Child and Adolescent Clinic - Safe Use of Swingsets

Ask Dr. Sue

SAFE USE OF SWINGSETS

Dear Dr. Sue,

My son just put up a swingset for my grandchildren to use, and he didn't anchor it to the ground at all. He says he doesn't think its necessary, because they're not big enough to tip it over. He plans to keep adding to their playset as time goes on, and I'd feel better if he did everything the safest way. Can you convince him?

Grandma

Dear Grandma,

I'm on your side. The Consumer Product Safety Commission just released a report about deaths and injuries on playground equipment. They found that over the past 10 years, more children were killed on backyard equipment than in public playgrounds (90 out of 150). There were also 47,000 injuries on home playgrounds, and almost 40% of these were in children under age 5.

Almost three-fourths of the injuries actually resulted from hangings from ropes, cords, homemade rope swings, and similar items. Head injuries are another common cause of serious playground injury and death.

The National Safety Council give specific instructions regarding setting up a home swingset:

Buy sturdy equipment that will grow and change as your children become older. Consider modular equipment that can be bought, installed, replaced or upgraded in phases.
Stability is very important. Install the swing set legs in concrete below ground level to avoid a tripping hazard. However, if you use anchoring devices that usually come with the equipment, all pegs should be well below ground level and little or no slack should be in the chain or cable.
Cap any exposed screws or bolts.
Do not buy equipment with open-ended hooks, particularly "S" hooks. Avoid: equipment with accessible moving parts which can pinch, scissor or crush fingers; sharp edges or rough surfaces; or, rings with a diameter more than five inches but less than 10 inches, since a child's head may become trapped.
Slides should have a slope of no more than 30 degrees and sides at least 2 to 2 1/2 inches in height along both sides. They should also have an extended exit surface parallel to the ground so children can regain their balance and be in an upright posture at the bottom of the slide.
Equipment choice should be based on each child's abilities, interests and physical size. Infants who are unable to sit upright unassisted need to be constantly held on slides. Preschoolers are susceptible to burns on metal equipment in hot weather. Children should not play on equipment that is more then eight feet in height. It doesn't add to their play, but offers a more dangerous fall.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission adds the following about backyard playgrounds:

Install and maintain at least 9 inches of wood chips, mulch, or shredded rubber for play equipment up to 7 feet high. If sand or pea gravel is used, install at least a 9-inch layer for play equipment up to 5 feet high. Or use special safety-tested rubber mats. (However, you should request test data on the mats' shock-absorbing performance from the manufacturer if it's not provided for you.)
Install this 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.
NEVER attach ropes, jump ropes, clotheslines, or pet leashes to the equipment.
Check for openings in guardrails or between ladder rungs. Spaces should be either less than 3" or more than 9" so they don't present an entrapment hazard. (Entrapment happens when a child's body fits through an opening but their head will not. Strangulation can follow.)
Swings should not be too close together or too close to their supporting structure. Allow the following gaps:
- At least 8" between suspended swings and between a swing and the support frame.
- At least 16" from swing support frame to a see-saw.
Minimum clearance between the ground and underside of swing seat should be 8".
Platforms more than 30" above the ground should have guardrails to prevent falls.
Always supervise young children to be sure they are safe. Teach your child not to walk or play close to a moving swing, and never to tie ropes to playground equipment.

Please show these specifics to your son. When he realizes that serious injuries and even deaths really do happen in backyard playgrounds, I'm sure that he'll invest the time and energy to make your grandchildrens' playground as safe as it can possibly be.

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