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NYPIRG's New York City Playground Safety Survey May - June 2002 Survey Findings Introduction In May and June 2002 a team of 19 field study participants surveyed 44 playgrounds in New York City. The playgrounds surveyed included playgrounds located in all five boroughs: Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. The purpose of the survey was to identify eight potential playground hazards including fall-related hazards such as (1) unsafe surfacing, (2) inadequate fall zones and (3) unsafe equipment height. This year surveyors also looked for (4) potential toxic playground risks that could be posed by peeling paint or wood that is not red wood or cedar. Surveyors also identified (5) collision hazards posed by swings that are too close together, have seats made of hard or rigid material, etc. Moreover, surveyors looked for (6) head entrapment (openings between 3.5 and 9 inches) and (7) clothing entanglement hazards (open "S" hooks and gaps and protrusions). Finally, surveyors identified (8) pieces of equipment that are hazardous per se, such as chain walks, swinging trapeze bars and climbing ropes and rope swings. All the survey results were then entered into survey result grids, which are contained at the end of this report. The Hazard Score After the surveys were completed and the types of hazards were entered as survey data, the playgrounds were given a "hazard score." The hazard score, based on a scale of 1-8, was given based on how many of the eight hazards a playground contained. In some cases, surveyors looked for several hazards within the eight categories. For instance, there are six different types of swing hazards and six different types of dangerous equipment. The hazard score does not reflect these "sub-hazards." However, the sub-hazards are listed as endnotes at the end of the survey result grids below. All but two of the 44 playgrounds surveyed in New York City contained at least one potential hazard. The two playgrounds that did not contain hazards were Mullaly Parks Three and Four and they are both located at McClellan and Cromwell in the Bronx. Twelve playgrounds contained 5 of the 8 hazards that our surveyors looked for: 1. Bensonhurst
Park in Brooklyn - Hazard Score: 6
Over Half Of The New York City Playgrounds Surveyed Contain Play Equipment That May Pose A Toxic Hazard 24 of the 44 (55%) playgrounds surveyed have peeling, chipping or cracked paint on at least some portion of the play equipment surface and/or contain wood that is not red wood or cedar. Further analysis is required to determine if this paint contains lead, and, if so, if it is at a hazardous level. Moreover, further analysis needs to be done to determine whether the wood is pressure treated and, if so, whether it contains toxins, chromated copper arsenate (CCA). Testing by the CPSC and some state and local jurisdictions has shown that many school, park and community playgrounds across the United States have metal and wooden playground equipment that presents a potential lead paint poisoning hazard, primarily for children six years and younger. The amount of paint that may be ingested can contribute to a hazardous and unnecessarily high lead exposure, which is linked to diminished IQ and other developmental difficulties in children. CPSC testing revealed that some equipment was painted with lead paint, and over time, the paint has deteriorated into chips and dust containing lead. In a survey of 26 playgrounds, CPSC found that 62% had lead levels that could exceed the amount used by the federal government to determine lead hazards. The CFA/PIRG/NYPIRG Playground Safety Survey included a question to determine whether there was any peeling, chipping or cracking paint on any play equipment surface. No samples were collected and no laboratory analysis was performed. However, the results of the recent CPSC tests, coupled with the high percentage of playgrounds with peeling paint, suggest that local officials should consider inspecting their playgrounds and conducting additional testing. Until 2001, 99% of all wooden playground equipment that was not made of redwood or cedar was pressure treated. The most common wood preservative and pesticide used for this process is chromated copper arsenate (CCA), which contains arsenic. The CFA/PIRG/NYPIRG Playground Safety Survey also included a question to determine if the playground equipment is constructed of wood other than red wood or cedar. The survey did not test playground equipment for CCA or any other toxins. However, if playground equipment is made of wood, which may be pressure-treated, local authorities should collect and test wood samples to determine if CCA is present and if so at what levels. 