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Outdoor Play Area Inspections |
For providers of outdoor children’s play equipment the current Standards adopted by the play industry are EN:1176 (play equipment) and EN:1177 (safety surfacing).
There is no specific legal requirement to provide inspection and
maintenance programes but the British Standards Institute, the
Health & Safety Executive, Insurers and the major safety
organisations recommend inspections as "best practice".
Playground managers have a legal and moral responsiblity of care to
children using the site - and at the same time need to meet the
expectations of the courts.
A regular series of inspections is recommended for children's
playgrounds:
This looks at the equipment's basic condition, especially faults due to recent vandalism, breakages and cleanliness of the playground. Inspections may be carried out by the manager or his/her staff and should be recorded on a simple sheet or book. Frequency will vary with the site and local usage although weekly should be seen as a minimum. This will depend on the risk assessment of the site - for example, a site on a housing estate prone to vandalism may require a daily check. A remote site in the Scottish highlands may only need checking twice a year.
A more detailed inspection of the equipment, providing a quality control check on the regular inspection and identifies certain types of minor wear and tear. Such inspections may be carried out by the manager or his/her staff and should be recorded. The equipment supplier should provide a checklist.
Essentially it looks at vandalism, minor and major wear, long-term structural problems, changes in the Standards compliance and design practices, risk assessment etc. This should be carried out by a specialist not connected with the playground operator or manager giving an independent written report of the site(s).
Outdoor
Routine - Inspectors
competent in carrying out daily or weekly
visual inspections - Opens as a PDF in a new window