Playground Safety

Before your child visits a new playground, parents should inspect the facility to be sure it's safe.

To help protect your child from injury, the National Program for Playground Safety offers these guidelines:

*Make sure that you or another trusted adult is always supervising your child's play.
*To prevent possible strangulation, don't allow your child to play while he's wearing clothing with drawstrings.
*The playground should have age-appropriate equipment in separate sections, so that younger children can avoid injury from older children's play and equipment.
*Playground surfaces should provide cushion in the event of a fall -- surfaces that are concrete, grass, asphalt, gravel or packed dirt can contribute to injuries. *Acceptable surfaces include hardwood fiber/mulch, pea gravel, sand, or rubber mats.
*All equipment should be properly rooted to the ground, with no loose, rusting, or missing parts.