April 25th through the 29th is National Playground Safety Week, which is the perfect opportunity to do a bit of annual maintenance on your Rainbow Play System.

What is National Playground Safety Week?

National Playground Safety Week is a time to focus on children’s outdoor play environments. A time to pledge to use good judgment when playing. A time for gratitude for all the adults who work tirelessly on maintaining our playgrounds.

What can I do to make sure my child’s play set is safe?

Use this week as an opportunity to inspect your play system for problem areas. Play system should be located on solid level ground free of objects that could cause injury such as, but no limited to, tree stumps, roots, and large rocks. Stationary components such as ladders, and slides must be no less than 6 feet (1.8 meters) from any structure or obstruction such as a fence garage, house, tree or overhanging branches, electrical wires or clotheslines. Any swinging equipment must be a minimum distance of twice the height of the swing beam away from any structures or obstructions.

After checking that your system is a safe distance from hazards, give it a good spring cleaning and check up with this spring care checklist:

  • Coat your play system with a sealant or preservative annually to sustain the life of your play set. Be sure the sealant you select is non-toxic and child safe.
  • Clean tarps with soap & water and clean vinyl dipped parts.
  • Reinstall swing seats, tarps, flags, and other plastic components which may have been removed for the winter.
  • Check and tighten all nuts and bolts as needed, but do not over tighten causing the wood to crack.
  • Check all wood members for deterioration and splinters. Spot sand any areas that are checking or splintering.
  • Check all coverings on bolts, sharp edges and corners.
  • Hardware used on swinging elements should be checked at least twice a month to ensure proper fastening.
  • Check all moving parts including swing seats, ropes, and chains for wear, rust, or other deterioration and replace as needed.
  • Check swing hangers, tire swivel, S-Hooks, eye bolts, and spring clips for wear and replace or tighten as needed.
  • Check all metal parts for rust. If needed, sand and repaint using a non lead-based paint.
  • Lubricate all metallic moving parts and grease Tire Swivel monthly during the usage period.
  • Check entire Structure and Swing Beam to ensure they are level, if not adjust Structure and/or Swing Beam back to level.
  • Rake and check depth of loose fill protective surfacing materials to prevent compaction and to maintain appropriate depth.
  • Remember to replace any deteriorating parts.

For more information about playground safety and maintenance, visit your local Rainbow Play Systems of Texas showroom today to speak to our Rainbow Play System experts.