When it comes to keeping your kids safe while playing outside, playground safety is an important topic.
Ensuring playground safety not only prevents injuries but also ensures your children can stay safe whether they are on a public playground or playing in your backyard.
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Safe Kids Worldwide, a nonprofit, works to minimize accidental injuries among children aged 0-14 and fosters supportive frameworks for injury prevention, according to their website. They report that preventable injuries rank as the leading cause of death among children in the United States.
According to Safe Kids, it is estimated that one-third of playground deaths and 51 percent of playground injuries happen on public playgrounds.
5 tips for playground safety from Safe Kids Worldwide:
- Avoid playgrounds with surfaces that don’t absorb impact, such as asphalt, concrete, grass, dirt or gravel.
- For swings, make sure that the surfacing extends, in the back and front, twice the height of the suspending bar. So if the top of the swing set is 10 feet high, the surfacing should extend 20 feet.
- Ensure children use age-appropriate playground equipment. Separate play areas for children under 5 should be available and maintained.
- Check playgrounds where your children play. Look for hazards, such as rusted or broken equipment and dangerous surfaces. Report any hazards to the school or appropriate local office.
- Dress appropriately for the playground. Remove necklaces, purses, scarves or clothing with drawstrings that can get caught on equipment and pose a strangulation hazard. Even helmets can be dangerous on a playground
For more information on playground safety, visit www.safekids.org and nsc.org.