Kentucky Accident Blog

Spacing on Playground Equipment Could Prevent Child Accidents

Proper Playground Spacing Provides a Safer Place for Children to Play-Kentucky Child Accident Attorney

In a news article I recently posted on my website reminding the readers that April 26^th through the 30^th is National Playground Safety Week.  One of the statistics I found was that 75 percent of all of the accidents occur at public playgrounds.  I have outlined a few different safety measures we can all employ to make our playgrounds safer for our children.

I have addressed parental supervision, playground design and here I will explain how the proper spacing of the equipment can reduce injuries and fatalities.  The main component is that all playgrounds should be divided into 3 different areas.  One specifically for children under the age of 2, another area for 2-5 year olds and the last area for ages 5-12.  Children should only play in their appropriate areas.  Just as smaller children could get hurt playing on structures designed for larger children the same goes for older children playing on equipment too small for them.

I have listed a few items to check with the on the playground to make sure the spacing is safe:

• Playgrounds that have structures that are taller than 30 inches need to be at least 9 feet apart to be safest.
• There should only be two swings in a bay and they should be at least 24 inches apart and 30 inches from the frame.
• There should be no part of the playground that could trap any part of a child’s body.  The rungs of ladders for example should be less than 3 ½ inches wide or more than 9 inches.
• Any structure that has moving parts should be inspected for points that have the potential to pinch or crush a child’s finger or hand.

As I mentioned before, accident can still happen even if all safety measures are taken.  Still take these measure and the chances will be less.