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PLAYGROUND SAFETY
EARLY CHILDHOOD & DEVELOPMENT CENTER
INTRODUCTION
The following provides playground safety guidelines and procedures.
This section covers the following topics:
General Statement
and Description
The
playground area located on the campus of Texas A&M University-Corpus
Christi was built in conjunction with the College of Education Early
Childhood Development Center. The ECDC playground designed expressly
for children, ages three through eight years, is available to all
children under adult supervision. The playground is closed for general
use between the hours of 8am and 3pm Monday through Friday during
the Corpus Christi Independent School District school term.
In order to meet the educational needs
of the Early Childhood program, the playground is divided into four
different play areas: two sand play areas and two large play structures.
The pirate ship area is intended for three- to four-year-old children;
the other large structure area is designed for five- to twelve-year-old
children. The playground also contains two covered picnic tables,
and each major play structure and area is surrounded by a concrete
sidewalk.
The playground equipment
of the Early Childhood Development Center was installed under the
supervision, and was completed by the manufacturer, Appleseed Recreation,
Inc. It is our understanding that all equipment was installed according
to specifications and guidelines outlined in the “Standard Consumer
Safety Performance Specifications for Playground Equipment for Public
Use” as issued by the American Society for Testing and Materials,
based on information identified by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission. Equipment
Use and Safety
In order to ensure the playground
equipment is kept at maximum safe operation, the following rules
should be followed:
Daily Inspection
An informal inspection of
the playground equipment should occur daily by the teachers or supervisory
staff of the ECDC. Any observed concerns should be reported to the
director of the ECDC and the ECDC school administrator.
Inspection Items
Items to be inspected informally
each day should include (but not be limited to) the following items:
General Upkeep of Playgrounds
* Check the entire playground area for miscellaneous
debris or litter.
* Check for missing trash receptacles and for those, which are full.
* Check for any damage (i.e. any broken or missing components) to
equipment or other playground features caused by vandalism or wear.
For example: check for any broken or missing
handrails, guardrails, protective barriers, or
steps or rungs on ladders, and for damage to any fences, benches,
or signs on the playground.
Surfacing
* Check for equipment which
does not have adequate protective surfacing under and around it
and for surfacing materials that have deteriorated.
* Check loose surfacing materials for foreign objects or debris.
* Check loose surfacing materials for compaction and reduced depth,
with special attention to heavy use areas such as those under slide
exit regions.
General Hazards
* Check all equipment
and other playground features for any hazards, which may have emerged.
* Check for sharp points, corners, and edges. For example, check
the sides and sliding surface of slide chutes for sharp or rough
edges caused by deterioration.
* Check for protrusions and projections
* Check for missing or damaged protective caps or plugs.
* Check for potential clothing entanglement hazards, such as open
S-hooks.
* Check for pinch, crush, and shearing points or exposed moving
parts.
* Check for trip hazards, such as exposed footings on anchoring
devices and rocks, roots, or any other environmental obstacles in
the play areas.
Deterioration of Equipment
* Check all equipment and
other playground features for rust, rot, cracks, and splinters,
with special attention to possible corrosion where structures come
in contact with the ground.
* Check for unstable anchoring of equipment.
Security of Hardware
* Check for any loose or worn
connecting, covering, or fastening hardware devices; for example,
check both ends of the flexible climbing devices for wear.
* Check all moving parts, such as swing bearing hangers, for wear.
Equipment Use Zones
* Check for obstacles in equipment
use zones.
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