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A child begins his mobile life with constant
accidents. Allowed to face certain challenges, he learns how to confront
difficulties and keep injuries from
reoccurring. Safety is part of a learning process which cannot be achieved
by simply purchasing new playground equipment.
The
pursuit of safe playgrounds has ushered in an era where the act of play has
given way to guidelines and regulations. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM),
has provided the framework for manufacturers to produce standardized equipment. The result of these efforts is
an oversimplified structure that kids soon grow tired of. With
boredom comes restlessness, fighting, and the pursuit to challenge
"safe" equipment in unexpected ways.
Injuries
related to playground equipment are collected by CPSC from
hospitals across America. In 1999, it is estimated that over 156,000
injuries occurred on public, playground equipment. Nearly 80% of these injuries
were due to falls to the surface below the equipment. Where injuries occurred,
79% of public playgrounds had protective surfacing and 74% of the equipment was
reported to be in "good" condition. Certainly there are measures
that can be taken to reduce the risk of an injury, but they clearly do not
prevent the majority of injuries from occurring.
Here
are some suggestions for dealing with injury risks that can have a far greater effect:
Limit Elevated
Play Structures
Provide play events that settle into the landscape and are not exclusively
elevated. Children can have as much fun on the ground as they have six
feet off the ground.
Location Location Location
Locate elevated structures away from the rest of the playspace so that it does
not encumber circulation. Make sure that there is adequate physical and
visual access for adults.
Make Necessary Changes
When recurrent injuries occur, have the flexibility to alter the landscape or
equipment. Show children the method of your alteration which hopefully
will not be hindered by prior commercial installations.
Provide Diversity
Enrich the play area with a diversity of activities to avoid risky behavior due to
boredom. Events should not be limited to physical challenges but also
include activities that exercise a child's imagination and develops social and
problem solving skills.
Guidance not Limitations
Allow children to explore their boundaries by letting them confront challenges
at their own pace with guidance
that instructs rather than places limitations. Intervene at a point when
the child begins breaking established rules that are based on an a prior
assessment of risk.
Keep it Clean
Keep the play area clear of toy debris by providing storage that is accessible
to children. Encourage a sense of ownership by asking children to clean-up after
themselves.
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Playground Inspections:
Grassroots Playscapes created an
inspection program that
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