Home Playground Safety

 

10 Tips from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

 

1. Supervision

-Be sure to always supervise children on play equipment.

2. Surfacing

        -Install a protective surface under and around play equipment to reduce the likelihood of injuries.

        -For most play equipment, install protective surfacing 6 feet in all directions beyond the equipment.

3. Types of Surfacing

-Maintain at least 9 inches of loose fill material (an initial fill level of 12 inches will compress to about a 9 inch depth if surface over time)

-Use wood mulch/chips, shredded rubber mulch, or engineered wood fiber for equipment up to 8 feet high;

-Use sand, pea gravel, or mulch products above for play equipment up to 5 feet high;

-Use surface mats tested to provide impact protection equal to or greater than the height of the play equipment.

4. Equipment Maintenance

-Periodically check hardware, swing seats, chains, ropes, and cables and replace as necessary. Maintain loose fill surfacing or surface mats.

5. Opening

                -Eliminate openings that can trap a child’s head or neck.

-Openings should be smaller than 3-1/2 inches to prevent entry of a small child’s body, or larger than 9 inches to allow a child’s head and body to slide completely through it.

6. Ropes

-Never attach jump ropes, clotheslines, pet leashes, or cords of any kind to play equipment.

-Anchor any climbing ropes at both ends.

7. Anchors

                -Bury or cover anchors with adequate surfacing material to prevent tripping.

-Play equipment should never tip over or lift off of the ground with the proper anchoring.  

8. Guardrails or Barriers

-Separate active and quite activities from each other. For example, locate sandboxes away from swings or use a guardrail or barrier to separate the sandbox from the movement of the swings.

-Make sure that platforms and ramps over 30 inches high have guardrails or barriers to prevent falls.

9. Repair

                -Repair sharp points or edges on equipment that can cause injury.

10. Upkeep of Hardware

                -Replace missing hardware, eliminate protruding bolts, and close “S” hooks that can cause injury.

 

For more information on swingset safety please visit http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/324.pdf

 

 

Swingset Fitness

 

Swing Set Fitness is comprehensive training utilizing a swing set as the gym. Consistent exercise is a source for health and well-being. It is a fresh approach to total body conditioning that is fun, convenient, and lets you to spend time outdoors. This form of exercise is a very enjoyable way to lose weight, tone, and build lean body mass. It is an exciting and unparalleled workout experience for adults and children. Swing Set Fitness is a fresh approach to total body-mind conditioning.

 

Exercise with a swing makes training and informal workouts accessible to all. This form of resistance training is for those individuals who are interested in increasing their muscular strength and endurance. It can be enjoyed by children and adults as a family activity!

 

After your first swing workout, you will wonder why anyone would ever join a regular gym. To combat that, many fitness professionals are adding variety to their programs by taking their clients outdoors and it is expected that swing set fitness will be the big trend. As you can imagine, outdoor exercise with a swing is highly successful in temperate climates. But, even in climates where it is cold, this new form of exercise is going strong. With the winter weather becoming more tolerable and spring fast-approaching, for many people using a swing set to exercise outdoors is anticipated.

 

Swing Set Fitness programs are not your typical exercise programs. This exercise method blends the exhilaration of being outdoors with traditional exercises and techniques. In particular, playground equipment builds on the popularity of walking trails and paths. It encourages older adults to use playground equipment, in particular the swings, as exercise stations.

 

Exercising with a swing can make a workout more pleasant and eliminates the monotony and boredom of indoor exercise such as walking on a treadmill. Swing fitness is an excellent form of conditioning for the structural system (joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments) and the nervous system (exercise and lactic acid threshold). These programs, which use low-impact exercise on a swing, will transform your traditional workout routine into a mini-adventure, help you reach your fitness goals, and develop long-lasting lifestyle changes.

 

Swing exercise can be adjusted to suit your current fitness level. This form of exercise is a very enjoyable way to lose weight, tone, and build lean body mass. Increasing activity for all people must be encouraged if we are to raise our levels of fitness and enjoy the benefits it ultimately brings.

 

Swing Set Fitness is a terrific way to blur the lines between workouts and recreation, because there is the added element of play that naturally occurs outdoors. It is an adventure that will keep you coming back, again and again. Get out there and enjoy a workout on a swing, you will be glad you did!

 

Karen M. Goeller

 

reprinted from www.swingsetfitness.com.