What are common playground safety hazards?

CPSC sorts them into seven kinds. §3 of the Public Playground Safety Handbook (Pub. 325) lists crush and shearing points; entanglement and impalement; entrapment; sharp points, corners and edges; suspended hazards; tripping hazards; and used tires. Two of those seven are written up as killing rather than injuring, and both do it the same way. Head entrapment is “a serious concern on playgrounds, since it could lead to strangulation and death” (§3.3.1), and clothing drawstrings caught on equipment “can cause death by strangulation” (§3.2.1). The other five are written up as injuries — crush and shearing points pinch, the impalement half of §3.2 and the sharp edges of §3.4 cut, suspended hazards get run into, tripping hazards trip, and used tires can leave steel wire exposed — but the line is not clean, because §3.5 asks that a suspended component not be able to loop back on itself or on another rope, cable or chain “to create a circle with a 5 inch or greater perimeter”. We read that as a strangulation rule sitting under a heading whose own opening paragraph is about running into things; §3.5 itself gives no reason for it. §3 calls itself a broad overview meant to raise awareness of the risks, and says many of these hazards have technical specifications and tests for compliance with ASTM F1487 and F2373, some of which are detailed in Appendix B. Every figure below is CPSC's, cited by section.

Crush and shearing points

§3.1 is one sentence long in substance: anything that could crush or shear limbs should not be accessible to children on a playground. The handbook says crush and shear points can be caused by parts moving relative to each other, or to a fixed part, during a normal use cycle, such as a seesaw. To decide whether a point is one, it asks two questions: the likelihood a child could get a body part inside the point, and the closing force around the point. Crush and shear hazards specific to particular pieces of equipment are identified in §5.3.

On the round. Work the moving parts by hand rather than looking at them. Seesaws, gliders, spring rockers and anything on a hinge or a pivot move through their whole cycle, and the gap that closes on a finger only appears part-way through it.

Entanglement and impalement

§3.2 covers projections. They should not be able to entangle children's clothing, and should not be large enough to impale. Two of the five recommendations carry a figure.

• The diameter of a projection should not increase in the direction away from the surrounding surface toward the exposed end. A bolt end that gets wider as it sticks out is the shape that catches a hood.
• Bolts should not expose more than two threads beyond the end of the nut.
• All hooks, such as S-hooks and C-hooks, should be closed. “A hook is considered closed if there is no gap or space greater than 0.04 inches, about the thickness of a dime.” A connecting device containing an in-fill that completely fills the interior space, preventing entry of clothing items, is exempt.
• Swings and slides have additional recommendations for projections, set out in §5.3.
• “See Appendix B for testing recommendations.”

§3.2.1 deals with what children bring onto the equipment and what gets tied to it. Drawstrings on the hoods of jackets, sweatshirts and other upper body clothing can become entangled in equipment and cause death by strangulation. The handbook asks that children not wear jewelry, jackets or sweatshirts with drawstring hoods, mittens connected by strings through the arms, or other upper body clothing with drawstrings. It also says to remove any ropes, dog leashes or similar objects that have been attached to playground equipment, because children can become entangled in them and strangle to death, and to avoid equipment with ropes that are not secured at both ends. A warning label about hood and neck drawstrings may be placed on or near slides or other equipment where potential entanglements may occur.

On the round. Two separate checks. Run a hand along every projection, bolt end and hook to find the ones that have opened up, taking the dime with you for the hooks. Then look for anything a person has added since the last round: a jump rope tied to a bar, a leash on a post, a homemade swing. The handbook treats user modifications as a maintenance item in their own right (Table 3), and §4.2 says loose-ended ropes tied to elevated parts should be removed immediately.

Head entrapment

A child's head may become entrapped entering an opening either feet first or head first. §3.3.1 describes head-first entry as a child putting their head through an opening in one orientation, turning it to a different orientation, then being unable to get out. Feet-first entry involves children who sit or lie down and slide their feet into an opening large enough to permit their bodies through but not large enough to permit their heads through. A part or a group of parts should not form openings that could trap a child's head.

The range is specific. “Certain openings could present an entrapment hazard if the distance between any interior opposing surfaces is greater than 3.5 inches and less than 9 inches” (§3.3.1). Those spaces should be tested as recommended in Appendix B; this page does not reproduce the test figures. When one dimension of an opening is within this range, all dimensions of the opening should be considered together to evaluate the possibility of entrapment.

Two things in §3.3.1 catch people out. An opening low enough for a child's feet to touch the ground can still present a risk of strangulation for an entrapped child, so height off the surfacing is not a defense. And children should not wear their bicycle helmets while on playground equipment: the handbook records recent head entrapment incidents in which helmets became entrapped in spaces that would not normally be considered a head entrapment.

On the round. Barriers, guardrails, ladder rungs, the gaps under platforms and the spaces between vertical bars are where §3.3.1 points. Anything between 3.5 and 9 inches between opposing surfaces is the band to flag, and a flagged opening goes to the test recommended in Appendix B rather than a judgment call on the spot.

