{"id":2891,"date":"2013-03-21T11:42:13","date_gmt":"2013-03-21T16:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/?p=2891"},"modified":"2014-11-13T17:56:26","modified_gmt":"2014-11-13T23:56:26","slug":"how-safe-is-your-home-playground-equipment-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/how-safe-is-your-home-playground-equipment-part-3\/","title":{"rendered":"How Safe is Your Home Playground Equipment? Part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"width: 194px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" \" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.backyardcity.com\/Images\/BYC\/safety.jpg?resize=184%2C222\" width=\"184\" height=\"222\" \/><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Safety First<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>How Safe is Your Home Playground Equipment? Part 3<\/h2>\n<h3>Inspection and Maintenance Over Time<\/h3>\n<p>Backyard playground safety is a significant priority when we plan and construct a backyard playground for our kids and their friends.\u00a0 Just as crucial, though, is the attention we pay to playground safety over time.\u00a0 Playground safety should remain a priority for the duration of the playground equipment&#8217;s use.\u00a0 Regular inspection and upkeep of the playground area is essential for keeping children safe through years of active play.\u00a0 By following the guidelines for inspection and maintenance presented in this article, you can increase the safety of your playground equipment, protective playground surface, and the surrounding area, and lessen the possibility of injuries.<\/p>\n<p>Over time, the safety of \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Swing-Set-Kits-Do-It-Yourself.htm\">backyard playground equipment<\/a>\u00a0can be undermined by harsh weather conditions and active play.\u00a0 Frequent inspections of the playground equipment and the condition of each part will reduce the likelihood of injuries.\u00a0 The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that the following actions be taken to ensure the safety of your backyard playground equipment:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Check nuts and bolts twice a month and tighten as needed.<\/li>\n<li>Replace hardware that is worn or that has protrusions or projections.<\/li>\n<li>Oil moving metal parts as directed by the manufacturer.<\/li>\n<li>Check to make sure protective caps and plugs that cover bolt ends and ends of tubing are in place and tight.\u00a0 Inspect twice a month and replace as needed.<\/li>\n<li>Check the condition of the equipment, looking for signs of wear and tear such as broken or missing parts, bent pipes or tubing, and splintering or decaying wooden surfaces.<\/li>\n<li>Check swing seats, ropes, chains, and cables monthly for deterioration and replace as needed.<\/li>\n<li>Clean, sand, and repaint rusted areas with a non-lead-based paint.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In addition, sandboxes should be checked often for insects, debris, and dangers such as sharp rocks, sticks, or broken glass.\u00a0 Sandboxes should be covered when not in use to prevent animals from soiling the sand.<\/p>\n<p>The amount of maintenance required for protective playground surfaces will depend on the type of surface you have chosen. Loose-fill surface materials like wood chips, shredded bark mulch, pea gravel, play sand, and recycled rubber mulch require regular raking, and sometimes tilling, to remove rubbish, loosen compacted areas, and level the surface.\u00a0 Also, to maintain the appropriate protective depth of your playground surface, add more material to your existing surface once or twice each year.<\/p>\n<p>Synthetic protective playground surfaces like rubber tiles, rubber mats, and poured-in-place surfaces usually need less maintenance than loose-fill surface materials, but they should be inspected frequently.\u00a0 Look for gouges, burns, or loosened areas, and repair them as needed.\u00a0 Additionally, sand, rocks, leaves, or other loose material should be swept from the protective surface routinely to lower the possibility of slipping hazards.<\/p>\n<p>The area surrounding your backyard playground can become just as dangerous as the equipment and the protective playground surface if not adequately maintained.\u00a0 Keep the area free of litter and any objects that may cause injuries, such as fallen tree limbs, sharp sticks, large rocks, and yard tools.\u00a0 Additionally, adequate drainage should be maintained to prevent water from collecting on and around the protective playground surface.\u00a0 Areas that are often wet can be potential slipping hazards as well as breeding grounds for fungus, mold, and other bacteria.<\/p>\n<p>In summary, take a few minutes each week to inspect your home playground equipment, protective surface, and surrounding area for possible safety issues. Doing so can significantly improve safety conditions for the children who enjoy your backyard playground.\u00a0 Keeping kids safe is paramount, and no measure is too great to assure their well being during their explorative and developmental play.\u00a0\u00a0 Backyard playground safety is too important to permit any avoidable risk to go undetected.<\/p>\n<p>Sources:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Document #323.\u00a0 &#8220;Home Playground Safety Tips.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Document #324.\u00a0 &#8220;Outdoor Home Playground Safety Handbook.&#8221;\u00a0 2005.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How Safe is Your Home Playground Equipment? Part 3 Inspection and Maintenance Over Time Backyard playground safety is a significant priority when we plan and construct a backyard playground for our kids and their friends.\u00a0 Just as crucial, though, is the attention we pay to playground safety over time.\u00a0 Playground safety should remain a priority for the duration of the playground equipment&#8217;s use.