20% Of The New York City Playgrounds Surveyed Lack Adequate Protective Surfacing 9 of the 44 (20%) playgrounds surveyed this spring lack an adequate protective surface. Protective surfacing under and around all play equipment is the most critical safety factor on playgrounds. Falls from play equipment may cause life-threatening head impact injuries. The surface on which a falling child lands is a major determinant of the injury-causing potential of the fall. While adequate protective surfacing cannot prevent all injuries due to falls, it can help reduce both the frequency and severity of injuries. Falls onto a resilient surface (such as rubber tiles or loose fill with a depth of at least 9 inches) are less likely to result in a life-threatening injury than falls onto hard surfaces (such as concrete or loose fill with a depth of less than 9 inches). 36% Of The Climbers, Slides And/Or Swings At New York City Playgrounds Surveyed Do Not Have Adequate Fall Zones 16 of the 44 (36%) playgrounds surveyed have inadequate fall zones around their climbers, slides and/or swings. A fall zone is the area under and around a piece of play equipment where a child might fall. To reduce the risk of injuries: (1) protective surfacing should be installed throughout the fall zone; (2) the fall zone should be free of other equipment or obstacles onto which a child might fall; and (3) the fall zone should extend a minimum of six feet in all directions of the piece of play equipment. 82% Of The Climbers, Slides And/Or Swings In The New York City Playgrounds Surveyed Are An Unsafe Height 36 of the 44 (82%) playgrounds surveyed in New York City contained climbers, slides and/or swings of unsafe heights. While increasing the height of equipment does not necessarily increase the challenge or play value, it always increases the hazard. Limiting the height of play equipment is an essential means of reducing the frequency and severity of injury. The highest climbing member (rung or platform) of a climber and the platform of a slide should not be higher than 6 feet from the protective surface for school-age children (4 feet for preschoolers). The height of the pivot point/swing beam should not exceed eight feet.
13 of the 44 (30%) playgrounds surveyed in New York City that contain swings have one or more of the following impact hazards: (1) swing seats constructed of wood, metal or other rigid material; (2) swing structures attached to other play equipment; (3) more than two swings per section or bay; (4) infant/tot swings suspended in the same section of the swing structure as regular seats; (5) swings that are either too close together (less than 24 inches) or (6) too close to swing supports (less than 30 inches). Approximately one fourth of all playground-related injuries are swing-related and, of those, 25% are caused by impact with a moving swing. The typical scenario involves a young child walking in front of or behind a moving swing and getting hit, either by the seat itself or by a child in the seat. Therefore, injuries to the head and face are common. 36% Of The New York City Playgrounds Surveyed Have Play Equipment That Poses A Head Entrapment Hazard 16 of the 44 (36%) playgrounds surveyed have play equipment that could result in head entrapment. Head and neck entrapment presents a very serious risk of death by strangulation for young children and, therefore, warrants extra precaution. Any opening - except those where the ground serves as its lower boundary - with an interior dimension between 3.5 inches and 9 inches may cause head entrapment. Entrapment may occur when a child enters an opening, either head or feet first, but cannot withdraw his or her head because the opening is too small. 27% Of The Area Playgrounds Surveyed Contain Play Equipment With Open S-Hooks, Gaps, Protrusions And Other Features That May Act As Hooks Or Catch Points And Pose Entanglement Hazards 12 of the 44 (27%) playgrounds surveyed have play equipment that could pose entanglement hazards. Protrusions and projections on play equipment or gaps, holes or other openings in the play equipment can cause serious injury or death by strangulation if such hazards can entangle children's hair or clothing. 39% Of New York City Playgrounds Surveyed Contain One Or More Piece Of Hazardous Equipment 17of the 44 (39%) playgrounds surveyed contained at least one piece of hazardous equipment. Surveyors identified each of the seven pieces of hazardous equipment in New York City playgrounds. According
to CFA Model Law, there are seven types of playground equipment that
should not be included in public playgrounds. They include: (1) chain
or cable walks, (2) multiple occupancy swings/gliders, (3) animal swings,
(4) swinging exercise rings/trapeze bars, (5) rope swings, and (6) individual
climbing ropes.
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