Designing for safety

Playground equipment like this 'revolving glove' is not safe for chileren. — KOSOL NAKOCHOL

The Ministry of Education's school safety manual recommends that playground equipment be checked regularly and thoroughly. — TAWATCHAI KEMGUMNERD

Playing is an integral part of growing up. When children go to school, they spend most of their break time playing with friends, usually in the school's playgrounds. And most children take their playgrounds seriously.

With steep ladders, metal arches, swinging chains, rough terrains, protruding nuts and bolts, however, a playground can easily become an dangerous obstacle course. Without adult supervision - or even with it - a play area may become a breeding ground for accidents.

"Playgrounds at almost all primary schools in Thailand are dangerous, especially those with a concrete surface,'' says Dr Adisak Phalitapolkarnpim, head of Ramathibodi Hospital's Child Safety Promotion and Injury Prevention Research Centre. In 2004, the centre found that at least three children die, and nearly 35,000 others suffer injuries and accidents, while on school and public playgrounds each year.

According to the study, about 44 percent of playground accidents involved a slide, 33 percent a swing, and the rest involved a roundabout or other playground equipment. Most of the time, these accidents occurred as a result of faulty or substandard equipment.

In addition to adult supervision and periodic maintenance, playground accidents can be minimised through careful planning for its design and construction. After all, proper playground construction involves more than simple installation. Rather, it involves adhering to a defined set of objectives, need assessments, site analysis, equipment and material selection, and surface options.

"In Thailand, as far as I know, there are no regulations that directly address the construction and design of school playgrounds," says Dr Jayada Boonyakiat, an expert in playground design and acting deputy dean for academic affairs at King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi's School of Architectural Design.

"The Ministry of Education does require schools to have playgrounds. However, it's not a regulation on how to design or construct them, at least not that I and my architect friends know of," she adds.

How to build a safe playground

The composite play system like this one should be located a safe distance away from independent play equipment like a slide or swing.— SUMETH WANNAPRUEK

When constructing a playground, design and safety should go together. As an architect, Dr Jayada offers some key points to consider when designing and constructing a playground to ensure maximum safety. The playground's type, scale, and layout, for example, should accommodate the differences in children's physical sizes and abilities, as well as cognitive and social skills.

Besides the children's age, the purpose of a playground - whether it is for private or public use - is also an important variable. "Outside school settings, public playgrounds are typically designed for children between the ages of two and 12 and may not be safe for [preschool] kids," she says.

A public playground, in this case, refers to equipment for use in the play areas of parks, schools, childcare facilities, institutions, multiple family dwellings, restaurants, resorts and recreational developments, and other areas of public use.

On the playground site, both natural and man-made elements have a strong influence on the design. The soil and topography, for example, play a role on the stability and drainage of the playground, while climate and natural forces affect the orientation and lifespan of the equipment. Building the playground under man-made elements, such as power and telephone lines, should be avoided.

The selection of playground equipment - a composite play system or independent play equipment - is also important. A well-designed composite structure, says Dr Jayada, can accommodate a large number of children in a relatively small area. This type of play structures offers a wide variety of active and social play challenges.

"Swings, climbers, and spring riders are typical of independent playthings that should be located a safe distance away from a composite structure," she says. Other variables to be considered when selecting the equipment include developmental benefits, variety, cost, liability issues, age-appropriateness, and accessibility.

Choosing equipment material and surface options can help to maximise safety. A concrete or rough gravel surface, for example, is dangerous in the event of falls. Loose-fill materials (i.e., sand and pea gravel), resilient tiles, and poured-in-place rubber surfacing are more appropriate to ensure maximum protection.

Similarly, structuring materials should be selected with safety and maintenance in mind. "Some steel products rust quickly in damp or salty areas, making alumninum or stainless steel a better choice for the structural parts. Vinyl-coated metals offer users protection against temperature extremes. And plastic parts should be made of high-quality resins with additives, to prevent colour fading and UV-degradation," Dr Jayada says.

Building a safe playground is, in fact, a serious business. The more attention paid to the design and construction, the more protection children will have against unnecessary falls or entrapment. Equally as important are regular maintenance and safety checks. These will ensure that the equipment remains up to standard and poses no dangers.

Maintenance Check-list Earlier this year, the Ministry of Education published a safety manual for schools and educational institutions. In the section about the prevention of accidents on school playgrounds, the manual recommends schools to check equipment regularly, post guidelines for the proper use of all play equipment, avoid purchasing dangerous equipment, and attach the equipment to the ground surface for stability. Regarding maintenance, the US Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) provides the following guidelines. Check nuts and bolts twice a month and tighten as needed. Oil moving metal parts as directed by the manufacturer. Check to make sure protective caps and plugs that cover bolt ends and ends of tubing are in place and tight. Inspect twice a month and replace as needed. Check the condition of the equipment, looking for signs of wear and tear, such as broken or missing components, bent pipes or tubing, and splintering wooden surfaces. Repair as necessary. Check swing seats, ropes, chains, and cables monthly for deterioration and replace as needed. Clean, sand, and repair rusted areas with a non-lead-based paint, as needed. Remove plastic swing seats in cold weather, if recommended by the manufacturer. Rake surfacing periodically to prevent compaction and maintain appropriate depths.