Category Archives: Outdoor Safety Tips

Backyard Fun, Outdoor Safety Tips

Backyard Playground Safety: Planning For a Safe Playground

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It’s not too early to start thinking about providing your kids with a Springtime surprise — a backyard swing set or playground.  In fact, it’s best to start early because there are a number of considerations to take into account when planning for a safe backyard playground experience.

Location is key! Be sure to select the best spot for your new playground set:

  • Avoid ground that slopes or is uneven. Level ground helps prevent a playground set from tipping.
  • Select a spot that is away from potentially dangerous obstacles such as trees, low branches and wires, stumps, roots, large rocks, fences, bricks, and concrete.
  • Plan for a safety zone of at least 6 feet around all playground equipment; set aside even more space in front of and behind swings.
  • Plan the location and position of any metal or dark-colored slides or surfaces. Placing these out of direct sunlight can help prevent burns on hot, sunny days.

Falls will happen! Don’t forget to choose a proper protective surface for under and around the playground equipment:

  • Grass and dirt are not adequate protection from injuries due to falls.
  • Pea gravel, sand, wood chips, and shredded or recycled rubber mulch are some recommended protective playground surface options. (Further details about the variety of protective playground surfaces will be discussed in future postings.)

In my next post on the topic of backyard playground safety, I’ll go into more detail about the variety of protective safety surface materials available.  You should then be able to make a more informed decision regarding the best choice of surface material to use under and around your playground equipment.

Backyard Fun, Outdoor Safety Tips

Sandbox Cover Keeps Debris Out

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Sandbox Cover

Are you tired of raking out the debris that gets into your children’s sandbox?  Are you looking for a Sandbox Cover or tarp to fit your existing swing set, fort, or free standing Sandbox?

Sandbox Covers are essential for keeping roaming cats and other domestic or wild animals from soiling your sandbox. They also help keep leaves, pine needles, grass, and other natural debris out of your clean sand. Helping kids stay safe during play time in the sandbox means providing the box with a snug fitting cover when the sandbox is not in use.

Backyard Fun, Outdoor Entertaining, Outdoor Safety Tips

Pool Lights Bring the Party

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Whether you have an in ground pool or an above ground pool, you probably have swimming pool lights to light the water after dark.  Pool lights are essential for safety, but did you know that they can be the life of the party, too?  Swimming with family and friends becomes an underwater dance party when colorful swimming pool lights illuminate the sides and bottom of your pool with spinning luminescence.   Blue, red, orange, purple, green, and orange lights add a new dimension of fun to a backyard get together, whether or not you decide to use the pool.

Colorful swimming pool lights come in a variety of creative designs.  Some pool lights are mounted to the side of the pool, while others float on the surface of the water.  The floating variety of pool lights offers its own range of creative touches.  Swim with colorful jelly fish who light the water with a green or pink glow, or enjoy the dramatic effect of a floating fountain and light show.  A popular choice for parties and even low-key gatherings is the floating pool light whose colors change and spin, giving an underwater disco ball effect.

Swimming pool lights don’t have to be of the plain white variety.  Colorful pool lights do the job of lighting your in ground or above ground swimming pool after dark, but they also bring a lively and fun party atmosphere to any small backyard gathering.  Just don’t forget the music!

Pool Lights and Fountain

Healthy Ideas, Outdoor Safety Tips

Features to Look For in a Pool Alarm

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Pool Turtle Pool Safety Alarm

While pool alarms may come with many more features than are presented here, the following is a list of recommended features to look for when deciding on a pool alarm for your own backyard swimming pool:

  • Easy installation
  • Tamper proof
  • Includes a remote receiver with a range of up to 200 ft or more
  • Low battery indicator on alarm and on receiver
  • Recommended for the size and shape of your swimming pool
  • Able to detect an object as small as a 1 year old child, approximately 18 pounds
  • A loud and distinct alarm should sound within 20 seconds each time a child simulator is dropped into the pool.

Testing Your Pool Alarm

Once you decide which swimming pool alarm is best for your backyard swimming pool, performing regular tests of the alarm’s effectiveness will ensure that your alarm continues to function properly over time.  The user’s manual for each type of pool alarm should provide instructions for conducting your own tests.

Backyard Fun, Outdoor Safety Tips

Swing Set Safety

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Wooden Swing Set Kits

How Safe is Your Backyard Playground Equipment?

Before you jump into installing the swing set you got for your kids this Christmas, consider the following… Backyard playground safety begins even before the playground equipment has been constructed and installed. Hopefully this information will assist you in planning and creating a safe backyard playground for your children and their friends.

The Best Location for Your Backyard Playground Equipment

Choosing the ideal location for your new playground equipment is the first step in ensuring backyard playground safety. Avoid sloping areas – level ground helps prevent playground equipment from tipping over. In addition, select an area that is away from potentially hazardous obstacles such as trees, low branches and wires, stumps, roots, large rocks, fences, bricks, and concrete. Plan for a safety zone of at least 6 feet around all backyard playground equipment; set aside even more space in front of and behind swings.

Protective Playground Surfaces

Once you have chosen the safest location for your backyard playground, the next step is to select an appropriate type of protective surface for under the equipment. Grass and dirt are the most common surfaces found under backyard playgrounds, but they are not adequate protection against injuries due to falls. Pea gravel, sand, wood chips, and shredded or recycled rubber mulch are some examples of protective playground surface options. Each protective surface option has its own specific minimum depth recommendations.

Backyard Playground Construction Materials

One of the most common materials used to construct playground equipment is wood.  Wooden Swing Set equipment should be treated to resist rotting and insects. Cedar and Redwood are two recommended wood types for wooden playground construction because they are naturally resistant to rotting and insect damage.  ACQ pressure treated wood is also a good choice.

Safe Hardware for Playground Equipment

Use the bolts and screws recommended by the manufacturer of your playground equipment. Lock washers or self-locking nuts are essential to prevent bolts from loosening over time. Be sure to cap any exposed bolts – these can cause serious cuts or entangle loose clothing. In addition, close all S hooks so that openings are less than the thickness of a dime. Carabineers, like those used in mountain climbing and other adventure sports, can be used as an alternative to S hooks to attach the top of each swing to the swing beam hardware.

Once the playground equipment has been chosen, constructed, and installed, the following guidelines will further ensure the safety of children who enjoy the playground equipment:

  • Bike helmets should not be worn on play sets because they cannot pass through some spaces and children can become trapped. Strangulation by the helmet’s chinstrap is a potential danger.
  • Ropes, jump ropes, clotheslines, or pet leashes should never be attached to playground equipment because they can be a strangulation hazard.
  • Children who use the backyard playground equipment should be supervised at all times by a parent or other responsible adult.
Maintaining Your Backyard Playground for Safety

Ensuring playground safety means maintaining the equipment over time. Bolts, nuts, caps, chains, cables, and other  equipment should be checked periodically for wear and tear and replaced as needed. In addition, protective playground surfaces like pea gravel, mulch, and sand may need to be replenished.

Having the most fun possible is a child’s only concern when it comes to backyard playground equipment. With proper planning and implementation of the playground safety recommendations, you can rest assured that you will have created a play space for your children that is not only fun, but safe.