Playground Safety 620-01-95-20

(Revised 3/20/12 ML #3317)

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Providers are responsible for ensuring outdoor play areas are safe. The following checklist is provided as a guide to increase playground safety:

 

  1. Surfaces around playground equipment should be safe. It is recommended that areas around playground equipment have at least 6 inches of wood chips, mulch, sand or pea gravel, or there are mats made of safety-tested rubber or rubber-like materials.

 

  1. Protective surfacing should extend at least six feet in all directions around play equipment. For swings, the surfacing should extend in the back and front, twice the height of the suspending bar.

 

  1. Play structures more than 30 inches high should be spaced at least nine feet apart.

 

  1. Dangerous hardware, like open ‘S’ hooks or protruding bolt ends, must be removed.

 

  1. Spaces that could trap children, such as openings in guardrails or between ladder rungs should measure less than 3.5 inches or more than nine inches.

 

  1. Equipment must not have any sharp points or edges.

 

  1. Tripping hazards, such as exposed concrete footings, tree stumps, and rocks shall be removed from the playground.

 

  1. Elevated surfaces, like platforms and ramps must have guardrails to prevent falls.

 

  1. Providers shall inspect playgrounds regularly to see that equipment and surfacing are in good condition.