58 percent of playgrounds contained swings that were either too close together or too close to swing supports. In 42 percent of playgrounds, improperly sized openings in the play equipment posed a head entrapment hazard. In 40 percent of playgrounds, small gaps, open S-hooks, and other protrusions posed clothing entanglement hazards, in particular to hood drawstrings. 43 percent of playgrounds had unacceptable dangerous equipment, such as chain cable walks, animal swings, individual climbing ropes, or exercise rings. Overall, the 1998 survey shows improvements, and, in particular, a continued decline in the number of playgrounds with hard surfaces under and around all play equipment.
Maintenance is important in injury prevention.
Preventive and responsive maintenance should be practiced. Trained professionals should check playgrounds for compliance with CPSC and ASTM specifications and recommendations. Loose fill material needs to be kept at a depth of at least 9 to 12 inches. It should be inspected regularly to check for compacting and displacement. This thinning of material tends to happen to areas such as ground at the end of the slide.