It's wonderful to be able to install playground equipment in your backyard for your children. It allows them to be active and have plenty of fun at home. However, you also need to consider safety when you have equipment such as swings, slides, or climbing equipment. If your playground equipment isn't set up properly or your kids aren't careful, there could be accidents that cause injuries.
Luckily, there are steps that you can take to create a safe play area for your kids at home.
1. Choose the Right Site
Selecting the best place for your play area is the first step to making sure your play equipment is safe. You should choose somewhere level that is free of any obstacles that could cause injury. Look for an area that is at least six feet from other structures, especially if you are installing swings, to ensure there is enough space available to play. Any metal elements that can heat up in the sun should be in the shade or out of direct sunlight to reduce the risk of burns. Try to separate different pieces of play equipment too, giving them plenty of space between each other.
2. Construct Safe Equipment
Safe playgrounds require play equipment that is well-constructed and solid. You should choose robust materials for your play equipment and ensure everything is assembled correctly and securely. It's also important to anchor your playground equipment to prevent it from moving or tipping over. Your play equipment might be made of metal, wood, or plastic. Whatever the materials are, take steps to prevent them from deteriorating. For example, treat metal to prevent rust and corrosion, and treat wood to protect it against rot.
Another important thing to do is pay attention to hardware. Anything sticking out from your play equipment can cause injuries, so ensure everything is tightened properly. Cover up bolts and exposed tubing ends, and ensure hooks can't catch on clothing, fingers, or anything else.
3. Use Protective Surfacing
You can do a lot of things to protect your kids when they're playing, but accidents do happen. However, you can do a few things to make sure that if your child falls over or falls off play equipment, the risk of serious injury is lower. Using protective surfacing that absorbs will help to prevent head injuries and more. You can use loose materials such as wood mulch or rubber mulch or poured-in materials, such as rubber tiles.
4. Maintain Your Equipment
Once your backyard playground equipment is assembled, you should follow safety guidelines for keeping it maintained. Check your play equipment regularly and tighten up any nuts or bolts that might have come loose, and look for signs of wear and tear. It's a good idea to keep the manufacturer's instructions so that you can order new parts if anything needs to be replaced.
Play Systems from Kids Gotta Play
It is understandable to want to get your play structure up and open for your kids as soon as you can. Make sure to have it set up professionally so all safety steps can be taken. Safe play is good play. Contact us at Kids Gotta Play for customizable play systems for any size yard. Call us today to discuss your project.
