Playground Safety Inspections
Why do you need a playground safety inspection?
Managing risk is an important aspect of designing, constructing, maintaining and operating a play space.
Over time, equipment and surfaces in a playground degrade and wear down with use and especially being out in the elements of rain and sun. Rubbers can wear through, metals corrode, and timbers dry out, warp and split.
Therefore playgrounds require ongoing checking and inspecting, and it is one of the requirements for developing and operating a playground that regular inspections be done by a competent inspector, to minimise injuries to users.
​
The standard AS 4685.0:2017 - Playground equipment and surfacing, Part 0: Development, installation, inspection, maintenance and operation - gives guidelines concerning product information requirements, instructions and operating procedures for playgrounds. We are guided by this standard for our inspections, testing and management systems and documentation.
Who does the playground safety inspection?
Inspections are carried out by our head designer, landscape architect, and certificate Level 3 certified playground inspector, Steve Webb.
​
Steve will thoroughly assess your play space and provide a report on all aspects of the play equipment, as well as the general setting. Photos are taken and any hazards are identified, with a priority rating based on how urgently repairs and rectifications need to be made.
Director and Head Designer at Edible Kids' Gardens, Steve is an accomplished landscape architect and experienced gardener living in the NSW Southern Highlands.
​
Steve is certified as a Level 3 Comprehensive Playground Safety Inspector.
​
Steve's Qualifications:
-
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture (UNSW)
-
Level 3 Comprehensive Playground Safety Inspector (Playground Safety Inspectors Australia, PSIA)
-
Graduate Diploma of Social Science (Psychology) (Hons) (UNE)
-
Master of Counselling and Applied Psychotherapy (ACAP)
-
Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA)
-
Certificate of Adult Migrant Teacher Preparation (TESOL)
What type of inspections do we offer?
We use the Australian Standards (especially AS 4685.1:2021
Playground equipment and surfacing, Part 1: General safety requirements and test methods (EN 1176-1:2017, MOD)) as a basis for checking and testing procedures as to whether the play equipment is compliant or not.
​
Post-installation comprehensive inspections (or inspections following an injuring or incident in your playground):
This inspection is to verify that the play space is suitable for use and that the equipment supplied and installed complies with the existing Australian Standards for playgrounds.
The Written report provides any recommendations for rectifying what does not conform and suggestions for repairs (or replacement) of equipment.
Comprehensive annual inspections:
This is a in-depth inspection of the playground by a competent playground inspector, checking that all aspects of of AS 4685 are conformed to, and to establish the overall level of safety of the equipment, Playground surfaces are checked and tested, and foundations inspected for stability and longevity.
​
Operational inspections:
This is a inspection to be carried out by a competent person every 1-3 months to verify that the play equipment is whole in order to ensure the safe operation of the playground.
Checks cover things like:
- No components are missing such as screws/ bolts
- Adequate surfacing /loose fill material
- Wear on moving parts such as chains links
- Wear and tear; frayed ropes,
- Foundations don't have exposed concrete, rot or corrosion
​
Routine inspections:
We can prepare checklists for your playground for routine (daily or weekly) inspections of the play equipment to be undertaken by your staff. AS 4685.0:2017 states that playground installers are to provide information about the materials and maintenance of play equipment, as well as information about checking on the play equipment. Not all installers provide this information, so we are able to help you put together documentation for safety of an existing playground if you don't have it already.
​
AS 4685.0:2017 also underlines the importance of the role of supervision in injury prevention, so it is important to train staff in understand appropriate play equipment use, in risk-benefit analysis, and in congestion around play equipment.
​
Site assessments and design appraisals:
We can also visit your site and provide an assessment of the play equipment and play space layout. We can also review a design you have commisioned and provide feedback on the merits and drawbacks of the design.
What types of playgrounds and play spaces do you inspect?
We can inspect any playground and provide a risk-benefit analysis of these spaces. We specialise in nature-based early learning and preschool settings (SECS) and school settings.
Sometimes in playgrounds there are "grey areas" and we work with our clients to identify whether or not these risks are acceptable.