No

Playground inspection

Playgrounds offer children a place to be active and have fun, but they also pose a risk for injury. To help reduce that risk, playground staff must understand how to identify hazards and take steps to reduce the potential for accidents.

Inspections should be performed at least monthly by trained personnel, and daily during higher use periods like spring and fall. Using the checklist below for routine inspections can help staff properly assess risk and improve safety on the playground. If any items are unsafe or in bad condition, they should be addressed immediately to maintain a safe environment. 

 

kids in a playground

 

Safety checklist

Surfacing

  • Adequate protective surfacing under and around the equipment
    • Install/replace surfacing
  • Surfacing materials have not deteriorated
    • Replace surfacing
    • Other maintenance: ________________
  • Loose-fill surfacing materials have no foreign objects or debris
    • Remove trash and debris
  • Loose-fill surfacing materials are not compacted
    • Rake and fluff surfacing
  • Loose-fill surfacing materials have not been displaced under heavy use areas such as under swings or at slide exits
    • Rake and fluff surfacing

Drainage

  • The entire play area has satisfactory drainage especially in heavy use areas such as under swings and at slide exits
    • Improve drainage
    • Other maintenance

General hazards

  • There are no sharp points corners or edges on the equipment
  • There are no missing or damaged protective caps or plugs
  • There are no hazardous protrusions
  • There are no potential clothing entanglement hazards such as open S-hooks or protruding bolts
  • There are no crush and shearing points on exposed moving parts
  • There are no trip hazards such as exposed footings or anchoring devices and rocks, roots or any other obstacles in a use zone

Security of hardware

  • There are no loose fastening devices or worn connections
    • Replace fasteners
    • Other maintenance: ________________
  • Moving parts such as swing hangers, merry-go-round bearings and track rides are not worn
    • Replace part
    • Other maintenance: ________________

Durability of equipment

  • There are no rust, rot, cracks or splinters on any equipment; check carefully where it comes in contact with the ground
  • There are no broken or missing components on the equipment, e.g., handrails, guardrails, protective barriers, steps, or rungs
  • There are no damaged fences, benches or signs on the playground
  • All equipment is securely anchored

Leaded paint

  • Ensure there is no lead paint
  • Paint, especially lead paint, is not peeling, cracking, chipping or chalking
  • There are no areas of visible leaded paint chips or accumulation of lead dust
    • Mitigate lead paint hazards

General upkeep of playgrounds

  • There are no user modifications to the equipment such as strings and ropes tied to equipment swings looped over top rails, etc.
    • Remove string or rope
    • Correct other modification
  • The entire playground is free from debris or litter such as tree branches, soda cans, bottles, glass, etc.
    • Clean playground
  • There are no missing trash receptacles
    • Replace trash receptacle
  • Trash receptacles are not full
    • Empty trash

Notes

Date of inspection: ________________ Inspection by: _________________________________________________________

The checklist above is adapted from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Public Playground Safety Handbook.

 

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No

Playground inspection

Playgrounds offer children a place to be active and have fun, but they also pose a risk for injury. To help reduce that risk, playground staff must understand how to identify hazards and take steps to reduce the potential for accidents.

Inspections should be performed at least monthly by trained personnel, and daily during higher use periods like spring and fall. Using the checklist below for routine inspections can help staff properly assess risk and improve safety on the playground. If any items are unsafe or in bad condition, they should be addressed immediately to maintain a safe environment. 

 

kids in a playground

 

Safety checklist

Surfacing

  • Adequate protective surfacing under and around the equipment
    • Install/replace surfacing
  • Surfacing materials have not deteriorated
    • Replace surfacing
    • Other maintenance: ________________
  • Loose-fill surfacing materials have no foreign objects or debris
    • Remove trash and debris
  • Loose-fill surfacing materials are not compacted
    • Rake and fluff surfacing
  • Loose-fill surfacing materials have not been displaced under heavy use areas such as under swings or at slide exits
    • Rake and fluff surfacing

Drainage

  • The entire play area has satisfactory drainage especially in heavy use areas such as under swings and at slide exits
    • Improve drainage
    • Other maintenance

General hazards

  • There are no sharp points corners or edges on the equipment
  • There are no missing or damaged protective caps or plugs
  • There are no hazardous protrusions
  • There are no potential clothing entanglement hazards such as open S-hooks or protruding bolts
  • There are no crush and shearing points on exposed moving parts
  • There are no trip hazards such as exposed footings or anchoring devices and rocks, roots or any other obstacles in a use zone

Security of hardware

  • There are no loose fastening devices or worn connections
    • Replace fasteners
    • Other maintenance: ________________
  • Moving parts such as swing hangers, merry-go-round bearings and track rides are not worn
    • Replace part
    • Other maintenance: ________________

Durability of equipment

  • There are no rust, rot, cracks or splinters on any equipment; check carefully where it comes in contact with the ground
  • There are no broken or missing components on the equipment, e.g., handrails, guardrails, protective barriers, steps, or rungs
  • There are no damaged fences, benches or signs on the playground
  • All equipment is securely anchored

Leaded paint

  • Ensure there is no lead paint
  • Paint, especially lead paint, is not peeling, cracking, chipping or chalking
  • There are no areas of visible leaded paint chips or accumulation of lead dust
    • Mitigate lead paint hazards

General upkeep of playgrounds

  • There are no user modifications to the equipment such as strings and ropes tied to equipment swings looped over top rails, etc.
    • Remove string or rope
    • Correct other modification
  • The entire playground is free from debris or litter such as tree branches, soda cans, bottles, glass, etc.
    • Clean playground
  • There are no missing trash receptacles
    • Replace trash receptacle
  • Trash receptacles are not full
    • Empty trash

Notes

Date of inspection: ________________ Inspection by: _________________________________________________________

The checklist above is adapted from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Public Playground Safety Handbook.

 

Explore more services

Learn about Hanover Risk Solutions and explore the benefits available to you.

Find out more