Democracy's playground

Severity of playground-related fractures: more than just playground factors?

INTRODUCTION Despite the establishment of playground safety standards, playground-related injuries are still a significant cause of extremity fractures in Singapore. This prospective study evaluates the dimensions and characteristics of our playgrounds, and their effect on fracture severity in an Asian population. We aim to correlate various playground risk factors with severity of the fracture...

Pumping a playground swing.

In mechanical studies of pumping a playground swing, two methods of energy insertion have been identified: parametric pumping and driven oscillation. While parametric pumping involves the systematic raising and lowering of the swinger's center of mass (CM) along the swing's radial axis (rope), driven oscillation may be conceived as rotation of the CM around a pivot point at a fixed distance to ...

Playground equipment and accidents.

Preventing playground injuries.

With concerns increasing around childhood obesity and inactivity, playgrounds offer a chance for children to be active. But playgrounds also have risks, with injuries from falls being the most common. Research has shown that playground injuries can be reduced by lowering the heights of play equipment and using soft, deep surfaces to cushion falls. The Canadian Standards Association has publishe...

Playground injuries in children

BACKGROUND Rapid urbanization and unplanned population development can be detrimental to the safety of citizens, with children being a particularly vulnerable social group. In this review, we assess childhood playground injuries and suggest safety mechanisms which could be incorporated into playground planning. METHODS Inclusion criteria were "children" as the focus group, "playground" as the...