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Playground Safety and Impact Attenuation Characteristics of Surfacing: A pilot study
Presentation Type
Poster (Electronic Copy Not Available)
Keywords
Playgrounds--Safety measures;
Project Summary
The National Program for Playground Safety began collecting data for a playground safety study. The overall purpose of the study was to be able to discern 1) the general safety status of playground equipment and playground surfacing throughout the United States; and 2) the impact attenuation characteristics of safety surfacing. During the first year of the study, 103 public playgrounds were assessed, representing public schools and public parks. The data revealed there are safety concerns with playground equipment and surfacing materials. In fact, the study found there are playgrounds putting children at risk for injury through inadequate safety signage, lack of maintenance on equipment hardware (e.g. gaps, loose ropes, strings, and head entrapment). There are fewer issues with the performance of impact attenuation of surfacing materials. Most equipment had appropriate surface materials under and around the play structure which met impact attenuation performance. The research gathered in the study will allow for the University of Northern Iowa's NPPS to put greater safety awareness among those who manage, visit, install, and maintain playgrounds in communities, schools, parks, and child care centers.
Start Date
19-4-2018 9:00 AM
End Date
19-4-2018 10:30 AM
Event Host
UNI Office of Undergraduate Studies
Department
School of Kinesiology, Allied Health, and Human Services
Department/Center/Organization
National Program for Playground Safety
Award Category
Research-Based Project Award
Copyright
©2018 Heather Olsen, Brandy Smith, Anna Bourke, Chelsea Miller, & Taylor Hansen
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Olsen, Heather; Smith, Brandy A.; Bourke, Anna; Miller, Chelsea; and Hansen, Taylor, "Playground Safety and Impact Attenuation Characteristics of Surfacing: A pilot study" (2018). Community Engagement Celebration Day. 12.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/communityday/2018/all/12
Playground Safety and Impact Attenuation Characteristics of Surfacing: A pilot study
The National Program for Playground Safety began collecting data for a playground safety study. The overall purpose of the study was to be able to discern 1) the general safety status of playground equipment and playground surfacing throughout the United States; and 2) the impact attenuation characteristics of safety surfacing. During the first year of the study, 103 public playgrounds were assessed, representing public schools and public parks. The data revealed there are safety concerns with playground equipment and surfacing materials. In fact, the study found there are playgrounds putting children at risk for injury through inadequate safety signage, lack of maintenance on equipment hardware (e.g. gaps, loose ropes, strings, and head entrapment). There are fewer issues with the performance of impact attenuation of surfacing materials. Most equipment had appropriate surface materials under and around the play structure which met impact attenuation performance. The research gathered in the study will allow for the University of Northern Iowa's NPPS to put greater safety awareness among those who manage, visit, install, and maintain playgrounds in communities, schools, parks, and child care centers.
