Designing Safe and Accessible Playgrounds for Schools, Churches, and Parks 

Designing great playgrounds is all about balance. You need to give kids a sense of adventure, but it’s also incredibly important to keep them safe. They need to exist in spaces that make the greatest amount of people feel welcome, without inadvertently inviting rowdy or criminal activity. Plus, of course, playgrounds should ideally encourage plenty of physical activity, without excluding those folks who can’t walk, run, jump, skip, grab, or climb.

In order to strike exactly the right chord, it takes a lot of planning and consideration — a tall order with so many people involved. You have to get school, church, and park officials on board, as well as designers, buyers, parents, inspectors, and even local government.

In order to make sure you’re not leaving anything out, it’s important to keep your priorities straight. Here are some of the most important considerations in designing safer, more accessible playgrounds.

Choosing and Installing the Right Equipment

The most fundamental consideration when it comes to safety is purchasing high-quality equipment. Choose commercial swing sets, slides, merry-go rounds, and other equipment from a reputable provider that meets all appropriate regulations. Consider the surfacing you use — rubber, loose fill, mulch, and other materials all have different advantages and disadvantages.

Always choose the safest option, rather than the cheapest, to ensure all childrens’ safety. It doesn’t stop there, however: playground equipment also needs to be installed correctly, adhering to safety specifications.

For example, equipment needs to be spaced appropriately to prevent entrapment and impingement risks (ie. to keep children from getting stuck). It’s also critical to install the right type and amount of surfacing for the height of each playground structure. Otherwise, the surfacing may not absorb enough impact in the event that a child falls.

Following Inclusive Design Guidelines

Making playgrounds safer means making them safer for all children — and for their caregivers as well. That means designing and constructing playgrounds with accessibility in mind, so that no one is excluded or put at higher risk. Consider including at least some playground structures that are at ground-level, or use ramps instead of stairs or ladders.

Enabling wheelchair access doesn’t just let more kids play; it also empowers more adults to oversee their children’s playtime. Providing wheelchair access isn’t the only way to make playgrounds disability-friendly for kids and adults. Planners and developers can also incorporate adaptive swing sets, non-slip surfaces, adaptive handles, and other helpful features. Sensory-friendly and quiet or secluded play areas can also be a great idea.

These can give kids on the spectrum a place to hide away and help them proactively prevent overstimulation and meltdowns.

Selecting a Safe, Accessible Locations

Poor playground design isn’t the only reason some playgrounds are considered too dangerous or too inaccessible. Another equally important factor is the location of a playground, especially relative to roadways and neighborhoods. In an ideal world, all playgrounds would be centrally located and within easy walking distance of all the children who use them.

In reality, however, many are in unsafe neighborhoods, near busy roadways, and/or only accessible by private car. When planning the location of a new playground, avoid choosing an area near busy intersections and highways. This can help protect kids from noise pollution, exhaust, debris, and the increased possibility of traffic accidents.

If the only option is to build near a busy roadway, you can add a buffer of trees or fencing for added safety. If driving is the only way to get to a playground, you’ll need to take measures to protect the playground from drivers in its own parking lot.

Inspections and Regular Maintenance

Your community, city, and state all likely have countless regulations when it comes to safety and accessibility. To ensure that you’re compliant with ADA and safety guidelines, enlist the help of appropriate inspectors wherever recommended. The earlier in the process you can involve an inspector, the better — it’s easier to fix the blueprints than re-install the equipment.

They can make sure you’ve considered all of the guidelines and haven’t left anything out. The process of ensuring safety and accessibility doesn’t stop once you’ve designed and built your playground. In order to maintain that safety, you’ll need to follow up with inspections and maintenance at regular intervals.

Again, be sure to adhere to all state and local guidelines for inspection and repairs. Follow a regular maintenance schedule to keep equipment in tip-top shape, and don’t wait until it’s already badly damaged before you take action.

Don’t Skimp on Safety

While it can be expensive to build for safety and accessibility, the real costs of an unsafe playground are too grave to risk. A poorly designed playground presents a host of dangers for children, and can lead to serious injuries like broken bones, concussions, and strangulation. Designing with the right materials and in the right configurations can prevent serious falls, crush injuries, and even death.

That said, good design can’t account for every contingency, and even the safest playground can still present unexpected risks. In any playground setting, adult supervision is absolutely key to making sure children of all ages and abilities can participate safely.

For school and church playgrounds, there should always be several staff members present to supervise. Public playgrounds, whether staffed or not, should have signs instructing parents to stay with their kids.