\u00a0 Regular inspection &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/how-safe-is-your-home-playground-equipment-part-3\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">How Safe is Your Home Playground Equipment? Part 3<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&raquo;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,17,602],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-backyard-fun","category-outdoor-safety-tips","category-swing-sets-play"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2Nnyf-KD","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":605,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/backyard-playground-safety-inspection-and-maintenance-over-time\/","url_meta":{"origin":2891,"position":0},"title":"Backyard Playground Safety: Inspection and Maintenance Over Time","author":"Sara May","date":"February 17, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Ensuring the safety of backyard swing sets and playgrounds is a major concern when we plan and construct a backyard playground to be used by the children in our lives.\u00a0 Just as important, though, is the attention we pay to playground safety over many years.\u00a0 Playground safety should continue to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Backyard Fun&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Backyard Fun","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/category\/backyard-fun\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":221,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/swing-set-safety\/","url_meta":{"origin":2891,"position":1},"title":"Swing Set\u00a0Safety","author":"Trey Collier","date":"December 23, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"How Safe is Your Backyard Playground Equipment? Before you jump into installing the swing set you got for your kids this Christmas, consider the following\u2026 Backyard playground safety begins even before the playground equipment has been constructed and installed. Hopefully this information will assist you in planning and creating a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Backyard Fun&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Backyard Fun","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/category\/backyard-fun\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":603,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/backyard-playground-safety-safety-on-the-swing-set\/","url_meta":{"origin":2891,"position":2},"title":"Backyard Playground Safety: Safety on the Swing Set","author":"Sara May","date":"February 8, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Considering safety when planning and constructing\u00a0new backyard playground equipment\u00a0is crucial, but just as important is considering safety while the kids are engaged\u00a0in active play on that well-designed and well-constructed equipment.\u00a0\u00a0Kids just want to have fun, but sometimes that fun can have some hidden dangers about which parents and caregivers should\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Backyard Fun&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Backyard Fun","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/category\/backyard-fun\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":593,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/backyard-playground-safety-planning-for-a-safe-playground\/","url_meta":{"origin":2891,"position":3},"title":"Backyard Playground Safety: Planning For a Safe\u00a0Playground","author":"Sara May","date":"January 28, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"It's not too early to start thinking about providing your kids with a Springtime surprise -- a backyard swing set or playground.\u00a0 In fact, it's best to start early because there are a number of considerations to take into account when planning for a safe\u00a0backyard playground experience. Location is key!\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Backyard Fun&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Backyard Fun","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/category\/backyard-fun\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/adventurer-4pos-tonn2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":601,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/backyard-playground-safety-tips-for-constructing-your-new-swing-set\/","url_meta":{"origin":2891,"position":4},"title":"Backyard Playground Safety: Tips For Constructing Your New Swing Set","author":"Sara May","date":"February 3, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Once you have planned\u00a0the safest location for your new backyard swing set equipment and have selected the most suitable protective surface material\u00a0for underneath and around the equipment, you\u00a0are ready to construct.\u00a0\u00a0Of course, safety considerations during swing set construction\u00a0are just as important as during the planning stage.\u00a0\u00a0 By following the guidelines\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Backyard Fun&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Backyard Fun","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/category\/backyard-fun\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":599,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/backyard-playground-safety-how-to-choose-a-protective-surface-material\/","url_meta":{"origin":2891,"position":5},"title":"Backyard Playground Safety: How to Choose a Protective Surface\u00a0Material","author":"Sara May","date":"February 1, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"When it comes to safety, one of the most neglected features of backyard swing sets and playgrounds is the ground itself.\u00a0 While something like 80% of public playgrounds have some type of shock-absorbing protective surfacing under playground equipment, only 9% of home backyard playgrounds do, according to a 2001 playground\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Backyard Fun&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Backyard Fun","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/category\/backyard-fun\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2891","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2891"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2891\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2894,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2891\/revisions\/2894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}