Happy Spring

I hope everybody enjoys their holiday weekend.

Spring is officially here as of today. Warm weather opens the door to more outside play. Children absolutely adore being outside. Scout your neighborhood for the best playgrounds and get outside to play. Be sure to check your playground for safety.

The following information is brought to you by U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Public Playground Safety Checklist

Make sure surfaces around playground equipment have at least 12 inches of wood chips, mulch, sand, or pea gravel, or are mats made of safety-tested rubber or rubber-like materials.

Check that protective surfacing extends at least 6 feet in all directions from play equipment.

For swings, be sure surfacing extends, in back and front, twice the height of the suspending bar.

Make sure play structures more than 30 inches high are spaced at least 9 feet apart.

Check for dangerous hardware, like open "S" hooks or protruding bolt ends.

Make sure spaces that could trap children, such as openings in guardrails or between ladder rungs, measure less than 3.5 inches or more than 9 inches.

Check for sharp points or edges in equipment.

Look out for tripping hazards, like exposed concrete footings, tree stumps, and rocks.

Make sure elevated surfaces, like platforms and ramps, have guardrails to prevent falls.

Check playgrounds regularly to see that equipment and surfacing are in good condition.

Carefully supervise children on playgrounds to make sure they're safe.