Elementary School Playgrounds: Safe Play Areas or Inherent Dangers

Abstract

57 elementary schools in two suburban counties near Philadelphia were included in this investigation of playground safety. A safety inspection was completed at each playground. The content of the safety inspection was based on selected standards for slides and climbers published in two volumes of playground safety handbooks by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission in 1982. Since these public playground standards primarily addressed the physical dimensions of playground equipment and the selection of soft force-absorbing surfaces below the playground equipment, an additional aspect, supervision, was assessed during noon recess. Most elementary school playgrounds have been installed on unsafe hard surface materials, and many had equipment which does not meet the current playground guidelines. The noon recess is frequently supervised by aides who have inadequate preparation for guiding children's play and classroom teachers with limited preparation in physical education. The classroom teachers are usually rotated to noon playground duty once every two or three weeks which provides very inconsistent leadership. This responsibility should be assigned to a qualified elementary physical education teacher who may be assisted by playground aides or classroom teachers.