Playground safety check
Opinion on the topic: playground safety:
You have to come to the place of the playground and conduct tests and measurements there.
When inspecting the garden, you must refer to the laws and regulations relating to the playground , its location and its surroundings:
The mandatory standard for gaming facilities is Israeli Standard No. 1498.
If the garden is adjacent to or near the place where an open or underground gas accumulator is placed, refer to:
The Gas Law (Safety and Licensing) 1989
The Gas Economy Law.
The Gas Order (Safety and Licensing) 2011
In the above example we will show you an inspection of a playground that is before renovation.
If the defects are serious, it will be necessary to replace some of the facilities or the entire playground .
General description of the playground:
Its width next to Begin Street is about 10 meters, and its length parallel to the wall of the building is about 17 meters.
The lot is adjacent to the entrance road to the parking lot as well as the outside sidewalk.
The garden is surrounded by a metal mesh fence with a minimum height of 105 cm.
As you can see in the photos, the lot includes 2 facilities:
A slide whose upper surface is about 1.35 meters above the ground,
A facility that includes 2 swings and 2 climbing ladders.
There are also 2 wooden benches for sitting.
Inside the lot area is an underground gas reservoir clearly marked by yellow marker posts,
in the center of which is the filling opening of the accumulator.
The pool is located next to one of the benches and swings,
And the filling opening is about 2 meters away from the swing facility.
The field area is covered with grass, but the coverage is not complete and includes clearings – mainly in the area of the swing facility.
defects relating to the structure of the lot,
defects relating to the position of the aggregate,
Deficiencies relating to the facilities themselves.
Below is the breakdown according to the above 3 categories:
A. Deficiencies in the pitch structure:
- The fencing around the field is not complete and is breached in two areas,
In such a way that it is possible that a child may leave the field and get caught
immediately to the route of cars:
The first loophole is in the corner next to the entry barrier for cars,
There is no section in the fence that is about 1 meter long. (Looks like this section was never built in the first place).
The second breach is in the western part of the lot (the “apex” of the triangle),
There, too, a child may go outside and reach the parking / driving area of the cars.
It should be noted that this is a violation of the regulations that require that in the case of the proximity of the lot to an external risk such as
Car traffic at a distance of less than 15 meters from the field,
A fence must be found to prevent children from reaching the risk areas. - Referring to the fall, the garden area is made of grass,
which does not meet the requirement for a shock absorber surface for a possible fall from the upper path of the slide,
or from the ladders attached to the swings.
The use of grass as a landing pad is approved only up to a fall from a height of 1 meter,
And the height of the standing surface at the top of the slide is 1.35 meters.
For these cases it is required to use surfaces made of rubber or garden sesame.
(The standard defines a precise test method for this purpose).
It should be noted that even if it was possible to use a grass surface – in the garden in question
The state of the grass is not controlled and is not uniform and includes many clearings in the area of the ladders and swings prone to falls. - The regulations require the existence of a sign in the lot, along the lines of: “A child up to the age of 3 must be supervised by an adult.”
Although a faded sign was found in the lot that probably once contained such an instruction,
But today it is completely unreadable. - The regulations also require that next to the gas accumulator (which we will refer to later) there should be a sign along the lines of:
“Danger, flammable material, no smoking!”
B. Deficiencies in relation to the location of the gas accumulator:
- The regulations relating to playgrounds define minimum distances from electric power lines.
- In this respect, the location of the lot meets the requirements.
- The regulations relating to an underground gas accumulator require that the edge of the accumulator be at a minimum distance of 1 meter from places where people are frequently, such as pedestrian crossings, sidewalks, etc.
In the case in question, the above-mentioned minimum distance was not maintained relative to 2-places:
a) The swing device is adjacent to the edge of the pool at a distance of less than 1 meter.
In principle, this problem can be solved by moving the swing facility about 1 meter to the west.
b) The 2 benches, right next to the gas tank.
Although they can also be moved and thus meet the constitutional requirements, but apparently the risk
It is not due to the relative position of the benches, but to their very existence near the gas tank:
Benches are a place where people sit comfortably (for example, while their children play in the facilities),
And they may well forget that smoking is not allowed in this place.
In the event of a small gas leak from the facility, a leak that would normally dissipate into the atmosphere without causing a risk,
One casually thrown cigarette butt is enough to cause the gas to ignite and cause disaster.
(Especially in the current situation where the accumulator is located behind the back of the bench, so no way
You notice it when you sit on the bench, so you can be distracted by its very presence).
Since it is a small pitch, there is no point in moving the benches to another location, but they must be removed
completely (as well as place a clear sign warning: “Danger, flammable material, no smoking!” as mentioned above).
third. Deficiencies in the facilities themselves:
The regulations require that every facility that exceeds 60 cm in height have a railing,
whose vertical height above the waypoints will be at least 60 cm.
This requirement is not met in the two facilities in the garden, as follows:
a) In the slide, the vertical height of the handrail accompanying the ladder is only 30 cm from the footpath, instead of 60 cm.
b) The railing adjacent to the upper standing surface of the slide does not extend to the end of this surface, but stops somewhere in the middle.
c) The handrails adjacent to the climbing ladders in the swing facility are also only 30 cm tall instead of 60 cm.
d) In one of the above ladders, one of the railings is completely missing (probably once broken and removed).
All of the above defects can only be repaired by a qualified locksmith.
d. summary and recommendations:
1. The current location of the gas accumulator near the facilities and benches
constitutes a violation of the regulations.
This can be solved by moving the swing device,
The removal of the benches, and the addition of signage warning of the danger of smoking.
Although these actions constitute a solution to the constitutional requirements,
The recommendation is to find an alternative location for the playground that is not near the gas tank,
In light of the potential risk.
2. If the lot remains in its current location, the defects relating to the holes in the fence must be repaired.
3. Also, in the areas delimited by a radius of at least 0.75 meters around the 2 facilities
(including around the area below the oscillation amplitude of the swings)
The grass has been replaced with a rubber surface or garden sesame.
which meet the standards and requirements of the Standards Institute.
4. The missing signage must also be completed.
5. Whether the lot moves to another location or remains in place, the deficiencies in the facilities themselves must be corrected as detailed above.
Photos and explanations about the renovated lot will be uploaded later,
And in them there will be a specification of the products that were replaced.
In the meantime, you can read more information about renovation, maintenance and repair.
