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Playgrounds play an important role in the growth and maturation of children. Municipal parks and recreation departments spend large amounts of money annually to develop and maintain play spaces because they provide positive places for children to be outside, active and social.
While most professionals agree playgrounds are needed, these spaces have risks. Across the country, more than 200,000 children under age 14 are seen in emergency rooms annually for injuries that occur on playgrounds. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), 75 percent of those injuries happen on public playgrounds. Because of these statistics, the CPSC has developed playground-safety guidelines to combat the most typical injuries related to falls, design problems and maintenance issues. Studies describing how children play and use playground equipment are continuously reviewed to make changes to the guidelines as well as to reduce injury incidences. The most recent changes in 2008 address issues such as new playground designs, the effects of sun over time and playground surfacing.
As parks and recreation departments continue to invest in play spaces, there must also be continued maintenance and evaluations. The more a playground is used, the more likely it is to incur problems. For example, playground surfacing is worn away by shoes while swing chains wear out, and nuts are loosened from bolts. Weather also affects equipment--paint chips, metal rusts, and plastics crack. Evaluations should be conducted by trained, certified playground inspectors who know where to look for problem areas. Once issues are identified, they must be fixed. Therefore, it is recommended that there be a playground maintenance plan and a certified playground evaluator on staff.