Playing on the playground is a fun way for children to spend a morning or afternoon, but it’s important to supervise them closely. Injuries and even fatalities occur on playgrounds each year due to equipment failure, entrapments, and hazards on the playground.
According to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, the top four pieces of equipment associated with playground injuries are: climbers, swings, slides, and overhead ladders. At home, injuries commonly occur on swings, while public playgrounds see the most injuries on climbers. Common injuries include fractures, abrasions, lacerations, dislocations, strains, sprains, internal/organ injuries, and concussions. Most injuries occur on public playgrounds.
Prevent playground injuries by making sure that the surfaces around the equipment are free of debris and are padded with wood chips, sand, pea gravel, or safety-tested rubber mats; the padding should extend at least six feet in all directions from the equipment. Check for protruding bolt ends and other dangerous hardware in addition to sharp edges on equipment. Elevated surfaces should have guardrails and all playground equipment should be in good condition. It’s a good idea to remove drawstrings from a child’s sweatshirt and to make sure that clothing does not contain material that will easily catch on equipment.
The CPSC has created a playground inspection checklist that you can download here. It’s a great guide for making sure that any playground is safe for children.
If your child has been injured on a playground due to a defective product or improper maintenance of equipment, contact the Schuerman Law office today. Schuerman Law has been working with personal injury claims such as playground accidents for over 40 years. John Schuerman is a compassionate advocate for individuals who have been injured as well as for their families. He will aggressively fight for full compensation for injury victims’ claims. Schuerman Law has evening and weekend appointments available in addition to home and hospital visits. Schedule a free consultation today by calling 1-800-274-0045.
