Play Area Safety in Outdoor Play

Play Area Safety

Safety has become more important in the last few years and so has community awareness of safety increased. Play area safety is no different, in playground safety, it is important to pay attention to detail and it is imperative to follow the guidelines of the relevant Australian safety standards. All playgrounds should abide by these standards to ensure they have the correct fall height, safety surfacing and access.

Falling onto a hard surface can cause injury in a playground. To avoid this you need to utilise impact absorbing surfaces such as rubber soft fall, synthetic turf with rubber shock pads underneath, bark or even sand. All loose materials will need to be retained by some form of edging and lose products need to be topped up from time to time to keep within compliance guidelines.

Playgrounds can use a variety of these materials for high use areas. When equipment reaches a fall height of above 600mm, a fall zone is required to ensure that if a fall does occur, the head of the child cannot touch anything on the way down.

Playgrounds should offer a range of settings for play for children to cater for different ages and interests. Typical playgrounds include grassed areas, large and small hard surfaces, seating for individuals and small groups, sand play areas, shaded and sheltered areas, drinking water, quiet spaces as well as busy spaces.

Inspecting Equipment

Playground equipment should be checked regularly by a suitably qualified person and repairs made promptly. Look out for hazards such as sharp protrusions, splinters, holes, cracks, exposed irrigation, branches at eye level and deteriorating seats. Prompt repair ensures safety, restores play and can help to prevent further wear and tear or vandalism. With a focus on risk management and injury prevention, it is possible to provide challenging and imaginative play areas.

Outdoor play is an important part of childhood development. Children learn to interact socially with others and utilise their creativity through role-play and imagination. Children develop skills over physical challenges and learn to grow in their independence.

Play Poles Pty Ltd delivers safe, robust and economical playground equipment for private and public schools, pre-schools, childcare, kindergartens, councils, caravan parks, resorts and developers throughout Australia. Our team can custom build playgrounds catering for individual project needs. Talk to the team at Play Poles for quality products and service delivery.