Playground Safety Inspections

1. Has your playground equipment been correctly installed and maintained?
2. Does your playground meet the requirements of the Australian Standards for Playground Safety?
3. When was the last time that you had your playground fully inspected?

The management of risk in a playground is the responsibility of all involved in the provision of play, including designers, manufacturers and operators. It should be recognized that risk-taking is an essential feature of play and of all environments in which children spend time playing.

Choose Safety is qualified to conduct Comprehensive, Operational and Routine Playground Inspections as required by Australian Standard AS4685.
Choose Safety is also able to also perform surface attenuation (drop) testing for playground soft fall areas, for compliance to AS4422.
Choose Safety does not install or manage playgrounds or playground surfacing material, so the service we provide is fully independent.

When considering the risk associated with any particular playground, instead of standard "risk removal", those involved must take into account many factors including: the context of the playground, its purpose and likely users, and managing the balance between the need to offer risk and the need to keep children safe from serious harm.

The objective of conducting Comprehensive playground inspections is to provide confidence to the playground “owner” that at the time of the review their asset was in a safe condition for use, while also providing a level of confidence to the playground “user” that the playground was free of significant hazards. Independent testing and inspection is also more reliable, as it has not been performed by those who build, install or "own" the playground.

Playground Shade Assessment - SunSmart recommends a shade audit be conducted for all outdoor spaces that cater for children. Provision of shade over or around a playground can also benefit the playground by limiting or reducing how hot the equipment will get in warmer months, and extending the life of the equipment. Conduct a shade assessment in conjunction with a playground inspection.