Partially bound openings and angles

§3.3.2 is the same hazard formed by a different shape. Children can become entrapped by partially bound openings, such as those formed by two or more playground parts. The handbook gives one figure: angles formed by two accessible adjacent parts should be greater than 55 degrees, unless the lowest leg is horizontal or below horizontal. It sends anything doubtful to the partially-bound opening test in Appendix B.

On the round. Look for V shapes rather than holes. A brace meeting a post, a diagonal under a deck, the crook where a rail joins an upright. If the V is tighter than 55 degrees and its bottom leg slopes upward, it is the shape §3.3.2 is describing.

Sharp points, corners and edges

§3.4 says sharp points, corners or edges on any part of the playground or the equipment may cut or puncture a child's skin, and that sharp edges can cause serious lacerations if protective measures are not taken.

• Exposed open ends of all tubing not resting on the ground or otherwise covered should be covered by caps or plugs that cannot be removed without the use of tools.
• Wood parts should be smooth and free from splinters.
• All corners, metal and wood, should be rounded.
• All metal edges should be rolled or have rounded capping.
• There should be no sharp edges on slides. The handbook asks for special attention to metal edges along the sides and at the exit, and points to §5.3.6.4.
• If steel-belted radials are used as playground equipment, they should be closely examined regularly to ensure that there are no exposed steel belts or wires.

On the round. This is the category §3.4 explicitly ties to frequency: it asks for frequent inspections to help prevent injuries caused by splintered wood, sharp points, corners or edges that may develop as a result of wear and tear on the equipment. Splinters and worn edges arrive over a season, which is why the same walk has to happen again.

Suspended hazards

§3.5 covers cables, wires, ropes and other flexible parts running from one piece of equipment to another or hanging to the ground. Children may be injured if they run into or trip over them. These components become hazards “when they are within 45 degrees of horizontal and are less than 7 feet above the protective surfacing”. Suspended components in that position should:

• Be located away from high traffic areas.
• Be either brightly colored or contrast with the surrounding equipment and surfacing.
• Not be able to be looped back on themselves, or on other ropes, cables or chains, to create a circle with a 5 inch or greater perimeter.
• Be fastened at both ends, unless they are 7 inches or less long or attached to a swing seat.

The section excludes swings, climbing nets, and any suspended component more than 7 feet above the protective surfacing that is a minimum of one inch at its widest cross-section dimension.

On the round. The 5-inch loop is the check that needs hands. A cable that is straight when you arrive can be knotted or looped back on itself by the children who got there first, and §3.5 asks that a suspended component not be able to loop back on itself, or on another rope, cable or chain, to create a circle with a 5 inch or greater perimeter. Measure around the loop, not across it.

Tripping hazards

§3.6 wants play areas free of tripping hazards, which it defines as sudden changes in elevation. It names two common causes: anchoring devices for playground equipment, and containment walls for loose-fill surfacing materials.

• All anchoring devices, such as concrete footings or horizontal bars at the bottom of flexible climbers, should be installed below ground level and beneath the base of the protective surfacing material. §3.6 notes this also prevents children sustaining additional injuries from impact if they fall on exposed footings.
• Surfacing containment walls should be highly visible, and contrasting the color of the containment barrier with the surfacing color can contribute to better visibility.
• Contrasting the color of the surfacing with the equipment color can contribute to better visibility.
• Any change of elevation should be obvious.

On the round. A footing that was buried at installation can be standing proud a year later, because the surfacing around it has thinned rather than because the footing moved. That makes this check and the surfacing check the same check; depths are on how deep playground mulch should be, and the ground it has to cover is the use zone.

Used tires

§3.7 treats recycled automobile and truck tires as their own category, whether they are used as equipment such as tire swings or flexible climbers, as cushioning under a seesaw, or shredded as protective surfacing. When recycling tires for playground use, the handbook asks that:

• Steel-belted radials be closely examined regularly to ensure that there are no exposed steel belts or wires.
• Care be taken so that the tire does not collect water and debris; the handbook's example is providing drainage holes on the underside of the tire to reduce water collection.
• Recycled tire rubber mulch products be inspected before installation to ensure that all metal has been removed.

It adds that in some situations plastic materials can be used as an alternative to simulate actual automobile tires.

On the round. Look at the inside faces and the bead, not the tread, and tip the tire to see whether it is holding water. Exposed wire is the failure mode, and §3.7 asks for it to be examined regularly rather than once.

Materials that turn into hazards

The hazards in §3 are mostly shapes. §2.5 adds the ones that come from what the equipment is made of, and these are the ones that change with age and weather.

