{"id":601,"date":"2010-02-03T13:05:02","date_gmt":"2010-02-04T00:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/backyardcity.wordpress.com\/?p=601"},"modified":"2010-02-03T13:05:02","modified_gmt":"2010-02-04T00:05:02","slug":"backyard-playground-safety-tips-for-constructing-your-new-swing-set","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/backyard-playground-safety-tips-for-constructing-your-new-swing-set\/","title":{"rendered":"Backyard Playground Safety: Tips For Constructing Your New Swing Set"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Once you have planned\u00a0<a title=\"Planning for a Safe Playground\" href=\"http:\/\/backyardcity.wordpress.com\/2010\/01\/28\/backyard-playground-safety-planning-for-a-safe-playground\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the safest location<\/a> for your new backyard swing set equipment and have selected <a title=\"Choosing a Playground Surface Material\" href=\"http:\/\/backyardcity.wordpress.com\/2010\/02\/01\/backyard-playground-safety-how-to-choose-a-protective-surface-material\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the most suitable protective surface material<\/a>\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 below as you construct your <a title=\"Swing Set Kits and Plans\" href=\"http:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Swing-Set-Kits-Do-It-Yourself.htm\" target=\"_blank\">backyard playground equipment<\/a>, you will help to ensure the safety of the children who will soon be enjoying what you have built for them.<\/p>\n<p>Use the\u00a0proper hardware for your\u00a0playground equipment:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Use the bolts and screws recommended by the manufacturer of your playground equipment. Lock washers or self-locking nuts are critical for preventing bolts from loosening over time.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Cap any exposed bolts. Exposed bolts can cause serious cuts or entangle loose clothing.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Close all S hooks so that openings are less than the thickness of a dime.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>All playground equipment hardware should be able to resist corrosion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Prevent potential\u00a0tripping hazards:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Always follow manufacturer instructions for anchoring your playground equipment to the protective playground surface.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Watch for exposed anchors, hooks, and bolts, which can cause tripping and other injuries.<\/li>\n<li>Bury anchors and all other ground-level hazards under the playground surface, or cover them with protective surfacing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Here are some additional installation guidelines recommended by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC):<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>All rungs, steps, posts, and railings should be evenly spaced.<\/li>\n<li>Openings between rungs, steps, posts, and railings should either be smaller than 3 inches wide or larger than 9 inches so children cannot become stuck.<\/li>\n<li>Guard rails or barriers are needed around any platform over 30 inches above the protective playground surface.<\/li>\n<li>The entrance area for the slide should not have any gaps or protrusions that could catch or entangle clothing.<\/li>\n<li>V-shaped angles that open upward\u00a0and are less than 55-degrees should be\u00a0filled with a solid barrier (gusset) because these angles can trap a child&#8217;s head or neck.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Having the best time possible is a child&#8217;s only concern when it comes to backyard playground equipment. With proper planning and implementation of the playground safety guidelines presented in this post and in the two previous posts,\u00a0you can feel confident\u00a0that you will have created a play area that is fun and safe.<\/p>\n<p>In my next post on backyard swing set safety, I&#8217;ll focus on some\u00a0important safety tips that parents and caregivers should keep in mind while children are at play on the\u00a0backyard swing set.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 below as you construct your backyard playground equipment, you will help to ensure the safety &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/backyard-playground-safety-tips-for-constructing-your-new-swing-set\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Backyard Playground Safety: Tips For Constructing Your New Swing Set<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&raquo;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"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],"tags":[386,533],"class_list":["post-601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-backyard-fun","category-outdoor-safety-tips","tag-playground-safety","tag-swing-sets"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2Nnyf-9H","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":221,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/swing-set-safety\/","url_meta":{"origin":601,"position":0},"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":601,"position":1},"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":605,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/backyard-playground-safety-inspection-and-maintenance-over-time\/","url_meta":{"origin":601,"position":2},"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":599,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/backyard-playground-safety-how-to-choose-a-protective-surface-material\/","url_meta":{"origin":601,"position":3},"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":[]},{"id":2891,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/how-safe-is-your-home-playground-equipment-part-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":601,"position":4},"title":"How Safe is Your Home Playground Equipment? Part 3","author":"Trey Collier","date":"March 21, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"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\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\/Images\/BYC\/safety.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":593,"url":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/backyard-playground-safety-planning-for-a-safe-playground\/","url_meta":{"origin":601,"position":5},"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":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601","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\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=601"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backyardcity.com\/Outdoor-Patio-Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}