Welcome to The Playground Post
Your biweekly dose of playground knowledge from someone who's spent 20 years inspecting them.
In this issue, I’ll dive more into the importance of playground monitoring and and how it can be part of a preventative playground safety strategy
I also lay out a story of a school playground that was rebuilt from the ground up.
All that and more lies ahead in The Playground Post.
Monitoring Minute
Why reactive playground maintenance always costs more than prevention
The big picture: There’s an old adage that reads “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” In a nutshell, it means that proactivity will always be preferable to reactivity.
Visible QR codes are key to playground monitoring
What does this look like in the playground world?
Reactivity: A child falls from a climber and sprains their arm due to insufficient surfacing depth. Following the incident, the surface material is replenished to meet ASTM standards.
Proactivity: A parent notices a bare patch of ground underneath a climber. They scan the QR code on the post next to it and alert the principal of the safety hazard. The patch is filled with rubber mulch within a day.
Reactivity can lead to kids being hurt and potential lawsuits by their parents; proactivity helps avoid both. I know which one I prefer.
Reality check: Not every playground injury is preventable. As any parent knows, sometimes kids will run around, bump into each other, and get hurt.
But: That doesn’t mean every injury is a foregone conclusion. Comprehensive playground monitoring helps ensure that playgrounds are safe, and offers an easy way to get in touch with a Certified Playground Safety Inspector, who can point out gaps in local, state, and federal regulatory compliance.
One thing to check on your playground this week:
With rain becoming more common across the country, take a close look at the different parts of your swing set and check for rust buildup. Often, people immediately notice things like rusty swing posts or chains, but smaller components like hangers, joints, and s-hooks should be monitored even more closely, since they’re integral to proper swing function. Don’t want to put an out-of-order sign in one of your swing bays? Make sure to check for rust.
If you sit on a school board or manage a facility with a playground, forward this to your maintenance director. They need to see this.
The Case File
Altamont, Illinois - Playground Repair, Playground Replace
Playground installed at Altamont Interparish Lutheran School, Altamont, Illinois
Zoom in: In this week’s Case File, we’re headed to Altamont, Illinois, a small town in downstate Illinois, about three hours south of Chicago.
The context: Altamont Interparish Lutheran School had a decision to make. Would they try to refurbish their decades-old playground equipment? Or would they install brand-new swings, climbers, and slides for the community to enjoy?
The decision: After lots of discussion, Altamont stakeholders decided to purchase new amenities. The installation was performed in the peak of summer, with the ground saturated from weeks of rain, but hard work and collaboration got it done in time for the start of school.
Read the full case study: Altamont Lutheran Replaced Everything — Here’s Why
That's it for this issue.
If you manage a playground, ask yourself one question:
Who knows when something changes between inspections?
If the answer is "nobody," you don't have a safety plan. You have hope. I'm building something that closes that gap. More on that soon.
In the meantime, if you want the playground safety checklist my team uses for weekly walkthroughs, reply with the word SAFE and I'll send it to you.
Know someone who should be reading this? Share The Playground Post:
Talk soon,
Nic Breedlove
Certified Playground Safety Inspector
20 years in the game. Still learning.