Many believe that once the playground is built, the project is complete. This common misconception can cause detrimental damage to your investment.
Over 200,000 children are treated in emergency rooms each year in the U.S. The two most common general hazard patterns are falls and equipment-related hazards, which together account for 81% of the reported incidents according to a study prepared for the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
After carefully creating a budget and designing and installing a playground, you should then establish a plan for maintenance. It is estimated that 40% of all playground injuries are the result of inadequate maintenance.
Frequently monitoring the state of equipment helps to control expenses and prevent potentially high repair costs. Maintenance includes equipment, surfacing, and borders. Keeping loose-fill surfaces raked and clear of outside debris like glass and trash is a simple way to reduce the risk of injuries on your playground.
Routine preventative care keeps the play equipment safe for children and reduces long term liability issues.
There are many variables that factor into creating a maintenance plan for a playground. Some aspects of a checklist or schedule are universal and important for any outdoor recreation area. Others may be specific to your playground equipment.
Don’t forget to check inside slides and tunnels for hidden dangerous materials.
If you are ever unsure of a safety issue, take the equipment out of service until a Certified Public Safety Inspector (CPSI) can do an inspection.
Consider the manufacturer’s main-tenance instructions when designing your maintenance plan.
Mark vertical posts and borders to help keep better track of loose-fill surfacing depths.
A commercial-grade playground is a big investment, and like a car needs regular maintenance, so does your play area. Below, we have created a diagram that outlines 5 main things to look for when performing routine maintenance checks on your site.
Cracks in surfaces can affect structural integrity, snag clothing, or cut skin. Cracking can happen if water seeps into plastics and expands/contracts due to weather. Be sure to check metal parts for rust or wear, particularly on heavily used pieces of equipment or items with moving parts like swings and spinners. Vandalism like graffiti should be cleaned and removed before it invites more.
Regularly inspect the grounds of your site for loose trash and make sure receptacles aren’t left to overflow. Be especially watchful for potentially dangerous garbage or debris, like broken glass or wayward nails.
Look for loose or missing bolts, screws, fasteners, etc. Tighten down what you can and use warning tape to mark off what can’t be used until you can replace parts.
While great for shade and their natural beauty, trees need to be watched for decaying sections that could fall from overhead. Also be on the lookout for hazardous plants like poison ivy.
Rubber and wood mulch, loose-fill surfacing shifts over time and needs to be kept at the proper depth for safety requirements. Make a habit of raking these surfaces and replenishing them, particularly under slides and swings.
It’s imperative to establish inspection schedules for your site’s equipment, safety surfacing, and surrounding grounds. The frequency of inspections can vary from site to site, but the best practice encourages playground owner-operators to clearly establish task lists or checklists custom to the equipment present at each site. Each playground is different, therefore each area will have its own set of criteria to base inspection on.
We recommend creating a maintenance checklist database for each playground site that you own or operate that is connected to all of the impacting features of the relevant playground being inspected, e.g. having general, hardware, surfacing, and exterior checklists.
You should also factor in regional environmental impact and seasonal effects when determining your playground maintenance schedule and the associated task lists. Note, some tasks will naturally be performed with higher rates of frequency than others.
These task checklists should further be defined along time parameters, with different inspection and upkeep being done at each site:
Keeping your checklist and site information organized and easily accessible makes record keeping easier, and helps minimize liability. Below, we have outlined examples of High Frequency Tasks and Low Frequency Tasks to give you an idea of where to start in your checklist.
High Frequency checks are often done daily or weekly and focus on issues caused by use, weather conditions, and vandalism. These checks are also a good chance to check for trash and debris and address sanitation issues.
Low Frequency checks are typically quarterly or semi-annually. They are more in-depth and address the wear and tear of all equipment and surfacing. These checks should be com-pleted by someone with extensive knowledge of play equipment and surfacing standards.
Look for hazardous trash and debris like broken glass, sharp metals, or storm remnants. Ensure there are no hazards created by vandalism or user modification.
Evaluate the slope, grade and soil type of your land to ensure that you have proper drainage. Eliminate standing water in the play area and ensure water drains safely away from the site.
