Removal of hazardous playground at elementary schools in Toronto has reduced the number of playground injuries

Researchers from the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children have confirmed that removal of hazardous playground at elementary schools in Toronto has reduced the number of playground injuries.

Howard and colleagues compared playground injury rates before and after equipment replacement, based on a database of incident reports. The authors found that the injury rate decreased in the 86 schools where the playground equipment was replaced, such that a total of 550 injuries were avoided during the 10-month study period after safer equipment was installed.

Changes to Canadian Standards Association (CSA) standards for playground equipment were most recently revised in 1998 and the authors state that these standards are an effective tool in identifying hazardous playground equipment. Further, they conclude that removal and replacement of unsafe equipment is an effective strategy for preventing playground injuries. p. 1443 The effect of safer play equipment on playground injury rates among school children.