Checking the Safety of a Commercial Playground
Visiting your local park or the play area at a fast food restaurant usually ends with your kids begging to play in the commercial playground that’s been put up to entice children. While most of them have been constructed with safety in mind, you should always check to make sure they’ve been properly maintained and are as safe today as when they were constructed.
Know what to look for by reviewing the points below. If you see signs of safety issues, be sure to report it to the person or organization in charge.
Playground Safety Checklist
- The area underneath the play equipment should be covered in several inches of wood chips, sand, or rubber mulch. Alternatively, rubber safety mats also work.
- Check the “S” hooks and bolts. The hooks should be closed and bolt ends should be secure to prevent pinched fingers and loosening of joints.
- There shouldn’t be any sharp or rough edges on toddler or baby swings.
- Be sure there is no rust or deterioration of joints on metal equipment.
- Check for splinters and splits if the playground is made of wood.
- If there is a climbing cargo net, look for tears or frayed areas and make sure the rope is properly braided.
- Scan the area around the equipment. Look for exposed tree roots, loose rocks, and crumbled concrete edging. Anything that’s unstable that children could stumble over should be cleared from the area.
One or two minor problems don’t mean a commercial playground is off-limits. If you talk to the people in charge and they correct the problem quickly, it could simply have been an oversight. Repeated problems that go uncorrected, however, mean you need to take your children elsewhere.