Check for rust, rot, cracks, or splinters on any equipment. Clean metal surfaces and repaint emergent rust or chipped spots. Remove graffiti to dissuade vandalism.
Make sure all moving components are in good condition, secure, & lubricated. Make sure swing hardware is not worn and chains are not twisted.
Regular raking of loose-fill surfacing must be done in order to maintain an even surface at the proper depth. Prime areas of concern are under swings and at ends of slides.
Routinely inspect all connection points and hardware. Make sure your playground is securely anchored by checking in-ground and surface mount hardware.
Check for hardware protrusions or user modifications that could cause injury. Eliminate entanglement hazards between parts like handrails, guardrails, and protective barriers by ensuring hardware is tightened.
Replace or clean any warning signs or labels. Replace missing components or damaged fences, benches, or signs.
Comprehensive plans for how you maintain your playground equipment and when it is inspected and serviced will prove valuable to your organization as it begins the steps towards opening a playground. These documents should exist in both hard and digital copies. They will be used in the insurance coverage application process. Should an accident with injury occur at your site(s), your records can be used as evidence to prove an incident was a result of chance or user error rather than as a result of any operator negligence that would have led to degradation of the site’s equipment.
For consistency, your created maintenance guide should incorporate any and all manufacturer provided instructions for the proper care of the purchased equipment installed on your playground. Manufacturers are primary sources of knowledge when it comes to best practice on what work needs to be done and the frequency of the checks. Proof of maintenance also benefits playground management when a warranty claim has to be made pertaining to purchased equipment. When the manufacturer provided information conflicts with larger industry standards, defer to whichever is suggesting the more habitual and rigorous approach.
As inspections and repairs are completed, it’s best to have a standardized report form that staff can fill out. Keep records of EVERYTHING, as they will prove helpful for future site planning, employee hiring, or budgeting. Keep lists of equipment installed and replacement components later purchased. Original receipts of major purchases can be reexamined for details on how to maintain proper evaluation standards, which can be especially important for sites that might undergo roster changes over time. Keep a regularly updated list of maintenance gear, hardware, and tools to help minimize the likelihood of inventory shortage, which can add unnecessary expense to a playground’s operating budget.
After installation, it is good practice to have an initial audit by a CPSI to be sure the equipment meets current safety standards. After an initial inspection, someone within the maintenance team with extensive knowledge of playground safety standards can take over the checklists and overall care. Your staff needs to be able to identify known hazards and implement fixes. They should be able to follow the schedule and document their preventative care work for your records. At least once a year, a CPSI should be scheduled to inspect the playground.
No matter how many playgrounds your organization manages or where they’re located, you must be prepared for the considerable workload that comes from operating recreation sites. You and your team will be taking on legal and financial liability, as well as being trusted by families to protect the health of children who engage in responsible play. Running a playground requires ethical character, sound decision making, and a significant investment of time, money, and attention. These concerns heighten as you increase the number of sites under your supervision.
NRPA - National Recreation and Park Association
(www.nrpa.org/playgroundsafety; 800-626-6772)
NRPA is dedicated to educating professionals and the public on the essential nature of parks and recreation.
IPEMA - International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association
(www.ipema.com; 88 -944-7362)
IPEMA is a non-profit, membership, trade association that represents and promotes an open market for manufacturers of playground equipment and surfacing.
NPPS - National Program for Playground Safety
(www.uni.edu/playground; 800-544-7529)
NPPS is the premier non-profit organization in the United States delivering training and services about outdoor play and safety.
ASTM - ASTM International
(www.astm.org; 610-832-9500)
ASTM, formerly the American Society of Testing and Materials, is an independent and renowned developer of technical standards utilized in testing a multitude of products, including playground equipment and related products.
CPSC - Consumer Product Safety Commission
(www.cpsc.gov; 800-638-2772)
The CPSC regulates many product, including playground equipment and related products, to help ensure the safety of consumers and users. Access Board - U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (www.access-board.gov; 800-872-2253) The Access Board has completed Accessibility Guidelines for Play Facilities as set forth in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
