Follow these safety tips and prevent playground injuries

LETHBRIDGE — Parents and children are encouraged to follow some simple playground safety tips to prevent avoidable injuries.

“Playgrounds are important in helping children strengthen their muscles and get some exercise, while spending time together as a family,” says Alberta Health Services (AHS) health promotion facilitator Ann Pudwell. “Families should not avoid playgrounds, just play safely.”

Every year, hundreds of children visit emergency departments in Lethbridge, Medicine Hat and rural southern Alberta health facilities with injuries sustained from playground-related activities – cuts, sprains, broken bones, head wounds and concussions.

The simplest and most effective injury prevention strategy is active supervision by a responsible adult. When supervising children under five years old, adults should stand beside them when they’re climbing, riding in a swing or playing on equipment located above the ground.

Pudwell says many parents let young children go to the playground with older siblings and that can be unsafe.

“Older siblings can’t provide the same level of supervision as a parent,” she says. “Older children are often busy having fun, and may not be watching the younger children.”

Here are some additional playground safety tips:

• Children should not play on equipment higher than their height, and nothing taller than 1.5 metres without parental supervision.
• Children ages five to nine years are more likely to take risks, so they should be watched closely.
• Remove drawstrings, scarves and other clothing that could become caught or tangled in equipment, creating a choking hazard.
• Make sure playground equipment is not in need of repairs and is properly secured to the ground.
• Safely remove hazardous materials such as garbage, broken glass or sharp objects found on the equipment or in the area.
• Ensure children wear shoes and take off their bicycle helmets when playing on the equipment.
• Only one child should use the slide at a time and should be sliding down sitting up and feet first; no climbing up the slide.
• Always make sure children are using both hands when swinging or climbing and that they are being respectful of others – no pushing; this could cause someone to lose their balance and fall.

Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.

• News release

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