Examines the impact of the 1981 U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission guidelines for playground safety. Although compliance with the guidelines has not stemmed the rising number of accidents, it has enhanced awareness. This article offers an action plan which all communities can use to help alleviate liability problems. (SM)

Safe playgrounds are an essential mission for public park, recreation, education, and child care agencies. The article describes how to create safety programs and offers lists of safety program components, safety inspection steps, and preventive maintenance schedules. It also presents playground safety checklists and notes three available…

Injury is the leading health problem of children in the United States, though many of the injuries and deaths are predictable and preventable. The article presents a list of things parents can do to keep their children safe. (SM)

Guidelines to help parents explain traffic safety to children cover the following: school bus safety (e.g., remain seated, do not shout); walking (e.g., obey traffic signals, cross at crosswalks); driving (e.g., wear seatbelts, enter and exit from the curb side); and biking (e.g., wear helmets, do not ride at night). (SM)

In supervising children, camp counselors should be aware of certain truths about working with campers that can affect their safety: the tendency for campers to become overstimulated, the effect campers can have on adults known as regressive pull, and the situation known as player-umpire. A counselor judgement checklist is offered that will help…

Guidelines for playground equipment safety are presented in this handbook. It first provides an overview of common playground injuries and definitions. The layout and design of playgrounds, such as choosing a site, locating equipment, and separating equipment by age level, is addressed next. The remaining sections describe the installation and…

This paper reviews aspects of Canadian and U.S. law related to liability and negligence of outdoor programs and suggests strategies for risk management. To prove negligence, an individual injured in an outdoor program must prove that the outdoor leader had a duty of care to the participant, standards of care were breached, actual injury was…

This booklet focuses on general safety conditions in the K-12 art classroom. The book is intended for use by art teachers, classroom teachers, and administrators to improve safety practices in the educational context. Local regulations and codes vary so safety professionals, environmental specialists, ventilation experts, and other specialists…

There is a high rate of children's injuries on America's playgrounds. This report examines this issue and provides guidance on how to make playgrounds safer and more fun for children, and procedures for performing an initial analysis of the safety of a local playground using a playground safety checklist. Additionally, it provides a step-by-step…

This report addresses comments and recommendations of parents of children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) as well as those of professionals. The report is in two sections: (1) What Parents Say about the Time of Injury; and (2) What Emergency Personnel Should Know. The first section presents quotes from five parents about reactions and…

This brief guide discusses ways to provide safe instruction and to minimize the risk of injury and potential liability in a laboratory environment. The three main concerns covered are: (1) the physical plant must be in compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA); (2) the physical facility should have all tools in good…

This booklet provides basic health and safety information for child care providers. The first three sections focus on (1) how illnesses spread, ways to reduce their spreading, health checks and daily observation of children; (2) communicating with parents; and (3) medical emergencies, fire, earthquake, weather emergencies, and other emergencies.…

Based primarily on the experience of three childhood injury prevention demonstration projects, this manual provides state Title V program directors with an action guide for developing targeted childhood injury prevention programs. The manual is divided into four sections: background; program planning; program design; and program implementation and…

This guide focuses on the legal responsibilities of coaches and physical educators, but much of the content is equally applicable to those who teach sports skills in other recreational settings. The guide presents the legal duties of the coach or teacher. The content is drawn from a review of sport lawsuits (or sports injury litigation) over the…

The myriad and complex health and safety needs of a college or university campus are discussed. Consideration is given to the demands of fire prevention, accident prevention, food service standards, and the mental and physical well-being of students, faculty, and staff. Structural and architectural concerns of the well-designed campus are…