Backyard play sets and trampolines

About 50,000 children a year go to emergency rooms for injuries on home playground equipment, and about 80% of those injuries come from falls. Each year several children die on home playgrounds. Many are strangled by ropes, cords or leashes tied to the equipment, or by drawstrings and things worn around the neck that catch on it. Others are trapped by the head or neck in narrow spaces, fall, or are hit by equipment that moves or tips over.

Where it stands

• Keep the play set at least 6 feet from a house, fence, shed, tree or poleLeave more room in front of and behind the swings, twice the height of the top bar.
• Pick a level spot away from roads and driveways, where you can see it from the house
• Clear low branches, overhead wires, stumps, roots and rocks from the area
• Put a bare metal slide or platform out of direct sunA slide that faces north gets the least sun and is less likely to burn.

Surfacing

• Keep at least 9 inches of loose fill under equipmentWood mulch, engineered wood fiber or shredded rubber works for equipment up to 8 feet high, and sand or pea gravel up to 5 feet. A 12-inch fill packs down to about 9 inches.
• Run the surfacing at least 6 feet past the equipment on every sideFor a tire swing, run it out the length of the chain plus 6 feet.
• Mark the right fill level on a support postYou'll see when the mulch needs topping up or raking back.
• Never put a play set over concrete, asphalt, grass or dirtGrass and dirt wear down and stop absorbing a fall. Carpet and thin mats aren't enough either.

Ropes, gaps and hardware

• Never tie a jump rope, clothesline, leash or cord of any kind to the play setAnchor both ends of a climbing rope the way the instructions say.
• Take drawstrings out of children's clothes, and keep bike helmets off the play setChildren have been caught by helmet chinstraps in gaps on the equipment.
• Measure the openings: under 3½ inches or over 9 inchesThat includes the gaps between ladder rungs, posts and railings. Anything in between can trap a child's head or neck.
• Check the nuts, bolts and end caps twice a monthCover exposed bolt ends with the maker's caps, and close S-hooks so the gap is thinner than a dime.
• Check swing seats, ropes, chains and cables monthlyReplace a frayed or loose rope right away. Lightweight swing seats hurt less if they hit a child.
• Remove any swing or glider hung from monkey barsIt lowers the chance of a child falling onto it from the bars.

Trampolines

• Allow only one person on the trampoline at a time
• Keep children younger than 6 off a full-size trampoline
• Place it away from buildings, trees and other play areasAn enclosure can help prevent falls.
• Skip jumping on a windy dayHigh wind can shift a trampoline or blow it away.
• Inspect it regularly for missing parts and rips in the pad

Watch children whenever they're on the play set or the trampoline, and never leave a child in a toddler swing alone.