Backyard Playground - Safety First

Written by Michael Curry - The Perfect Building Guide

Kids love their fun and break periods. For them, playtime frequently means spending time in the local playground. With time however, things have changed drastically as parents now realize that it is possible to build a playground in their backyard.

Even though building a safe playground at the back of your house costs a lot, it doesn't necessarily mean that the playground equipments are safe for the kids. Each year, playground injuries send nearly 20,000 children to the emergency room, according to figures compiled by the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and research. In fact statistics show that over two hundred thousand accidents resulting from injuries and wounds sustained in the playgrounds are treated annually. This rounds up to over five hundred occurring on a daily basis.

Kids get hurt when they fall off slides and structures, collide with moving pieces equipment or catch their clothes on something. Research shows the most dangerous pieces of playground equipment also happen to be children's favorites, including swings, monkey bars, climbers and slides.

With all that said, what are the necessary things you need to do to ensure that you minimize the incidences of injuries sustained from using the playground equipments?

Build a well-designed play area can be fun as well as safe. The Consumer Product Safety Commission and the national Program for Playground Safety have created recommendations for homeowners who want to build safe play spaces for their children. So, how do you build a safe playground? What are the factors to be considered when building a safe playground?

First, ensure that the flooring on the playground makes for reducing the effects of a fall rather than worsening it. Woodchips can help cushion a fall, as can sand, rubber or pea gravel. Avoid the use of hard surfaces such as grass, sand, and asphalt. They are typically too hard and can worsen an injury.

Next, design a play space that can grow as your child grows. Equipment that works for a 6 to 10-year old children will be too dangerous for toddlers. Therefore, the floor should extend to over six feet beyond the play area. When working on the design, think about where you will be while your child is playing on the equipment. Make sure your design allows you to see your children no matter where they're playing.

If you're building a fort that's more than four feet high, it would be a good idea to not leave the guard rails open. you'll want the guardrails close together, so little heads can't get trapped between them. For kids that are of school age, make sure that the railings are above thirty eight inches.

Finally, landscape around your children's playground to help shield it from the street. Fences and shrubbery work well and can help keep your children safe without taking the edge off the fun.

The next time your kids come home from a friend's house and beg you for a backyard playground of their own, surprise them with an answer they're not expecting. Say yes. You'll be doing them a big favor.

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Michael Curry is an article writer for The Perfect Building Guide - Home and Garden Directory for the Greater Toronto Area