Inspect School Playgrounds for Safety Hazards

For Immediate Release

For more information, contact:Joanne Swanson(847) 384-4035, [email protected]

Lisa Doty(847) 384-4033, [email protected]

Paula Poda(847) 384-4034, [email protected]

Inspect school playgrounds for safety hazards, Academy advises

ROSEMONT, Ill.-- To prevent school playground injuries, authorities should check playground equipment for loose, damaged or missing parts before students go back to school, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons advises.

In 1999, more than 509,000 children and teens were treated at hospitals and doctors' offices for injuries related to playground equipment, according to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission data. The Academy is urging school officials to perform a Playground Safety Checkup at each playground so that equipment repairs or removal can take place before anyone is injured.

Last year, 169,529 injuries related to monkey bars, 165,535 injuries related to swings and 103,507 injuries related to slides occurred among individuals younger than age 20. The Academy has launched a national public education campaign, "Prevent Injuries America!" to call attention to the problem.

In 1999, youngsters' playground injuries cost the U.S. $9.8 billion in medical, legal and liability, pain and suffering, and work loss expenses.

The Academy said that playground equipment should be well-maintained and there must be no sharp edges, protrusions or openings that could trap a child's head or body. As medical doctors who treat musculoskeletal conditions, orthopaedic surgeons often see the fractures, dislocations and sprains and strains that result from playground injuries.

Many injuries can be prevented with attention to playground equipment installation and maintenance, playground surfaces, adult supervision and playground design and layout. Even if the playground is new or recently renovated, summer weather can take its toll on the equipment. Officials should inspect moving parts and stationary support structures for deterioration.

Potential hazards include missing or broken guardrails, warped or rusted components, loose nuts/bolts, asphalt or concrete underneath playground equipment and swing seats made of metal or wood. At the playground, surfaces should be made of shock-absorbing material like rubber mats, or loose fill such as fine or medium gravel to a suitable depth, engineered wood fibers, sand or double-shredded bark mulch. To be effective, areas of loose fill should be contained.

Adult supervision of children on the playground is also very important to reduce the risk of playground injury. Areas for active play should be separated from areas for quiet play.

Playground safety tips from the Academy include:

--Climb the steps slowly

--Hold onto the handrails

--Slide one person at a time

--Slide sitting down (not backwards, not headfirst)

--Move away from the slide exit as soon as reaching the ground

--Avoid wearing hooded sweatshirts or other clothing with long strings that could get tangled and create a choking hazard.

For the Academy's free Prevent Injuries America!, a Guide to Playground Safety brochure, call toll-free: 1-800-824-BONES (2663) or send a self-addressed (business size) envelope to Playgrounds, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, P.O. Box 1998, Des Plaines, Ill. 60017.

Internet users can download the Prevent Injuries America! playground safety information from the Academy's web site: http://www.aaos.org.

The 24,500-member American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons is a not-for-profit organization that provides education programs for orthopaedic surgeons, allied health professionals and the public and is an advocate for improved patient care.

An orthopaedic surgeon is a medical doctor with extensive training in the diagnosis and nonsurgical as well as surgical treatment of the musculoskeletal system, including bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and nerves.

The Academy is participating in the Bone and Joint Decade (www.bonejointdecade.org), the global initiative in the years 2000-2010 to raise awareness of people's musculoskeletal health care needs.

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1-800-824-BONES (1-800-824-2663)

Playground Injuries in 1999

More than 509,650 injuries related to playground equipment occurred among persons younger than age 20.

       Injuries related to:             0-19 years
Monkey Bars, Other Climbing Equipment 169,529
Swings 165,535
Slides 103,507
Other Playground Equipment 59,226
Teeter-Totters/Seesaws 11,853
TOTAL 509,650

Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's 1999 NEISS data and estimates, based on injuries treated in hospitals, doctors' offices/clinics, ambulatory surgery centers and hospital emergency rooms.

Estimated cost of playground equipment-related injuries,individuals younger than age 20: $9.8 billion

(1999 costs include medical, legal and liability, pain and suffering and work loss expenses.)

Playground Safety Checklist

-- Can children grasp handrails easily?

Handrails, climbing bars and overhead rungs should measure 1.25 inches in diameter, although .95 to 1.55 inches is acceptable.

-- Are fulcrum see-saws too steep?

The maximum attainable angle between the ground and the teeter-totter seat touching the ground should be 25 degrees.

-- Are stairs and steps spaced evenly? Unless the risers are closed, all steps and stairways used by preschoolers must be 9 inches or more apart; those used by older children must be at least 12 inches apart. Any that are 3.5 to 9 inches apart should be closed to prevent entrapment of the head or body.

-- Do elevated surfaces have protective barriers?

With the exception of slides and most climbing equipment, any walkway platform or other elevated surface higher than 30 inches that is used by preschoolers should have a protective barrier. Older children need one for surfaces higher than 4 feet.

-- What is the surface underneath and around the playground equipment?

Avoid any playground that has a concrete or asphalt surface because these materials have no shock-absorbing properties and can result in severe injury. Also not recommended for surfacing are soil, grass, packed dirt and turf since their shock-absorbing ability can be reduced by wear as well as weather conditions.

-- Does the playground surface have shock-absorbing properties?

Sixty percent of playground injuries are due to falls. Soft surfaces such as wood chips, shredded tires, double shredded bark mulch, fine gravel and fine sand reduce the risk of injury. These loose fill surfaces, if properly maintained, are better able to absorb shock from a fall.

-- Is the platform at the top safe?

There should be no gaps between the platform and the top of the slide chute. The platform should be horizontal and at least as wide as the slide; a width of 22 inches is recommended for free-standing slides. A child also needs a panel or bar to hold onto as he/she reaches the top of the slide and sits down to descend.

-- Are the swings hung properly?

Hangers at the top of the swing should be spaced no less than 20 inches apart, to limit side-to-side motion. Unidirectional swings (e.g., traditional swings) should be placed at least 30 inches from the support structure and at least 2 feet apart. No more than two swings should be hung in one bay.

-- Is the slide exit adequate for the children?

The slide exit region of all slides should be at least 11 inches long. It should be positioned 7 to 15 inches off the ground if the slide is higher than 4 feet. The slide exit of smaller slides should not be more than 11 inches off the ground. All slide exits should have curved or rounded edges.

-- Are swing seats safe?

Swing seats should be made of rubber or plastic, not wood or metal. They should not be large enough to hold more than one child at a time. Tot (bucket-type) swing seats should support the child on all sides and be at least 24 inches from the ground.

-- Is the slope too steep?

The slide incline should average 30 degrees or less. No span of the slide should be steeper than 50 degrees.

-- Do stairways have handrails on both sides?

Beginning with the first step, handrail height should be between 22 and 26 inches for preschoolers; between 22 and 38 inches for older children.

-- How high should guardrails be?

For preschoolers, guardrails are recommended for platforms 21 to 30 inches high. For school-age children, guardrails should be installed on platforms 31 to 48 inches high. Guardrails on elevated surfaces should begin no more than 23 inches above the platform for preschoolers; 28 inches above the platform for school-age children. The upper part of the guardrail should be no more than 29 inches high for preschoolers and 38 inches high for school-age children.

-- Are overhead rungs spaced properly?

Adjacent rungs of horizontal overhead ladders should be more than 9 inches apart so that a child's head cannot become trapped. Rungs used by preschoolers should be a maximum of 12 inches apart; those used by school-age children should be a maximum of 15 inches apart. No rung should turn when grasped.

(Recommendations of U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission)

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