5 Common Playground Hazards

Playgrounds should be a safe place for kids to play. OMAG Risk Management Services performs playground inspections for our municipalities at no charge. Consider getting your playgrounds inspected to ensure your parks and recreation facilities are safe from these common hazards:

Falls - Kids are prone to falling as they are still developing balancing skills. One way to protect them from falls is to follow safe use zones. Each piece of playground equipment has a use zone which gives a specific fall height. It is important to know these guidelines and follow them.

Entrapment - Strangulation due to head/neck entrapment after a feet first entry into an element is the number 3 cause of death on playgrounds. All openings must be tested to admit both feet and the head. No opening should measure between 3 ½ inches and 9 inches on any structures.

Crush & Shear Hazards - These injuries can occur at the juncture between 2 or more playground elements that have movements relative to each other and lack the recommended clearance between parts. It is important to have your playground inspected by a trained professional who will take notice of these types of hazards.

Protrusions - A rigid projection becomes a protrusion hazard when it extends beyond the recommended ASTM standard, which is measured by placing 3 projection test gauges over the protruding bolt, fastener, step, or handle.

Trip Hazards - These include deep pits/cracks in degraded poured-in-place rubber surfacing, clumps/folds of geo-fabric, exposure of the layer beneath engineered wood fiber surfacing when the wood mulch is scattered, and the tops and edges of concrete footings exposed due to the wearing away of safety surfacing.

For a more detailed description of playground safety specifications go to www.omag.org (OMAG’s webpage), click on “free services” then “public works”, then under SAFETY DOCUMENTATION click on “The Playground Inspection Manual” and open the document icon found in the lower-left corner of your computer screen. This manual can be printed out or downloaded onto your computer or a flash drive.

If you would like to schedule a playground safety inspection by OMAG staff, contact Kip Prichard – kprichard@omag.org.

Playground Safety Inspections

January and February are great times to have OMAG Risk Management Services come out and do a playground safety inspection at your municipality’s local parks. This is a free service. After the inspection is complete you will receive a written report with pictures and recommendations concerning any hazardous conditions found in your playground facilities. To schedule an inspection or get more information about the Playground Inspection Program, contact Kip Prichard, OMAG Risk Management Specialist.