Are We Safe Yet? A Twenty-Five Year Look at Playground Safety.

by Susan D. Hudson , Donna Thompson , Mick G. Mack

http://www.questia.com/read/5002262372?title=Are%20We%20Safe%20Yet%3f%20A
%20Twenty-Five%20Year%20Look%20at%20Playground%20Safety

Playgrounds have always been an integral part of the recreation movement. In fact, the
origin of the public recreation movement has been traced to the creation of a "sand box"
at the Boston Parameter Church in the late 1800s. Today, thousands of playgrounds are
found throughout the United States. For purposes of this article, playgrounds are defined
as designated areas where stationary and manipulative equipment are located to facilitate
a child's physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development.

However, the development of playgrounds has not been without problems. In the early
1970s, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission first alerted the public to
the growing problems of injuries related to children playing on our nation's playgrounds
(U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 1975). As reported by Bowers, in 1974,
approximately 118,000 persons in the United States received hospital emergency room
treatment for injuries related to playground equipment (1979). More than three fourths of
the reported injuries involved children under 10 years of age. Today, that number has
dramatically risen to more than 200,000 a year (Mack, Hudson, & Thompson, 1997).
This article will look at the issues and problems surrounding playground safety in
America and the role that Leisure Today and members of the American Association for
Leisure and Recreation (AALR) have played in striving to make playgrounds safe for
America's children.

Playground Safety Issues

Two members of the AALR Committee on Play have identified four major elements that
interact to create safe playground environments. The four elements--age appropriate
design, surfacing, supervision, and maintenance--are shown in figure 1 (Thompson &
Hudson, 1996).

[Figure 1 ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Age Appropriate Design. In 1979, Bowers wrote, "Could it be that the design of
traditional play equipment is inappropriate for the natural play of children? What are the
alternatives? Should we redesign the play, ground or the child?" (p.43). He went on to
state that since we should not change the natural play of children, we should redesign the
playground. Among the ideas that Bowers postulated were (1) designing playgrounds that
accommodated children of differing ages, physical sizes, and abilities and (2) providing
safe distances between one level to the next on equipment. Beckwith (1985) also stated
the challenges of design as being "the development of design criteria of extraordinary
subtlety and complexity. The environmental designer is challenged to provide appropriate
play spaces for users ranging from infants to adults and having physical abilities from
near immobility to above average athletic skill" (p. 68).

While the authors of Leisure Today were alerting the profession to the needs of age
appropriate design, another group within AALR was formed to raise concern about
playground safety. The Committee on Play, formed in 1983, is a loosely knit consortia
whose members are dedicated to children and their rights to play. Among their goals have
been (1) evaluating playgrounds and suggesting improvements, (2) determining design
criteria for playgrounds, (g) determining function and purpose of play equipment, and (4)
determining the use of durable, economical, and safe materials. In 1985, 1986, and 1988-
89, the committee conducted three different surveys about the state of the nation's
playgrounds. In all three surveys (schools, community parks, and preschool) it was found
that a "one size fits all" mentality has been present in playground design. As one of the
early members of the Committee on Play has written, "playgrounds still tend to be
hazardous and inappropriate for the developmental needs of children" (Worthman, 1996,
p. 9).

In order to produce age appropriate playgrounds, health, physical education and

recreation professionals need to heed the information that has been produced in Leisure
Today and the four publications of the Committee on Play. This information includes:

1. Assess the age appropriate design of playgrounds through an understanding of (a) the
correct size of equipment, (b) the developmental needs of children, and (c) the physical
layout of equipment to support positive play activities.

2. Choose age appropriate equipment by combining age and developmental

characteristics of children with (a) safety guidelines, (b) maintenance considerations, (c)
site constraints, (d) location, and (e) cost.

3. Become advocates for all playgrounds in the community to be designed age

appropriately.

Surfacing. Surfaces found under and around playground equipment have also been a
topic addressed in Leisure Today. As early as 1979, Bowers alerted readers to the fact
that three fourths of all the playground injuries reported by the U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission for 1974 were caused by falls to the ground or to other equipment.
He went on to say that providing a more resilient landing surface will reduce the
seriousness of the injury sustained by the child in a fall.

