How Often Should a Playground be Inspected and Maintained?

As stated by RoSPA, it is estimated that there are approximately 40,000 injuries to children on playgrounds each year, which then results in a hospital visit. These injuries can sometimes be due to the poor management of the playground including; incorrect installation, unsuitable equipment for the age of the children, failure to comply with standards and poor or lack of inspection and maintenance.

In this article we will cover the importance of playground inspections and maintenance, how often playgrounds should be inspected and finally, we will discuss the Playground Inspection training programmes Skills Training Centre can provide.

The Importance of Playground Inspections and Maintenance

According to RoSPA, the safety of children on playgrounds does not depend solely on the initial design, construction of the site and the selection of the equipment. It is also the continued management, high-quality inspection and maintenance that are essential in order to ensure that safe and creative play is preserved.

Protect your investment

Significant money, time, hard work and resources have been invested in order to create a safe environment for local communities to gather and play. It makes perfect economic sense to ensure that all equipment and facilities are maintained to a high standard; in turn extending the life of the playground without detrimental effect on the original investment. Repair early and maintain as necessary. Timely low-cost action now may save accidents, prevent equipment failure and excessive costs at a later date. 

Manages risk and safeguards children

Ensuring an inspection and maintenance routine is conducted in a timely and effective manner will minimise the risk of injury within playgrounds. Playgrounds are designed to be areas of fun, creative play and activity however without the correct management, they can be areas of injury and costly repairs.

Promotes good community values

Playgrounds shouldn’t only be safe, they should be clean, colourful, engaging and a source of pride within a community. Sadly if any of these factors are affected it will cause fewer people to visit which will in turn decrease the value within the community.

Improves children’s play and creative experiences

When children engage in this form of play, they are learning essential life skills such as collaboration, communication, problem solving and creativity. When they develop these skills in the playground, they can apply them to the classroom which can aid in their learning. If playground equipment and facilities are broken, damaged or out of use; this, unfortunately, limits a child’s opportunity to play and causes a negative impact on their experience. It is essential that equipment is clean, in excellent working order and in line with all regulations; to ensure children can have uninterrupted play and activity during their visit.

How Often Should Playgrounds be Inspected?

RoSPA recommends conducting recorded, weekly visual inspections of a playground, looking for very obvious faults, and then an additional monthly recorded inspection which will look for more detailed operational faults and damages. Furthermore, an annual inspection will need to be carried out by an impartial specialist inspector, someone who isn’t connected with the playground management team. 

Playground managers have a legal and moral responsibility of care to children using the site - and at the same time they need to meet the expectations of parents.

What Playground Inspection and Maintenance courses can Skills Training Centre provide?

At Skills Training Centre our Playground Inspection and Maintenance courses teach delegates to carry out routine visual or operational playground inspections safely and in accordance with the European Standards. If required, attendees can be assessed to the National RPII Standards.

We currently have five Playground Inspection and Maintenance courses available including:

• Operational Playground Inspection: This is a two-day course and is suitable for delegates who are responsible for carrying out operational (one to three monthly) inspections of play equipment or play areas and those in a supervisory or maintenance role.

• Operational Playground Inspection with RPII: This is a two-day course and is ideal for delegates who are responsible for carrying out operational (one to three monthly) inspections of play equipment or play areas and those in a supervisory or maintenance role. At the end of the training course, candidates will be eligible to take the Register of Play Inspectors International assessment for routine visual inspections.

• Routine Visual Inspection: This is a one day course and is designed for anyone who is responsible for carrying out routine visual (daily/weekly) inspections of children’s play equipment or play areas.

• Routine Visual Inspection with RPII: This is a two-day course and is ideal for anyone who is responsible for carrying out routine visual (daily/weekly) inspections of children’s play equipment or play areas. At the end of the training course, candidates will be eligible to take the Register of Play Inspectors International assessment for routine visual inspections.

• Playground Maintenance: This is usually a one-day course and is suitable for candidates who have responsibility for looking after playgrounds; managing and inspecting play sites and maintaining and repairing equipment. The course has been designed to meet an identified need to provide more detailed training on the maintenance side of playground management.

At Skills Training Centre, we don’t believe in delivering courses that just tick boxes, we provide training that allows our attendees to learn new skills, improve existing skills and retain industry-based knowledge.

The courses we provide are designed to be relevant and cost-effective and are delivered to high standards. Our Playground Inspection and Maintenance instructors are professional and experienced in their respective fields and are highly skilled at taking into account the needs of individuals with different skills, abilities and experiences. 

If you wish to gain further insight into our Playground Inspection and Maintenance training courses and what Skills Training Centre can provide for you, please get in touch.