Can swingsets be placed on school property? We are beginning the process of rebuilding an existing playground at an elementary school in attleboro,massachusettes. At a recent playground meeting, a parent from our group indicated that swingsets were no longer allowed to be built on school property. I don't know if this would be a city law, a state law or a school committee decision. Does controversy over the safety of swingsets exist? From what I understand, swings stimulate inner ear equilibrium which helps with balance and coordination. Swings also happen to be my favorite playground activity! Thank you for your feedback.
Hi Rose. From my understanding cities and towns can set regulations about playground equipment. I am from Boston, and i also heard that you cannot put swings on playgrounds in Attleboro. I would call you local parks and recreation department for some clarification though.
In our district, it has nothing to do with city/state codes... it is a part of the Risk Management evaluations for our district. Swingsets have a higher liability for school districts because yes, while we all know how great swings are and how kids really need to swing, they present a higher risk of injury and lawsuits for school districts. Kids fall off of them at weird angles, risking head and neck injury, or they swing so high then jump out of them and hurt themselves, or the ever-common, someone walks in front of the swingset and gets kicked in the head. We all know how it was when we grew up--these things happened and it was not a big deal... you did it once and then you learned why it was not a good idea... but now, people sue over the slightest thing and districts can't afford to go to a lawsuit. Even the legal fees to defend themselves is a lot of money. So therefore, they are taken out. Our district also has restrictions about other types of equipment and limits the deck heights that we can put in... so it really isn't a city/state issue, it's district by district and more districts are saying "no more swings".
You should talk to your district and get the list of what is not allowed because it will save you some time in your planning with the playground vendor.
Mary
Wow! I was really surprised that this is an issue in some communities! We just had our vendor do a walkthrough and I was shocked at how many safety violations we have - it's really crazy all the things I never noticed in equipment that I thought was "fine". Such as a cracked bracket holding a swing set together. He did tell us, though, that merry-go-rounds do not meet safety standards anymore, and that seems like a pretty widespread thing. But, swings? I was surprised. I guess there's a lot of variability out there in what people deem safe. He did say there was a minimum space surrounding the swing set that you had to have to avoid the kicking of other kids playing. We also are putting mats underneath to prevent the wearing away of the safety surfacing. The vendors all sell them, but we looked into cow mats (we're in a farming community) and they are essentially the same thing for about half the price. So, that might help with liability.
Wow, I am in shock. Of all the play equipment that I had never thought of as being dangerous, swimgs are one of them. It has always been one of my favorite pieces of equipment to use. I am saddened by the fact that people are so ready to sue, over something they let their kids play on and get hurt, that are kids are missing out on good clean fun.
Are there anyother pieces of equipment I should check on before purchasing? Will our vendor know what is not allowed in our area?
Karen
HI Karen-- whether you are building for a school district or a city/county park, I would definitely ask questions before you get too deep in the design and certainly before you buy. This stuff is just too expensive to find out "afterwards" that they won't install a certain piece of equipment. So definitely ask to see a list of their guidelines. For example, our district wants the design to have 8 feet between the event/posts and the edge of the enclosure (timber/cement/modular--whatever the edging material is), whereas the industry standard is 6 feet. Our first design showed 6 feet, but we were easily able to adjust it to 8 feet...had we not found this out early on, it would have become an issue on build day. So definitely ask questions of your district, or county/city.
I think it's possible to get a bit too ridiculous. I worked with our vendor to find out the code for the safety of the playground and, as long as we meet it and our local codes, you have to allow for some fun! :) As an example, our side projects manager found a cab for a fire engine in mint condition and will be able to get it donated. She then designed a back that we can build to be another climbing structure (to look like the rest of the engine). People were getting very worried and being very negative about what would be a really cool and inexpensive project for the kids to play on. So, instead of finding ways TO do it, people were way too stuck on why we shouldn't. Well, we found out how to make it happen, and as long as we account for entrapment, proper safety surfacing, and impalement (bolts can't show any more than 2 threads), plus removing the seats and any glass, it could work. We need to remember that creativity is a good thing!!
Best of luck to everyone.
Tina
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