In 1991, Thompson wrote that asphalt, cement, dirt, and grass are not appropriate
surfaces to be under and around playground equipment. Research shows that more than
150,000 children have been injured annually from falling off playground equipment.

The Committee on Play has also played a part in alerting HPER professionals about the
problems of improper surfaces. Bruya and Langendorfer (1988) wrote of the unsuitable
surfaces found on the majority of school playgrounds and Beckwith (1985) also discussed
the importance of cushioning material under and around play equipment.

All HPER professionals should (1) evaluate the current surfacing that is present under
playgrounds within their jurisdiction and immediately replace any asphalt, concrete, dirt,
or grass surfaces with a more resilient surface and (2) select proper surfacing under and
around equipment with regard to environmental conditions, management requirements,
characteristic of users, maintenance requirements, and equipment characteristics.

Supervision. Although leadership has always been an important aspect of recreation

activities, the specific references to the need for supervisors on the playground have not
been present in Leisure day articles. However, articles concerning the importance of good
supervision as a deterrent to recreation injuries have appeared as recently as September
1996. It should be noted that: lack of supervision has been cited as a contributing factor
in 40 percent of playground injuries (King, 1991). Equipment is not designed to supervise
children; only alert, caring adults can provide adequate supervision. This fact was noted
by Bruya (1988) in the Committee on Play's publication, Play Spaces for Children: A
New Beginning. Stressing that teachers should work with students in providing a safe
play environment, Bruya writes, "the reexamination of the responsibilities of the
playground supervision, and the emphasis on child controlled safety processes lead to the
conclusion that the supervisor is there to assist and guide children" (p. 135).

HPER professionals need to (1) look at current supervisory plans and evaluate whether or
not they are appropriate for current playground use patterns, (2) make sure that selected
supervisory techniques fit the purpose, users, equipment and site, and (3) continually try
to enhance supervisory practices to provide a safe environment for children.

Maintenance. As cited in a 1979 Leisure Today article, a 1973 University of Iowa

Playground Accident Report indicated that slightly under half of investigated playground
accidents resulted from poor construction and inadequate maintenance (Bowers). Bowers
went on to say, "a sound design should be combined with strong materials which are non-
toxic, durable, and appropriate to climatic conditions of the region. Quality construction
and continuing maintenance are necessary for providing an enjoyable and safe play
environment" (p.45). Thompson (1991) also states the need for maintenance in providing
safe surfaces for playgrounds. In addition, contributing members of the AALR
Committee for Play have all pointed to the need for better maintenance on our nation's
playgrounds.

In the same light, the National Action Plan for the Prevention of Playground Injuries
recommends that all people who control playground areas should (1) review maintenance
policies and procedures to ensure that there are routine, recurring inspections and
preventative work as well as repair work to eliminate potential hazards, and (2)
continually update maintenance policies and procedures to ensure that a sate playground
involvement is provided.

The Future of Playground Safety

Although the American Association for Leisure and Recreation has attempted to inform
all AAHPERD members about the importance of playground safety, more needs to be
done to ensure that our nation's children are safe. AALR and AAHPERD could pursue
the following actions in the future.

Creation of New Playground Designs. As Bowers stated back in 1979, there is a need for
new, innovative playground design that fosters creativity, exploration, as well as social,
intellectual, physical, and emotional development. Leisure professionals need to lend
guidance to playground manufacturers in order to help create more appropriate designs
for children. Two fundamental questions need to guide this process: (1) Why do children
play? and (2) How does equipment contribute to the development of the child? Since play
has been a frequent topic in Leisure Today, HPER professional should continue to
advocate putting theory into practice with creative playground design.

Invention of new playground surfaces. Playground surfaces have been associated with
more than 70 percent of the injuries sustained by children through the '90s (Mack,
Hudson, & Thompson, in press). Part of the problem is that too many playgrounds, as
cited in the work of AALR Committee on Play, still have inappropriate playground
surfaces. Educational programs concerning the availability of better surfaces need to be
conducted. However, since the perfect playground surface has not yet been invented, a
word of caution needs to be given. It is up to HPER professionals who have the
application knowledge to work with manufacturers who have the technical knowledge to
produce a better surfacing for the future.

