A safe play environment for children

Playing outside is a natural pastime for most kids. Making sure that their outside environment safe is key to keeping children healthy and injury-free.

Playground safety

The Child Accident Prevention Trust reports that in the UK in 2002 (the last time child accident figures were compiled):

• 172,200 children aged 15 and under went to a hospital after having an accident in a playground.
• 33,500 children were injured in public playgrounds.
• 139,200 children were injured in school or nursery playgrounds.
• Climbing frames are most commonly involved in accidental injury, followed by swings and then slides. Other equipment less commonly involved in injuries include rope swings, seesaws and roundabouts.
• 12,400 children were injured at home when using play equipment.

Supervising your child at play is a big factor in reducing injury. Taking these playground precautions will also reduce risk:

• Cover areas under and around the playground equipment with shock-absorbing material, such as sand, rubber, or mulch, nine to twelve inches deep.
• Make sure swing seats are made of soft rubber, not hard wood.
• Do not suspend more than two swing seats in the same section of the equipment's support structure. Most home playground injuries can be blamed on swings and increasingly on trampolines.
• The equipment should have ladders with steps rather than rungs for easier access, or rungs with more than nine inches or less than three and a half inches of space between them, to prevent children from getting stuck.
• Cover all protruding bolts.
• Do not attach ropes or cords to the play set, which could become strangulation hazards.
• Plastic play sets or climbing equipment should never be used indoors on wood or cement floors, even if they are carpeted. All climbing equipment should be outdoors on shock-absorbing surfaces to prevent head injuries.
• Slides and platforms should be no higher than six feet for school-age children, or four feet for pre-schoolers.
• Platforms, walkways, ramps and ladders should have adequate guardrails.

The Child Accident Prevention Trust offers this advice for the design of play areas:

• Layout must ensure that activities in one area do not interfere with other

areas.

• Areas for younger children must be clearly separated from those for older

children.

• Paths must be safely sited clear of equipment areas.
• Clear sight lines throughout the play area make it easier to supervise

children.

• Fencing play areas may be required if there are roads, rivers or ponds close

by.

• Safe access for children with special needs should be considered.
• Lighting must be adequate for safety and supervision.

Water safety

Drowning is a leading cause of death in children under five. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) says that in 2009, there were 405 drowning accidents in the UK. RoSPA says children under two are at particular risk and warns parents that even the shallowest of pools or ponds can be lethal: "From a child’s perspective, a 500mm deep pond is equivalent to an adult falling into 1800mm of water - the child being unable to climb out of the water."

Follow the Water Safety Code. The dangers of water include:

• it is very cold
• there may be hidden currents
• it can be difficult to get out (steep slimy banks)
• it can be deep
• there may be hidden rubbish, eg shopping trolleys, broken glass
• there are no lifeguards
• it is difficult to estimate depth
• it may be polluted and may make you ill.