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Injury Statistics, Risk of Injury and Where Children Fall From Standards, Risk Management and Design considerations are all based on the historical injury data. Once the types of injuries and frequency is determined, the person using the information can fulfill their due diligence. One rule that Standards writing is typically based on is the prevention of death, followed by an effort to eliminate the debilitating and then reduce the severity of all other injuries. Head trauma is the most significant concern in human injury and therefore the emphasis on Gmax and HIC (Head Injury Criteria) There will always be the human factor in all activities and aggressive behaviour as well as horseplay will be factors in all injuries. For this reason a degree of reality must be factored into the design, installation and maintenance of systems. As a result it is reasonable to consider four types of use to which a device, in this case playground and play structure, will be put; Designed Use (the intended use by the designer and manufacturer, using existing standards and industry practices as a guide) Normal Use (the user stays within designed use, such as sliding down a slide feet first in a sitting position) Normal misuse (the user considers their abilities and that of there peers and uses the play structure as imagination dictates, such as running up a slide or jumping over the tops of barriers and guardrails just because they think they can or activity that can reasonably be seen in a playground by observing children) Abuse (exceeding the designed and reasonably expected misuse of the playground, such as climbing on a roof) Understanding the injuries and how to limit the severity is the intent of this section. As you navigate through the next few pages:
In the playground children learn many of the lessons they will need later in life. The playground is where the child learns to be both co-operative and competitive. Children test their physical, mental and and social skills every time they visit the playground. Part of this learning experience is through making mistakes. Mistakes can lead to an injury. In the playground falls are up to 70% of all injuries, The concern must be that the impact absorbing properties of the surface and drop height for which the surface is installed to protect the child is actually the height from which the child might actually fall. The owner/operator and parent will generally take the tops of barriers and guardrails. |
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Bringing compliance & better practices through knowledge & field testing of athletic, recreational and playground surfaces Any questions or comments about the material on the website should be directed to rolf@playgroundadvisory.com or please sign our guest book. If you would like any information about what you see on this site, please send an information request to info@playgroundadvisory.comSend mail to
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