Training for Playground Supervisors. Since 40 percent of playground injuries are

associated with supervision, it appears that supervision practices deserve some attention.
Professionals associated with schools, parks, and child care centers need training in order
to be better supervisors. AALR, through its Committee on Play, could develop a series of
seminars to help teachers, recreation and child care professionals, and parents increase
their ability to supervise children on the playground. Leisure Today could help in this
educational process by providing members with information concerning safe supervision
practices.

Training for Playground Maintenance Workers. Similar to the training of playground

supervisors, another neglected group has been the maintenance workers who install and
maintain playground equipment and surfacing. As part of their training, these individuals
need to be taught how to install and maintain playgrounds properly so that play
environments are safe for children. Thus, training programs need to be developed as well
as methods of delivering the materials that are cost effective to the individuals who need
the training.

Provision of Play Opportunities for all children. Throughout the 25 years of Leisure
Today articles have been written concerning the inclusion of children on playgrounds
(Bowers, 1979; Keller & Hudson, 1991). New impetus for appropriate playgrounds for
all children came with the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1991. Today,
all HPER professionals should be advocates for the rights of all children to play in a safe
environment.

Overall, Leisure Today has mirrored the issues and challenges that have faced HPER
professionals for 25 years. The provision of safe playgrounds has been a topic that has
been included in these issues since the '70s. Future issues of Leisure Today should
include articles that will reflect ways HPER professionals, working together, are able to
make America's playgrounds safe.

References

Beckwith, J. (1985). Play Environments for All Children. Leisure Today: Journal of,
Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 56(5), 32-35.

Bowers, L. (1979). Toward a science of playground design: principles of design for play
centers for all children. Leisure Today: Journal of Health, Physical Education &
Recreation, 50(8), 51-54.

Bruya, L. D., & S. J. Langendorfer (eds.), (1988). Where Our Children Play: Elementary
School Playground Equipment, Vol. 1 American Alliance for Health, Physical Education,
Recreation & Dance. Reston, VA

Bruya, L. D. (ed.) (1988). Play spaces for children: A new beginning. Vol. II, American
Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance. Reston, VA

Keller, M.J., & Hudson, S. D. (1991). Creating play environments for therapeutic
recreation experiences. Leisure Today: Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, &
Dance, 62(4), 41-44.

King, S. (1991). Developing a safe playground is everyone's responsibility. Paper

presented at the Minneapolis Congress for Parks and Recreation, Minneapolis, MN.

Mack, M., Hudson, S., & Thompson, D. A. (1997). A descriptive analysis of children's
playground injuries in the United States: 1990-1994. Injury Prevention, 3, 100-103.

Mack, M., Hudson, S., & Thompson, D. (in press). An Analysis of Playground Surface
Injuries. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport.

Thompson, D. (1991). Safe Playground Surfaces: What Should be Used Under

Playground Equipment. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 62(9), 74-
75.

Thompson, D., & Hudson, S. D. (1996). National Action Plan for the Prevention of
Playground Injuries. National Program for Playground Safety, Cedar Falls, IA.

University of Iowa. Accident Prevention Section, Institute of Agricultural Medicine.

(1973, October). Public Playground Equipment: Product Investigation Report (No. FAA
73-6). Iowa City, IA,

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Bureau of Epidemiology (1975). Hazard

Analysis: Playground Equipment. Washington, DC.

Worthman, S. (1996). A brief history of playgrounds in the United States. In Play it Safe,
An Anthology of Playground Safety. Arlington, VA: National Recreation and Park
Association.

Susan D. Hudson is the project associate of the National Program for Playground Safety
at the University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0618. Donna Thompson is the
director of the National Program for Playground Safety and Mick G. Mack is the project
coordinator of the National Program for Playground Safety at the University of Northern
Iowa.

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Publication Information: Article Title: Are We Safe Yet? A Twenty-Five Year Look at
Playground Safety. Contributors: Susan D. Hudson - author, Donna Thompson - author,
Mick G. Mack - author. Journal Title: JOPERD--The Journal of Physical Education,
Recreation & Dance. Volume: 68. Issue: 8. Publication Year: 1997. Page Number: 32+.
COPYRIGHT 1997 American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and
Dance (AAHPERD); COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group