"We need to make adults aware that our playgrounds are not safe," Dr. Donna Thompson, NPPS program director, told Reuters Health. Each year, over 200,000 children in the United States are injured severely enough to go to hospital emergency rooms, she said.
The NPPS analyzed over 3,000 playgrounds in child-care centers, schools, and parks in the US, rating them in four categories: supervision, age appropriateness, fall surfacing, and equipment maintenance (SAFE).
The findings were disappointing, Thompson remarked. One major concern was the lack of adult supervision. "Adults are not going to playgrounds with children as much as they should, or they are not paying attention to the children playing," Thompson said. Adult supervision was observed in 93% of child-care center playgrounds in contrast to 74% of school playgrounds.
Most playground equipment--59%--was "age segregated" according to guidelines published by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. However, "only 35% (of park playgrounds) have clear separation of equipment for ages 2 to 5 and 5 to 12," the authors note. This is in contrast to approximately 60% of child-care and school playgrounds, both of which "tend to have age-appropriate equipment." Yet, "only 6% of all playgrounds had signage which indicated the age appropriateness of equipment," the findings indicate.
For example, a 2- to 5-year-old child should not be allowed to play on horizontal ladders, Thompson explained. The large handgrip required may make a smaller child more likely to fall. Also, the height of the equipment may be too great for the child who "can't adjust to fall in the correct manner," she described. Proper signage is needed so that adults "can direct children to proper equipment," she added.
The investigators found it "encouraging" that US playgrounds use "safe surfacing materials." However, they were disturbed to note that in many areas the surface is not the correct depth or not in the correct zone. This "increases the probability that a child could be injured on the playground in over half of the playgrounds nationwide," they comment.
Playground equipment made out of plastic seemed the easiest to maintain, according to the survey. In contrast, 37% of the metal equipment showed signs of rust, and 39% of the wooden equipment had splinters.
Of the five regions evaluated, the highest ratings for playground safety were earned by Southwest and Northwest states, including Arizona, California, Oregon and Washington. Most of the individual states scored within the B to C range, but notable exceptions included Arizona with a B+, and Florida and Michigan, which were rated D-.
"While it is encouraging that basic (playground) safety guidelines and standards as measured in this national survey have been met," the researchers conclude, "...there is still much more that adults can do to ensure SAFE playgrounds." NPPS has partnered with 3M NexCare First Aid Products to produce signs in several cities that will indicate the age-appropriateness of playground equipment. In addition, individuals who observe playgrounds that fall short in terms of safety should notify the proper authority, Thompson suggests. "If it's a child-care center, talk to the director. If it's a school, talk to the principal. If it's a park, talk to the supervisor or park director," she encouraged. But don't let the child play in the area until the problem is resolved, she advised.