Areas of Practice | Playground Injuries
Our children are innocent and vulnerable, and we often assume they will be safe when playing at the local playground or amusement park. But when an injury occurs, you need to be sure yours and your child’s rights are protected.

Maintaining the safety of playground equipment is the responsibility of the owner, even when the owner is the city or a school district. Each year the emergency department will treat more than 200,000 children under the age of 14 for playground related injuries. Approximately 75% of non-fatal injuries related to playground equipment occur on public playgrounds. Most occur at schools and daycare centers.

Here are 10 important tips for parents and community organizations to keep in mind to help keep playgrounds safe:
  1. Make sure surfaces around playground equipment contain at least 12 inches of wood chips, mulch, sand, pea gravel or area mats made of safety tested rubber or rubber like materials.
  2. Check that each piece of equipment is surrounded by six feet of “free” space.
  3. Make sure equipment that is more than 30 inches high is spaced at least nine (9) feet part.
  4. Check for dangerous hardware, like open “S” hooks or protruding bolt ends.
  5. Make sure spaces that could trap children, such as openings in guardrails or between ladder rungs, measure less than 3.5 inches or more than 9 inches.
  6. Check for sharp points or edges on equipment, like a bolt with plastic covering, these can lose their protective covering and become a sharp object.
  7. Look for tripping hazards, such as tree stumps and roots, rocks and exposed concrete footings.
  8. Make sure elevated surfaces, like platforms and ramps, have guardrails to prevent falls.
  9. Be aware of low hanging limbs around play equipment which could fall.
  10. Carefully supervise children on playgrounds and make sure they are playing on age appropriate equipment.
Playgrounds that are open to the public should be safe for children. The owner of a playground has a responsibility to ensure the safety of children on his/her property.
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Lexlee Overton, Attorney At Law, Inc.   |   850 North Boulevard   |   Baton Rouge, LA 70802   |   225-761-7272     
Information contained on this website is deemed reliable and factual but is not to be considered legal advice, nor does this information constitute a client / attorney relationship.