While manufacturers have to meet safety requirements for their products, parents do have the obligation to properly maintain backyard playgrounds and monitor their use. The following include recommendations from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
• Supervise your children all the time. Unintentional injuries can occur anytime. Be alert to what they are doing and speak up firmly when play is tending towards unsafe levels.
• Talk with your kids about playground safety. They should be informed what is and is not all right for them to do on each feature on the play set.
• Ensure secure anchorage for the play set. According to the CPSC, regardless of material (whether wood or metal), what is really important is it should not move or shake during use. Do a “shake and climb” test to ensure its stability.
• Put in and maintain a minimum 9 inches (23 cm) of protective surfacing, extending 6 feet in all directions. This is to serve as a cushion to absorb the force of a fall. The material may be wood chips, sand, mulch, pea gravel or shredded rubber. Once installed, the cushion must be maintained and refilled. Do not pack them down to preserve the cushioning effect.
• Note that no surface can safely provide cushion if the play set and the child (standing on the highest deck) will have a combined height exceeding 12 feet (3.7 meters).
• Do not ever attach clotheslines, jump ropes or pet leashes. Kids could get strangled when caught in it.
• Make sure swings are made only of soft rubber material (not wood or hard plastic), to prevent head injuries.
• Make sure the play set is not top-heavy. The base should be larger than the next deck.
• Make sure there is protective vinyl coating on all ropes and chains. Ropes need to be coated to protect against rotting; swing chains also need protection against rust and handling by kids.
• Ensure there are no vertical climbing features. All climbing features should be angled to make them safer.
• Select the right place in your backyard. Before installation, make sure the play set will have a clear perimeter of about 6 feet to have enough space where kids can jump and run around freely.
• Ensure that edges are rounded and there are no protruding bolts. Rounded edges on wooden beams and plastic slides have reduced impact on children’s limbs. Recessed bolts help avoid skin cuts and snags on clothing.
• Check the openings in equipment and guard rails. They should be smaller than 3 ½ inches (9 cm) or, alternatively, larger than 9 inches (23 cm).
• Clearly separate play areas for children 2-5 years old and for those 5-12 years old.