The Spring 2000 issue of Family Safety & Health, published by the National Safety Council, contains an article entitled "Is Your Child's Playground Safe?" This article contains a guide to apply to your child's playground. The salient points are the following.

1. Soft Surface - minimum depth of 12 inches of material around each piece of equipment in a 6-foot fall zone.
2. Swinging swings - remove animal swings, use soft seats, two swings in each framework 24 inches apart, and full bucket seats for younger children.
3. Smooth Sliding - a bar at the top of the slide so children have to sit to slide, no drawstrings on children's clothes, no gap between the slide and the platform.
4. Safe seesaws and merry-go-rounds - springloaded seesaws are the best, and a traditional seesaw should have a tire underneath it to keep it from hitting the ground. "Merry-go-rounds or whirls are best for school age children. They should have good hand grips, and the rotating platform should be level, be free of sharp edges, and have adequate clearances to prevent crushing or severing limbs."
5. Climb carefully - steps and handrails in good condition, guardrail or barrier on platforms, climbing ropes secured at top and bottom.
6. Playgrounds for all children - ADA requires new playgrounds make appropriate accommodation for disabled children.
7. Improve your playground - report problems, get involved.

Family Safety & Health from the National Safety Council. This is the Winter 1999-00 issue.

National Program for Playground Safety . Interesting information from this site is that

1. Playground Safety Week is April 24-28, 2000
2. 17 children have died each year in playground-related accidents
3. most injuries were associated with climbing equipment, slides, and swings

Playground Safety from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

National Playground Safety Institute

American Society for Testing and Materials

KaBoom!

Boundless Playgrounds!

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