Commercial Playground Safety Upgrade Recommendations

Playground Guide Part 1

Is it time to upgrade my playground?

Upgrading your playground depends on many factors, such as play value. Is it fun? What is the current condition of the facility? Have the community needs been changing? The most critical decision you will make regarding upgrading your playground will be the children’s safety using the existing playground. Please refer to “Is my playground safe” for more details on playground safety and compliance issues. Maybe your old playground needs a minor retrofit to bring it up to current standards. A playground audit from a certified playground inspector will give you insights into your playspace’s current condition, safety, and possible upgrading options.

Sometimes playgrounds are replaced to revitalize a community or school. Other times the community may have outgrown the playground; more children or different user ages may have moved into the area.

A common reason for getting a new playground is because there is no playground in the area, and children need somewhere to play.

Is my current playground safe?

We get this question a lot. Some playgrounds seem to be around forever in local parks and schools. Heck, you might even remember when you played on the equipment as a child. However, it could be worrisome if your kid’s grandpa remembers playing on it too!

The old playground may be okay, and it may even be compliant to current standards. However, many old playgrounds have well-known safety hazards evident to industry professionals that go unnoticed by Mom’s and Dad’s and especially children.

When evaluating a playground for safety concerns and hazards, be on the watch for the following issues:

Improper or No Protective Surfacing

Falling is the number one cause of injuries on the playground. In fact, according to (cite source), more than 75% of all injuries on playground equipment are the result of falls to the surfacing. A child falling on concrete, asphalt, and even grass surfaces can be seriously injured or killed. To protect the children in your care, do not let them climb or play on elevated equipment located over a hard surface such as concrete, asphalt, grass, or packed earth.

Inadequate space around and between play equipment

The space under and around playground equipment is a zone. Typically, the resilient surfacing zone extends six feet (1.8 m) in all directions around the play equipment. This area must increase for moving equipment, ends of slides and swing sets, etc. Under most circumstances, permanent equipment like walls, fences, park benches less than six feet (1.8 m) away from play equipment would not comply with current playground standards.

We specialize in commercial slides, commercial playgrounds, commercial swing sets, playground structures and much more…