Broken equipment pieces are accidents waiting to happen. If a piece of equipment is broken, measures need to be taken to repair it, and children should be kept off the equipment until it is safe. Missing parts also create a playground hazard. A rung missing from a ladder which is the major access point onto a piece of equipment poses an unnecessary injury hazard for the child. Protruding bolts or fixtures can cause problems with children running into equipment or catching clothing, posing a potential safety hazard.
Strangulation is the leading cause of playground fatalities.
Some of these deaths occur when drawstrings on sweatshirts, coats and other clothing get caught in gaps in the equipment. The area on top of slides is one potential trouble spot. Head entrapment occurs when the body fits through a space but the child's head cannot pass through the same space. This occurs because generally, young children's heads are larger than their bodies. Exposed metal will rust.