I just saw a news report about how many children get hurt on playgrounds each year.  Rubber mulch is one way we contribute to help make playgrounds safer for kids.

Schools hire playground inspectors to look over the equipment for potential problems.

Here are some other interesting facts about playground injuries:

• 2,300 kids are injured every year on school playgrounds
• 5th-graders sustain more injuries than any other group
• Falls are the #1 cause of injury

What to check :

The inspector checks the nuts, screws, bolts and other hardware to make sure it hasn’t come loose. He checks the slides, and pushes on the joints to see if they are solid. Even a hole in the equipment can be a hazard.

Another important spot to check is under the swings. Lots of children fall off swings, so what kind of a surface will they hit? In this picture it looks like the child would fall on hard concrete. There must be something to cushion the fall. Rubber mulch can do a lot to prevent injuries. At Rubberecycle we’ve tested dropping eggs from the top of the playground’s highest point. The egg didn’t break when it hit the rubber surface.

Playground safety should be a top priority at school and at home. Even playground equipment in your backyard should be tested. Parents can look over the set to make sure it’s held together well. Besides these suggestions, parents should watch their kids.

Check out our 7 PlayGround Safety Tips.

Tags: playground, rubber mulch, Rubberecycle

This entry was posted on Monday, May 3rd, 2010 at 4:40 pm and is filed under Playground safety, playground surfacing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.