Without proper maintenance, playgrounds can become untidy or potentially unsafe for the children who use them. These spaces are crucial for children’s development, providing them with a safe and engaging space to play with others, explore outdoor environments and develop their physical and social abilities. For this reason, those in charge of these spaces need to ensure they take a comprehensive and proactive approach to their playground inspection routine. How often should playground equipment be inspected, and what tasks should you prioritise?
Full compliance with all set-out safety standards needs to be ensured in a playground, which is why routine weekly checks by playground maintenance teams should be carried out every week. This duty is essential, as it allows you to detect potential problems before they escalate into full-on injuries. If you’re responsible for this job, then here’s a guide on what to include in your weekly playground inspection checklist.
Check Surface And Ground Cover
The quality of the surface in your playground is extremely important to both its presentability and safety. Over time, ground covers become worn, especially in areas with high foot traffic. When this happens, it can become a serious trip hazard that needs to be caught and dealt with quickly. Additionally, checking the ground routinely for glass, rocks and broken branches and getting them removed will help to eliminate any other threats to children in the playground and ensure that the aesthetic quality of the area is not reduced by litter and debris.
Keep On Top Of The Condition Of Your Playground Equipment
Without proper maintenance work being regularly performed, it’s easy for playground equipment to become damaged over time and potentially pose a serious threat to children using the playground. Loose bolts, fittings, excessive rust, cracks, or sharp edges can all present their own different potential hazards to users, and they need to be caught and repaired ASAP to ensure they continue to function without endangering anybody. That’s why assessing all playground equipment needs to be done as part of your weekly playground inspection checklist. If you notice any damage that you aren’t equipped to handle, then remove that item from the playground immediately.
You Need To Ensure Signage And Accessibility Are Being Maintained
The visibility and legibility of all signage are an important part of your weekly playground inspection checklist. Signs provide key instructions and mark accessibility features such as ramps for children with mobility needs. Contact information needs to be kept up to date as well, so that people are easily able to report emergencies and damage.
Is The Playground Being Kept Clean?
A dirty playground isn’t somewhere people are going to spend their time. Other than being unsightly, failing to keep on top of cleanliness can also pose health and safety risks, such as pests settling there. Ensure that your bins are being regularly emptied and animal droppings are cleaned up. Vandalism and graffiti need to be removed quickly as well to discourage any further damage. Make sure all of these tasks are completed as part of your weekly playground inspection checklist.
Why You Could Benefit From A Professional Playground Inspection
While the above jobs can be handled by individuals responsible for maintaining the park, doing so doesn’t mean you won’t benefit from a professional inspection service. Arborcure can work with you to provide a complete inspection service, including a full assessment of the condition of any equipment, necessary repairs that need doing and how urgent they are, as well as the level of risk caused by any of the equipment in the playground. Whether you need to get your playground back into shape or just want to get an expert to ensure safety, do get in contact with us to learn more about how we can help.
