Playground safety regulations

Playground safety regulations address adult supervision, age-appropriate playground equipment and environment, fall surfacing, and maintenance of playground equipment and materials, often following the National Program for Playground Safety’s S.A.F.E. framework. As of 2016, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (US CPSC) estimates that 247,075 injuries are associated with playground equipment and treated in emergency departments each year¹. Four-fifths of reported playground injuries involve falls from playground structures or equipment failures. 

• Reduced injury

• Increased physical activity

There is some evidence that playground safety regulations decrease injury rates among children^{2, 3, 4}. Playground regulations based on the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) guidelines are recommended by the National Program for Playground Safety⁵ and Safe Kids Worldwide⁶. However, additional evidence is needed to confirm effects.

Safety surfacing on playgrounds has been shown to reduce serious head injuries². The risk of playground injuries appears to increase in the absence of safety surfacing and with higher playground equipment³. An Ohio-based study suggests that playgrounds with softer surfaces and equipment are associated with higher levels of physical activity among black children than playgrounds without them⁷.

A North Carolina-based study of improved playground safety regulations suggests such regulations are associated with significant reductions in child care injury rates⁴. Evaluations of Stamp-in-Safety, an effort to train preschool staff in active supervision, indicate increases in knowledge, perception, and self-efficacy around playground supervision and attentive supervisory behaviors^{8, 9}.

Many states have passed legislation addressing playground safety, including: Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming⁵. In a 2004 evaluation by the National Program for Playground Safety, the average state safety grade was C+¹⁰.