Is your child safe on the playground? Important safety guidelines to know about

You assume your child is safe when playing in virtually any playground. However, it never hurts to be aware of common but overlooked safety tips that can help your child stay even safer when having fun with friends. They include:

Check for Moisture

It’s always wise to check playground equipment for signs of moisture. Naturally, this is something you should certainly do after rain or even a night when dew may have formed.

Otherwise safe playground equipment can become very dangerous when it’s wet. Don’t let your children play on any equipment that could be slippery.

Keep a Helmet With You

It’s not necessary for a child to wear a helmet when playing on most playground equipment. That said, a playground may be in a park setting offering access to activities that require a helmet, like riding a bike.

Take your child’s bicycle helmet with you whenever heading to the playground. It’s always helpful to have on hand, even if they don’t end up using it.

Check New Playgrounds

Don’t let your child play on any playground equipment until you’ve had the chance to inspect the playground. When checking the equipment itself, look for signs of rust, loose components, and other dangerous conditions.

Check the grounds of the playground as well. Look for broken glass or anything else that may pose a risk to a child. Report your findings to the playground owner (usually the town or a school).

In the meantime, don’t let your children play anywhere you’ve found dangerous conditions. You may even periodically re-check playgrounds you’ve already checked just to confirm they’re still safe.

Keep Backpacks And Other Items Away from Playground Equipment

Your children may be traveling to the playground with backpacks, bikes, sports equipment, and other such items. Make sure they keep these items in a spot away from the playground equipment. If they keep these items too close to the playground equipment, they run the risk of tripping over it.

Check for Strangulation Hazards

Be very thorough when checking what your child is wearing to the playground. Everything from an item of jewelry to a scarf or drawstring could be a strangulation hazard if it gets caught in a piece of playground equipment. Never let a child play on the playground with such clothing or accessories.

Check for Age-Appropriateness

Not all playgrounds are for all ages. Before letting a child play on any equipment, assess the equipment to make sure your child is old enough to use it safely. Some pieces of playground equipment may even tell you what ages the equipment is best for.

Choose Playgrounds with the Right Surface

To the best of your ability, make sure your children only play on playgrounds whose surfaces are reasonably soft and shock-absorbing. They don’t need to offer actual cushioning, but they should be softer than asphalt.

Teach Kids to Keep a Safe Distance from Equipment

Running or playing too close to slides, swings, and other such pieces of playground equipment can be risky for children. Teach your children to keep a safe distance from these pieces of equipment when playing near them. Similarly, teach your children to keep an eye out for others who may be too close when they’re using these pieces of equipment.

Ask About Maintenance

You have a right to know what type of equipment your child is playing on. Thus, it may make sense to contact the owner or manager of the playground to ask about how the equipment is maintained.

You may even ask about the manufacturers of the equipment. If you know who designed and manufactured the equipment your child plays on, you can check to find out if they have a history of lawsuits or any other such red flags.

Understand Your Legal Options

Following the advice here can help you boost your child’s safety on a playground. Unfortunately, accidents can still happen. For example, your child might be injured if a piece of playground equipment fails. Or, they might get hurt at school if those responsible for monitoring them fail to do so.

You may have legal options in these circumstances. Depending on the details of the case, you may have grounds to file a claim or lawsuit seeking financial compensation for medical bills and related losses.

One of the best ways to learn more about your legal rights is to speak with an attorney. At Swartz & Swartz, P.C., a Boston personal injury and playground injuries lawyer is available to answer your questions and offer dedicated representation. Learn more by contacting us online or calling us at (617) 742-1900 for a free case review.

Need Help?

If you or someone you know, needs help from a lawyer, contact the law offices of Swartz & Swartz, use our live chat, or send us a message using the form below and we’ll get in touch to assess your case and how we can help.