INJURIES ON PLAYGROUNDS...PLAY IT S.A.F.E.!
It won't be too long before it will be too cold for the kids to be playing on the jungle gym at school, but in these last few weeks, remind your kids to play it safe.
Just last week a fifth grade boy in Lake Oswego, Oregon died during recess while playing flag football. Children die at play far too frequently. Indeed, the National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS) reports that approximately 205,860 preschool and elementary children receive emergency department care each year for injuries that occur on playground equipment. More than three-quarters of these injuries happened on public playground equipment and nearly 45% of those injuries occurred on school property. Tragically, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission concluded that 147 children under the age of 15 were killed in accidents involving playground equipment. According to CPSC Chairman Ann Brown, "Children should be out on the playground where they belong, not in the hospital emergency room."
NPPS suggests the following tips to keep your children S.A.F.E.:
SUPERVISION: Adult presence is necessary to watch for potential hazards.
AGE-APPROPRIATE EQUIPMENT: Younger children are developmentally different and need different equipment located in separate areas from equipment for older children.
FALLS: Nearly 70% of all playground injuries are related to falls to the surface Playground surfaces should not be concrete, asphalt, grass, blacktop, packed dirt or rocks.
EQUIPMENT: Equipment should be anchored safely in the ground and all equipment should be in good working order.
