PLAYGROUND-RELATED STATISTICS
from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Each year, over 200,000 children are injured on America's playgrounds. That's one every 2 1/2 minutes. Falls to the surface are the #1 contributing factor in playground injuries.

Statistics about Playground Related Injuries

Each year approximately 205,860 preschool and elementary children received emergency department care for injuries that occurred on playground equipment.

76% of the injuries happened on public playground equipment
23% occurred on home playground equipment
Approximately 156,040 (75.8 %) of the 1999 injuries occurred on equipment designed for public use; 46,930 (22.8 %) occurred on equipment designed for home use; and 2,880 (1.4 %) occurred on homemade playground equipment (primarily rope swings).

About 45% of injuries involving public equipment occurred in schools.
About 31% of injuries involving public equipment occurred in public parks.
About 10% of injuries involving public equipment occurred in commercial childcare centers.
About 3% of injuries involving public equipment occurred in home childcare.
About 3% of injuries involving public equipment occurred in apartment complexes.
About 2% of injuries involving public equipment occurred in fast food restaurants.
About 9% of injuries involving public equipment occurred in other locations.

From January 1990 to August 2000, CPSC received reports of 147 deaths to children younger than 15 that involved playground equipment.

70% of those deaths occurred in home
30% of those deaths occurred in public use
Girls were involved in a slightly higher percentage of injuries (55%) than were boys (45%).

Injuries to the head and face accounted for 49% of injuries to children 0-4, while injuries to the arm and hand accounted for 49% of injuries to children ages 5-14.

For children ages 0-4, climbers (40%) had the highest incidence rates, followed by slides (33%).

For children ages 5-14, climbing equipment (56%) had the highest incidence rates, followed by swings (24%).

Additional Research Indicates:

Approximately 15% of the injuries were classified as severe, with 3% requiring hospitalization.

The most prevalent diagnoses were fractures (39%), lacerations (22%), contusions/abrasions (20%), strains/sprains (11%).

Falls to the surface was a contributing factor in 79% of all injuries. On home equipment, 81% were associated with falls.

Most injuries on public playground equipment were associated with climbing equipment (53%), swings (19%), and slides (17%).

Based on these statistics and other research, the National Program for Playground Safety advocates that:

• Adults actively supervise the children in the play environment.
• Adults choose appropriate developmental equipment for the play environment.
• Adults provide safe surfacing both in the public use areas and at home for playground equipment.
• Adults insure that all equipment and surfacing located in the children's play areas be maintained on a regular basis.
  

All statistics were based on data obtained between 1998 and 2000 from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) National Electronic Surveillance System (NEISS). NEISS collects playground product-related data from a selected sample of more than 100 hospital emergency departments located throughout the U.S. Thus, only emergency room injuries are recorded and the national statistics are estimates. All statistics have been adjusted to reflect out-of-scope cases that were reported to NEISS.

Data reported in Tinsworth, D. and McDonald, J. (April 2001). Special Study: Injuries and Deaths Associated with Children's Playground Equipment. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.