How To Design a Safe Playground for Children to Play. Building a playground is tough and one of the most important aspects is the surface on which the playground rests. Playgrounds have many different options and surfaces to pick from, and some are safer than others. If you pick the wrong surface the results can be devastating with regards to injuries and toxic materials used in the surfaces construction. Children have a tendency to fall and the outcomes of that fall will depend on the surface they happen to land. The potential injuries can range from mild to possibly severe. Materials like asphalt, concrete, and black top are unsafe on any playground under any condition if you want your children to lead a healthy life free of injury. These kinds of materials are also unacceptable for playgrounds to founded upon. It is also unsuitable to use grass, soil and packed earth because these material deteriorate and can erode based on ever changing weather conditions. This can make for unsafe landing conditions for children when they’re running around and falling down. You need to make sure the playground is away from tree roots, stumps, rocks and other dangerous items that could potentially cause injury. Please make sure there are no other items like broken glass and dangerous trash in the area when building the playground or laying the surface.
If You Read One Article About Playgrounds, Read This One
There are so many safe materials you can pick from when building a playground for your children. Materials like these will help ensure that you are creating a safe environment for your children to play.
If You Read One Article About Playgrounds, Read This One
You can fill the playground with special materials like pea gravel, shredded rubber, sand, wood chips and mulch. If you use wood chips be aware that they should be free of certain chemicals like chromated copper arsenate, which can pose a potential health hazard for your children. It is important to keep a few things in mind when you’re trying to decide upon a material for your playground surface and the structure of the base. If your playground happens to be no higher than 8ft you need to keep the surface material at least 12 inches deep for safety purposes in case a child falls in a high wear area. The playground you build should extend at least 6ft past the playground equipment for optimal safety. If the slides or swings are higher than you may need more coverage for unexpected accidents like jumping from a swing. It is also wise to provide some type of wheelchair access using rubber mats, or similar material, so the disabled can play as well. If your playground happens to be built over a hard surface make sure you use a layer of geo-textile cloth to help protect against hard impacts, like from falling children. The main goal of a playground is to have fun and keep children safe form unwanted danger like asphalt. It is important to follow all the safety protocols in order to achieve both of these things and provide a happy experience.