Playgrounds are at the heart of children’s development. They provide the perfect space for kids to play, interact with peers, learn social skills and explore. Since kids frequently use play spaces and equipment, safety measures must be in place to help reduce the chance of injuries and ensure a fun and safe environment.
One way to protect them while supporting their play experiences is to keep up with playground maintenance. This guide takes a closer look at the importance of maintaining playgrounds.
What’s the importance of playground maintenance? Why should you stay on top of inspection and upkeep requirements? Here are reasons to prioritize maintenance for your playground:
Owning a playground is a huge responsibility because it attracts young people and their families. Over 200,000 children aged 14 and below visit emergency rooms for playground-related injuries every year.
Considering head and neck injuries are the most common, you want to do your part to lower the chances of these preventable injuries by maintaining your grounds and equipment.
Establishing a playground requires many resources, from surfacing and labor to equipment and amenities. Proper maintenance preserves quality and slows down wear and tear. By prioritizing maintenance, you keep the grounds and structures in excellent shape, which also extends the service life of your equipment.
Park and community playgrounds are important to the public. They are places where people can gather and interact away from their homes and urban highrises. As a community public space, keeping it well-maintained attracts people and encourages usage.
Safety standards must be high for a school or a community recreational area. While accidents happen, even with adult supervision, it’s crucial that you do everything in your power to maintain high safety standards. Documenting your process and inspecting and fixing issues on time will help reduce dangers as well as possible legal repercussions in case of an injury.
With various playground safety standards and regulations from several organizations, knowing which guidelines apply to you is important. Licensing requirements and regulations can vary from state to state. Some states use ASTM standards, and others use CPSC standards:
Whether you’re designing a new playground or improving the safety of an existing one, you should consider the importance of regular inspections in creating a safe space. Meeting the required standards is great, but you can better ensure safety when you detect and fix issues early. Work with a professional to create a maintenance checklist that features regular inspections.
Whether it’s an indoor or outdoor playground, proper upkeep is necessary to promote safety and minimize the wear and tear that weather conditions and play have on equipment. Here are tips to ensure proper playground upkeep and equipment durability:
Many situations can cause playground injuries. Watch for possible hazards by regularly examining the grounds and equipment. This allows you to identify and address issues before they become serious safety risks. Here are the details to look for:
Playground equipment maintenance is vital to the safety of everyone using the play structures, from kids to cleaners. Create a checklist of tasks to complete regularly to stay on top of normal wear and tear and possible damage. Following a maintenance schedule makes it easier to keep track of the condition of your equipment.
It’s important to frequently check your playground for signs of wear and hazards. However, you should leave playground equipment inspections and maintenance to professionals certified by recognized bodies. They have the experience to assess and advise on how to meet legal and safety requirements.
Safety is upheld when everyone does their part. By displaying playground rules and safety signs, you educate the community about safety and help parents follow best practices while their children are on the playground. To make the signage effective, place it where everybody can see, and make the rules easy to read and understand.
Schools, parks and community centers are important places in the community. As a playground provider, you can promote safety by bringing everyone together to contribute, learn about safety and help keep the public playground in a good condition. While you limit maintenance practices to your team and professionals, engaging the community fosters trust and promotes usage and understanding.
Organizing a community cleanup day is the best way to get everyone interested. You can bring people of all ages together to support the positive activity of tidying the playground for everyone’s benefit. You can include a session on playground safety to help improve awareness in the play areas.
Since playgrounds are public spaces that families appreciate, there is a high chance of getting many volunteers. Some of the things you can do to make the activity successful include:
Playgrounds and parks are important for children’s development. However, injuries are common in places where children frequent, which makes regular playground maintenance a priority for school or community playgrounds. If you want to build a new playground or update an existing one to meet high safety standards, work with industry leaders to bring your vision to life.
At Playworx, we understand the value of maintaining a safe environment for children to play, explore and grow. Our complete selection of Little Tikes commercial playground equipment meets the latest technology and safety standards. Since we’re committed to innovation and outstanding services, our experts will remain with you every step of the way. Learn more about our replacement equipment services, or get in touch today if you want to set up a new playground!
