Oh joy! National Playground Safety Week! The week when 20-somethings can look back and remember the day, nay, the hour when playgrounds went from insanely fun labyrinths of dangerous wood and metal to orange and red plastic monstrosities capable of generating enough static electricity to reanimated a recently decreased pet.

Anyway. Here are some playground safety tips from the CPSC that will likely make the playground nearly as safe as, but not quite as fun as, a library. The world is quiet here.

• Never attach ropes, jump ropes, clotheslines, or pet leashes to the equipment. This can present a serious strangulation hazard to children.

• Make sure children remove their bike or other sports helmets before playing on the playground. Helmets can become entrapped in playground equipment, posing a strangulation hazard.

• Purchase play equipment that meets the latest safety standards.

• Smooth sharp points or edges, and close open “S” hooks and cover protruding bolts.

• Check for openings in guardrails or between ladder rungs. Spaces should be either less than 3 1/2 inches or more than 9 inches so that they don’t present an entrapment hazard.

• Always supervise young children to make sure they are safe.

• Install and maintain at least 9 inches of wood chips, mulch, or shredded rubber (for equipment up to 8 feet high) or sand or pea gravel (for equipment no more than 5 feet high) as shock absorbing material under the playground. (Dirt and grass, which are the most prevalent surfaces under home playground equipment, do not adequately protect children from serious head injuries.)

• Install protective surfacing at least six feet in all directions from play equipment. For swings, the surface should extend, in back and front, twice the height of the suspending bar.

Even though we are being smartasses, these are all really good ideas, so be sure to do them. Here’s one from us: • Do not allow any dastardly villains to call the slide as their “home base.” —MEGHANN MARCO

Springtime Is the Right Time To Swing Into Playground Safety [CPSC]

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