Playground Supervision

Even playgrounds that are designed, installed and maintained in accordance with safety guidelines and standards can still present hazards to children in the absence of adequate supervision. Because all playgrounds present some challenge and because children can be expected to use equipment in unintended and unexpected ways, adult supervision is highly recommended. Not all playground equipment is appropriate for all children who may use the playground. Direct children to age-appropriate activities. Supervisors should be aware that the playground equipment is designed based on the most current version of ASTM standard F1487. The age-appropriateness of the equipment is also set based on this standard. The range of users encompassed by this consumer safety performance specification is the 5th percentile 2-year-old through the 95th percentile 12-year-old. It is important to recognize that preschool-age children require more attentive supervision on playground equipment than older children.Following these recommendations will help minimize accidents and injury to children while playing, but will not eliminate them entirely. Always remember that hazards can be eliminated - but risk can not.

Supervisors should understand the basics of playground safety such as:

Checking for broken equipment and making sure children don’t play on it.
Checking for and removing unsafe modifications, especially ropes tied to equipment before letting children play.
Checking for properly maintained protective surfacing.
Making sure children are wearing footwear.
Watching and stopping dangerous horseplay, such as children throwing protective surface materials, jumping from heights, etc.
Watching for and stopping children from wandering away from the play area.
Not permitting the use of wet playground equipment. Wet equipment will not provide the necessary traction and gripping capability. Slips or falls may occur.
Constantly observing play patterns to note possible hazardous play and overcrowding on playground equipment.
Making sure children do not wear loose clothing, hoods,drawstrings or jewelry while on the playground equipment.These items could pose a strangulation/entanglement hazard.
Checking to see that play surfaces are at an acceptable temperature before allowing children to play on them.

Source: 2.2.7 Playground Supervision
Public Playground Safety Handbook - CPSC Publication 325
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Playground safety is enhanced when appropriate supervision is present. In many playground venues, there may not always be supervision of children at play, such as a public park. Signage or labeling may not be seen or read by children, or even ignored while children are focused on their play. While supervision may not prevent all playground injuries, it does offer value toward safer play. This provides a problem and issue when public areas are created that allow play without supervision. These areas may require more inspections to ensure that the area is maintained to the proper standard of care. In addition to signage, unsupervised play areas may be fenced to control traffic. Consult with your playground designer, installer and maintenance personnel for ideas to address and enhance safety.

The quality of the supervision depends on the quality of the supervisor’s knowledge of safe play behavior. Playground designers should be aware of the type of supervision most likely for their given playground. Depending on the location and nature of the playground, the supervisors may be paid professionals (e.g. childcare, elementary school or park and recreation personnel), paid seasonal workers (e.g., college or high school students), volunteers (e.g., PTA members), or unpaid care givers(e.g., parents) of the children playing in the playground. Parents and playground supervisors should be aware that not all playground equipment is appropriate for all children who may use the playground. Supervisors should look for posted signs indicating the appropriate age of the users and direct children to equipment appropriate for their age. Supervisors may also use the information in Table 1 to determine the suitability of the equipment for the children they are supervising. Toddlers and preschool-age children require more attentive supervision than older children; however, one should not rely on supervision alone to prevent injuries. Supervisors should understand the basics of playground safety such as:

Checking for broken equipment and making sure children don’t play on it.
Checking for and removing unsafe modifications, especially ropes tied to equipment, before letting children play.
Checking for properly maintained protective surfacing.
Making sure children are wearing foot wear.
Watching and stopping dangerous horseplay, such as children throwing protective surfacing materials, jumping from heights, etc.
Watching for and stopping children from wandering away from the play area.