Playground development, from design to construction and beyond
By Kyle Ryan
Playground Safety Statistics
SOME INTERESTING NUMBERS:
About 45 percent of injuries involving public equipment occurred in schools.
About 31 percent of injuries involving public equipment occurred in public parks.
About 10 percent of injuries involving public equipment occurred in commercial childcare centers.
From January 1990 to August 2000, CPSC received reports of 147 deaths to children younger than 15 that involved playground equipment.
70 percent of those deaths occurred in homes.
30 percent of those deaths occurred in public use.
Girls were involved in a slightly higher percentage of injuries (55 percent) than were boys (45 percent).
Injuries to the head and face accounted for 49 percent of injuries to children 0-4, while injuries to the arm and hand accounted for 49 percent of injuries to children ages 5 to 14.
For children ages 0 to 4, climbers (40 percent) had the highest incidence rates, followed by slides (33 percent).
For children ages 5 to 14, climbing equipment (56 percent) had the highest incidence rates, followed by swings (24 percent).
Approximately 15 percent of the injuries were classified as severe, with 3 percent requiring hospitalization.
The most prevalent diagnoses were fractures (39 percent), lacerations (22 percent), contusions/abrasions (20 percent), strains/sprains (11 percent).
Falls to the surface was a contributing factor in 79 percent of all injuries. On home equipment, 81 percent were associated with falls.
Most injuries on public playground equipment were associated with climbing equipment (53 percent), swings (19 percent) and slides (17 percent).
Statistics courtesy of the National Program for Playground Safety
