A broken arm from falling off monkey bars. A laceration requiring stitches from a broken bottle. A concussion from being knocked over by a swing. Playground injuries are among the most common injuries to children we see at West Bend. While there are many benefits from physical activity and outdoor play for children, playgrounds can often contain hazards that lead to injuries.
One key way to keep kids safe on playgrounds is to make sure staff members are properly supervising all children. To learn more, check out our in-depth article detailing the importance of proper supervision on playgrounds. As hard as it can be sometimes, staff members can’t treat outside time as a break time for them to chat with each other or check their phones. Children require just as much, if not more, supervision while running, climbing, and sliding on playgrounds.
Free Downloadable Checklist!
Another way to keep children safe on playgrounds is to ensure the environment is as safe as possible. Luckily, we have a checklist that’ll help do just that! Click here to download our playground safety checklist. Walking through the playground daily to check for any issues is key to preventing injuries. This is especially important if the playground isn’t onsite, for example if a childcare class walks to a city park to play. Public playgrounds are used by more people and therefore require more scrutiny. Another benefit to using a simple daily checklist is being able to provide documentation of playground inspections in case of an injury. Implement a daily playground inspection checklist into your organization’s routine today!
