Preventing Playground Accidents-Playground Equipment’s
Author: Austin Stanfel
Playgrounds are a great way for children to have fun, do exercise for the necessary sixty minutes, and to interact with others, but it’s also a place where children can quickly get hurt. Children are prone to going out and doing dangerous things. Parents like the playground so they can sit and mind their own business while their children enjoy themselves, but they also have to be attentive to what the children do. Parents need to teach them what safety is so they can prevent playground accidents, which is easy to do.
First, parents should be familiar with the park and know where the blind spots are where they can lose sight of the children. These are the danger zones where something could go wrong. When working with multiple children, parents can use the buddy system to them get together rather than playing alone. Parents must also see if there is anything on the playground that could be dangerous such as broken glass, sharp rocks, perforated sections from the playground, or hot surfaces from the heat of the sun. Even worse, there could be cigarette butts, pointed needles, or other drug paraphernalia that can easily be harmful. Tell the children never to touch anything sharp and keep their shoes on. (Provigil)
Next, there should be safety amongst the children, where they must not fight with each other. That means no violence or aggression, such as pushing, shoving, kicking, and tripping. Talk to them and enlighten them about the consequences of not abiding by rules, or by practicing reckless and dangerous play. There’s always something going on at the slide, monkey bars, ladder, and swings, so tell them the rules of sharing and having one person at a time. Parents should not tolerate all dangerous play because this is the bulk of playground accidents happening. There are rules at the park listed, so parents should tell the children what they are and how they must behave at all times.
Accidents also occur when children misuse the playground equipment. Parents should tell them what not to do, like climbing on a tree or the high bar of the swing or sliding headfirst. Another accident involves what the children wear. A parent should prevent children from wearing jewelry, scarves, or any clothing with strings to prevent strangulation accidents. There’s a more significant danger in playgrounds that need to be told to children: strangers. Tell children to stay nearby and, if they see something unusual, always alert the parents. Parents who see someone who should not be there should quickly get their children, evacuate the playground, and call the police if anything suspicious is noticed.
Parents can go the playground with a backpack containing essentials, featuring a first aid kit, water, and sunscreen. As the Scouts say, be prepared. Every year, an average of 20,000 children aged 14 and under are taken to the hospital for playground-related injuries. Playground safety means everything, and knowing how to handle any danger is everything. Parents and children must be aware that, while having fun, they should learn how to be safe from harm.