hazard Based Approach to Equipment Performance vs Defining Specific Equipment Requirements

Kenneth Kutska
Getting Educated on Safety
Aug 01, 2004
Safety

Getting Educated on Safety

Playground Magazine
Dec 01, 2005
Safety

How playground regulations and standards are messing up children's play

Playground Magazine
Parents supervising on playground
Mar 01, 2007
Safety

Supersize Your Supervision

Playground Magazine
Climbing a slide - unintended use - Shutterstock 102166951
Jul 22, 2015
Safety

Hazard Based Approach to Standards Development: The time is now - Part 1

Kenneth Kutska
Playground Safety Quiz
May 03, 2022
Safety

Playground Safety Quiz

Joann Robertson
Child almost falling on the playground
Mar 16, 2021
Safety

What to Do If Your Child Has a Bad Fall at the Playground

Albert Maclean

Safety Professionals

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