• Bare metal in the sun. §2.5.3 says to avoid using bare metal for platforms, slides or steps, because when exposed to direct sunlight they may reach “temperatures high enough to cause serious contact burn injuries in a matter of seconds”. It suggests other materials that may reduce the surface temperature, such as wood, plastic or coated metal, and adds that if bare or painted metal surfaces are used on platforms, steps and slide beds, they should be oriented so that the surface is not exposed to direct sun year round.
• Rust and peeling paint. §2.5.4 says metals not inherently corrosion resistant should be painted, galvanized or otherwise treated to prevent rust, that painted surfaces should be maintained to prevent corrosion and deterioration, and that paint and other finishes should be maintained to prevent rusting of exposed metals and to minimize children playing with peeling paint and paint flakes.
• Lead paint on older equipment. The same section says older playgrounds with lead based paints should be identified and a strategy to control lead paint exposure should be developed, and points managers to the CPSC staff recommendations of October 1996 on identifying and controlling lead paint on public playground equipment, while ensuring that all paints and other similar finishes meet the current CPSC regulation for lead in paint.
• Wood and CCA. §2.5.5 asks that wood be either naturally rot- and insect-resistant, such as cedar or redwood, or treated to avoid deterioration, and says creosote-treated wood, such as railroad ties and telephone poles, and coatings containing pesticides should not be used. §2.5.5.1 records that chromated copper arsenate was used for decades and that since December 31, 2003 CCA-treated wood is no longer processed for playground applications. For an existing playground built with it, the handbook reports that CPSC and EPA studies suggest regular use of an oil- or water-based penetrating sealant or stain, at least once a year, can reduce arsenic migration from the wood surface.
• Hardware. §2.5.2 asks that fasteners, connectors and covering devices not loosen or be removable without the use of tools, and that those exposed to the user be smooth and not likely to cause laceration or penetration or present a clothing entanglement hazard. Lock washers, self-locking nuts or other locking means should be provided for all nuts and bolts to protect them from detachment, and hardware in moving joints should also be secured against unintentional or unauthorized loosening. The closed-hook figure appears here as well as in §3.2: no gap or space greater than 0.04 inches.

On the round. Touch the metal before the children do on the first hot day, note rust and bare patches by location rather than as a yes or no, and treat a wooden structure old enough to predate 2004 as a CCA question for the owner rather than an inspection finding.

Equipment the handbook says not to use

§2.3.1 lists equipment that is not recommended for use on public playgrounds. If one of these is standing on the site, it is not a defect to be repaired, and the handbook's answer is not to have it.

• Trampolines.
• Swinging gates.
• Giant strides.
• Climbing ropes that are not secured at both ends.
• Heavy metal swings, such as animal figures, because their heavy rigid metal framework presents a risk of impact injury.
• Multiple occupancy swings, with the exception of tire swings, because their greater mass compared to single occupancy swings presents a risk of impact injury.
• Rope swings, meaning free-swinging ropes that may fray or otherwise form a loop, because they present a potential strangulation hazard.
• Swinging dual exercise rings and trapeze bars on long chains, which the handbook considers items of athletic equipment. It notes that this does not apply to overhead hanging rings such as those used in a ring trek or ring ladder.

How to record what you find

§4.1 asks for a comprehensive maintenance program for each playground, with all areas and equipment inspected for excessive wear, deterioration and any potential hazards, such as those shown in Table 3. It says one possible procedure is the use of checklists, and that where the manufacturer has not provided inspection guidelines, the general checklist at Appendix A may be used as a guide for frequent routine inspections. It also asks that inspections be carried out in a systematic manner by personnel familiar with the playground, such as maintenance workers or playground supervisors. §4.2 is the other half: inspections alone do not constitute a comprehensive maintenance program, and any problems found during the inspection should be noted and fixed as soon as possible.

Table 3, “Routine inspection and maintenance issues”, is the handbook's own short list of what a round turns up: broken equipment such as loose bolts and missing end caps; broken glass and other trash; cracks in plastics; loose anchoring; hazardous or dangerous debris; insect damage; problems with surfacing; displaced loose-fill surfacing; holes, flakes or buckling of unitary surfacing; user modifications, such as ropes tied to parts or equipment rearranged; vandalism; worn, loose, damaged or missing parts; wood splitting; rusted or corroded metals; and rot.

The part that matters for records is that a hazard is a date, not a state. Rust on a bracket in March and the same rust in September are one finding that has been ignored for six months, and only dated entries show that. The Appendix A items are on our free playground inspection checklist, a printable sheet you can take round on a clipboard. InspectPlay is the same 25 pass/fail items on a phone: failing one asks for a priority and what you saw, then files a finding that carries the handbook's own remedial action and section citation, and the finding stays open across rounds until someone closes it with a repair note. Photos attach to the play units, and the finished check becomes a hosted report page that is emailed to whoever needs it as a link.

What this does not cover

No test dimension is reproduced here. §3.3.1 and §3.3.2 both send entrapment questions to the test methods in Appendix B of Pub. 325, and those tests are what settles a borderline opening or angle. Pub. 325 also points outward rather than restating: §3 names ASTM F1487 and F2373 as carrying technical specifications and tests for many of these hazards, and this page does not reproduce any standard text either — what each of those documents covers is set out by scope alone on the ASTM playground standards page. Two questions this page leaves open have pages of their own. Knowing the seven hazard kinds does not tell you how often to go looking for them, which is what Chapter 4 says about inspection frequency; and it does not tell you how often any of them actually hurts somebody, which is what the injury data does and does not show.

Pub. 325 is federal guidance, not a state rule. What a licensed child care or school playground has to check, and how often, is set state by state and can differ from the sections above; the states we have read at primary source are on the state rules page.