Playground maintenance is a huge part protecting your investment and prolonging the life of your playground equipment. Whether you are in charge of maintaining a playground for a school, church or community, you should familiarize yourself with basic playground maintenance requirements to assure you maintain a safe play environment. We have covered the different playground components in previous blog posts, and encourage you to treat each part of your playground with equal care.
Playground Maintenance Checklist
Structures & Independent Items
Playground structures combine many of the maintenance concerns of independent play equipment along with their own special care. The complexity of your playground maintenance routine is determined by your structure size and what types of components it incorporates. Even the largest structures should not require more than a few hours of playground maintenance per year.
Hidden Problems to Note
The most dangerous accidents on playgrounds result in entanglement or entrapment. Entanglement most frequently happens when clothing, rope or fabric becomes tied or tangled on equipment. Hooded sweatshirts and other loose clothing is the biggest factor in entanglement. However, you can minimize risks by ensuring that there are no bolts or screws protruding. Additionally, any rope, string, or ribbon that children may have tied onto the structure should be removed immediately.
Entrapment occurs when a body part is not easily be removable from or pass through equipment. Older equipment has gaps built into the design that are no longer safe. Inspect any equipment over 10 years old with the services of a certified playground safety inspector. The inspector will use a set of templates to test the openings on your equipment. This determines if they are neither too small nor too wide for safe use.
Independent Playground Equipment Maintenance
There are a number of other hazards that can occur as your playground is exposed to time. Each year, your playground maintenance routine should consist of examining the underside of your structure. Safely remove any insect or wasp nests before they can become a danger. Remember that if a child can get in or under something, they will. The safest course of action is to treat your entire play area and always remove anything that doesn’t belong.
Like anything else, your playground will benefit tremendously from a regular maintenance routine. Cover any scratches or chips with a fresh coat of touch up paint to prevent rusting. Also, clean off any built up dirt or grime and clean moving parts so that they move smoothly. Furthermore, check that any loose joints, close bolt or pins, and remove any damaged equipment. Check your surfacing to ensure that loose fill has not become swept away and replenish it as needed.
All together, you’ll probably spend less time maintaining your playground than sweeping up leaves or removing trash each year. However, taking the time to create a proper maintenance plan will greatly extend your equipment life.
Learn more about playground maintenance and safety for independent play equipment, swing sets ,and surfacing!
