Playground Inspection

NATIONAL PLAYGROUND SAFETY WEEK

Spring has arrived! Children will be spending more time outside. Each year the

National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS) celebrates National Playground

Safety Week in April. This year National Playground Safety Week will be from

April 26th through April 30th. Last year, the NPPS focused on removing

potentially ha zardous, heavy metal and plastic “animal” swings from playgrounds.

The NPPS hopes that National Playground Safety Week will be a time for

everyone to focus on safety and injury prevention on playgrounds. Visit the

NPPS web site at http://www.uni.edu/playground/safety_week.html to find out

more about NPPS and their goals for National Playground Safety Week.

Every year about 200,000 children are treated in hospital emergency rooms for

playground related injuries. Most of these playground injuries are caused by

falls. The majority of these injuries could be prevented by providing proper

supervision and safer playground equipment and design.

The following web sites provide good information and resources to make parents

and child care providers aware of the potential dangers that can be found on

playgrounds and how to prevent injuries from occurring. Within the last five

years, the Division of Child Development has implemented many of these

recommendations into child care licensing requirements. In addition, child care

center staff is required to complete at least four clock hours of training in safety

approved by the Division (the number of staff required to complete the training is

determined by the number of children the center is licensed to care for). At a

minimum, this training must address playground safety hazards, playground

supervision, maintenance and general upkeep of the outdoor area, and age and

developmentally appropriate playground equipment. Contact the Division of

Child Development or your local Child Care Resource and Referral Agency for

more information regarding the required training in safety. To search for your

local Child Care Resource and Referral Agency click on the following web link:

http://ncchildcare.dhhs.state.nc.us/providers/pv_providercontacts.asp .

A playground should be created to provide a challenging and fun play

environment for children but should also be reasonably safe. Parents and child

care providers are encouraged to use this information to create and maintain a

safe playground environment.

National Network for Child Care – Make Playgrounds Safe This article references the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) which recommends that child care facilities establish basic guidelines to reduce the chance that a child will be injured. A detailed list of recommendations for playground safety guidelines is listed within this article. http://www.nncc.org/Health/dc25_playground.safe.html Iowa State University Extension – Tips for Home Playground Safety http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1632.pdf Ten Steps to a Safer Playground http://www.exnet.iastate.edu/Publications/SP23F.pdf U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Handbook for Public Playground Safety contains safety guidelines and should be considered the minimum level for playground safety. The CPSC maintains a hotline (1-800-638-2772) for reporting dangerous products and product related injuries, and for consumer information. A copy of the handbook is available on line at: http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/325.pdf . A fact sheet is also available from CPSC which offers tips for public playground safety from the handbook. http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/Playfct.pdf Another fact sheet is available through CPSC which offers a home playground safety checklist – Is Your Home Playground a Safe Place to Play? http://cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/Pg1.pdf