Nowadays, indoor playgrounds are very popular with adults and children, but there are many dangers when going to indoor playgrounds. What should the playground do at this time? What should we do when we take our children there? The protection of indoor playgrounds needs to start from many aspects such as facility safety, environmental management, personnel protection, and emergency handling. The following is a detailed explanation of these issues.
Causes of Child Injuries in Indoor Play Areas
Playground equipment problems
The edges of metal brackets and plastic parts that have not been rounded are prone to scratches or collisions, or the swing ropes are broken, the welding points of the climbing nets fall off, the slide brackets are loose, and the purchase of inferior plastics releases harmful substances or the floor mats and soft facilities are flammable and easy to breed bacteria, which can easily cause children to get hurt
Poor playground protection
If the bottom of the slide in the playground is not covered with a cushion of sufficient thickness, or the floor mats are damaged and the seams are raised, resulting in excessive impact when falling, trampolines and cableways are not equipped with safety belts or guardrails, there are no anti-fall nets in the climbing area, and the swings have no anti-pinch design. All of the above can cause children to get hurt.
Poor hygiene
Food residues and small parts left on the ground in the playground may cause children to slip or eat by mistake. We do not disinfect the slide handrails and ocean balls regularly, which can easily spread infectious diseases such as hand, foot and mouth disease and influenza to children.
Environmental risks
Dark areas in playgrounds are prone to collisions, strong light exposure may cause temporary blindness or falls, or poor indoor ventilation and high temperatures may cause heat stroke or dehydration in children.
Inadequate parental supervision
If our parents allow young children to use climbing facilities without adult supervision, or leave them unattended in high-risk areas. Parents focus on their phones and chats, and fail to stop children's dangerous behaviors in time, which may also cause children to be injured.
Inadequate staff supervision
If our playground staff do not intervene in time when children run, fight, or use age-inappropriate facilities in the playground. Employees are not familiar with the emergency response process, resulting in failure to deal with injuries correctly in the first time.
Improper child clothing
If children wear scarves and long rope necklaces, they may be wrapped around their necks when climbing, and sharp accessories such as hairpins and brooches may scratch themselves or others. Wear slippers, leather shoes and other shoes that are easy to slip, or play barefoot and get scratched.
Overcrowding of children
If there are too many children in our playground, the risk of collision and trampling increases, and the safety exit is blocked by debris or crowds, and it is impossible to evacuate quickly in an emergency. There is no first aid kit or AED equipment on site, or the employees do not know how to use first aid tools, delaying the best time for treatment.
Playground protection methods
Playground material selection
We should choose environmentally friendly materials that meet national safety standards to avoid sharp corners and easy-to-fall parts. Metal parts need to be rust-proof and rounded, and rope facilities need to be regularly checked for wear to ensure the safety of children.
Add cushioning mats
We should lay EVA cushioning mats or rubber mats with a thickness of ≥5cm in slides, swings, climbing areas and other areas prone to falling, and fix the edges with glue to prevent displacement.The joints of the mats are flat, without bulges or depressions, and the damage is checked regularly and replaced in time. The height of the anti-collision soft bag wrapped in the corners, columns, low beams and other locations of the wall should not be less than 1.2 meters to prevent children from colliding and getting injured.
Fire protection in playgrounds
The power sockets in the playground should be installed at a height that children cannot reach, with an anti-electric shock protective cover, and the lines should be hidden in the wall or wire trough to avoid exposure. At the same time, the playground needs to be equipped with enough fire extinguishers and smoke alarms to keep the safe passage unobstructed, and employees need to be familiar with the escape route and emergency operation procedures.
How to clean a play yard
We need to disinfect indoor surfaces and public contact areas of amusement facilities every day with chlorine-containing disinfectants or disinfectant wipes, and disinfect ocean balls at least once a week. Ultraviolet disinfection or special cleaning agents can be used.
Playground play clean
Clean up food residues and debris on the playground floor in a timely manner, set up classified trash cans to prevent mosquitoes and flies from breeding and children from accidentally ingesting foreign objects. Then keep the room well ventilated, install air purifiers, and regularly test the concentration of harmful gases such as formaldehyde and benzene to ensure compliance with national standards.
Suitable temperature of the playground
Our playground needs to control the room temperature at 24℃-28℃ in summer and 20℃-24℃ in winter to prevent children from catching a cold due to excessive temperature differences. Use soft LED lighting to avoid strong light directly into the eyes, and add emergency lighting equipment at night or in areas with insufficient light to prevent children from falling due to unclear vision.
Staff safety training
Our playground staff need to receive first aid training to be familiar with the operating specifications and safety precautions of amusement facilities, and check the safety of facilities before opening the park every day. Arrange special personnel to be on duty in high-risk areas to stop children's dangerous behaviors in time and guide parents to take good care of their children.
Children's dress code
We should recommend children to wear non-slip shoes and light clothes, and avoid wearing scarves, long rope accessories and other items that are easy to entangle.
Playground emergency plan
Set up a first aid kit at the service desk or entrance of the playground, equipped with Band-Aids, gauze, iodine, and other common medicines. If necessary, an automatic external defibrillator is equipped, and the emergency phone number and contact information of the park manager are posted. In case of emergencies, the emergency plan is immediately activated, and parents are contacted and sent to the doctor.
Regular playground inspections
We conduct comprehensive safety hazard inspections every month, record the inspection results and make timely rectifications.Purchase insurance Purchase public liability insurance for the amusement area to reduce the risk of economic compensation caused by accidents.
Statistics on child injuries
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 200,000 children 14 and younger go to the emergency room each year for injuries on playground equipment, some of which occur in indoor play areas. Studies have shown that 45% of playground injuries are related to lack of proper supervision or improper supervision. In addition, more than 800,000 children in the United States suffered trampoline injuries between 2009 and 2018, most of which occurred on home trampolines. The hospitalization rate for trampoline injuries is approximately 3% to 14%. About three-quarters of the accidents occurred when multiple people were using the trampoline. Compared with heavier and older children, lighter and younger children are 14 times more likely to be injured.
The above details what measures should be taken in indoor playgrounds to maintain the safety of our children. If you also like to take your children to the playground, you can read the photo article in detail. I hope it will be helpful to you. If you are also interested in indoor playgrounds and want to invest, or buy indoor playground equipment, etc., please feel free to contact us at any time. We will provide the best service.
