As a parent, if you grew up in the 70s, 80s or 90s you have witnessed the changes at the local parks in the designs of playground equipment that are installed today. Years ago, I can recall one playground at a local park that had a huge 10 to 12 foot tall metal slide. The ladder to climb up it appeared to be two stories tall. Imagine a young children climbing up this huge ladder to slide down on a hot metal slide. Obviously, this was a very dangerous piece of equipment for children to play on. There were also other dangers at the park. For example, hard surfaces under swings and slides provided a sometimes hidden danger to children. They often didn’t get hurt unless they flew off the slide onto the solid ground or jumped off of a swing and fell.

Today, you should not find these types of unsafe equipment in the local parks but if you do never let your child use it. When visiting the park you should inspect the equipment your kids will be using. One thing to really look at is the ground cover underneath the play area. Look for debris, such as exposed pieces of cement where leg posts have been concreted into the ground. Also inspect the surface. The ground should have some give to it, a little bounce. Many playgrounds now have rubber mulch, which is highly recommended for personal and public playgrounds. Wooden mulch or wood chips are also a good option as well, but beware of your children getting splinters should they fall on it. Proper shoes will also help lessen the chance of children getting hurt by preventing some tripping and falling. Visual inspection is a must for safe play. A touch of the hand on a slide will tell you quickly if it's too hot for a child to use safely. The old metal slides used in parks put children at risk of receiving dangerous burns should they slide down them.

Most cities value their park areas and regularly perform maintenance the way they should. While most playgrounds appear to be safe, as a parent you need to be sure before allowing your child to use it. If you notice swings with damaged chains, loose hardware, wood that is cracked, rough or broken you should contact the city officials. Also, if you find graffiti, broken glass, etc this also warrants a call to the city. With new materials and components that are used today, such as plastic, resin and wood play structures, safe play is easier than years prior. Another reason is the fact that most of the play equipment is now deigned for a specific age range and skill level. Supervision in a park is a must. Parents should make it a top priority at the park to stay with their children and watch them carefully. The frequency of maintenance and inspections completed by schools and parks is based on several variables and hopefully completed in the timely manner to ensure safe play for all children.