More than 70 percent of playground-related injuries involve falls to the surface and 9 percent involve falls onto equipment. Head injuries are involved in 75 percent of all fall-related deaths associated with playground equipment. Lack of supervision is associated with 40 percent of playground injuries. In general, children ages 10 and under are injured from falls at a rate of about twice that of the total population. Preschoolers are at the greatest risk.
Males are twice as likely as females to die from fall-related injuries.
Black children ages 14 and under have a fall-related death rate that is one and a half times higher than that of white children. Low-income children are more likely to be injured from falls due to improper supervision and deficiencies in the environment, including aging or deteriorating housing. In New York City, an education and window guard distribution program, combined with window guard legislation, demonstrated a 35 percent reduction in window fall-related fatalities after two years. Protective surfacing under and around playground equipment can prevent the incidence and reduce the severity of playground fall-related injuries. The New York City Board of Health has mandated the installation of protective window guards on all windows not designated as emergency exits in all multiple dwellings where children ages 10 and under reside.