Playground safety a construction concern

By CNN

VIDEO:

Playgrounds are supposed to be safe and fun places for children to play. But the Consumer Product Safety Commission reports about 200,000 children are treated every year in U.S. emergency rooms for playground-related injuries.

It seems that the most common injuries are off of monkey bars or other climbing equipment.

Doctor Laurel Blakemore says she believes that most injuries are among children 5 to 9 years old.

"Generally, the most common thing that we see in orthopedics is falls, so fractures. They break their arms when they fall with outstretched arms or legs, but they can also get head injuries and neck injuries," she said.

Blakemore, with Children's National Medical Center, says some fractures are serious enough to require surgery.

She calls on parents and caregivers to help prevent falls in the first place. Still, it's a community issue.

"It may not be what the kids are doing wrong, but what rather we're doing wrong in terms of how you build playgrounds and the amount of supervision," she said.

With almost 60 percent of all injuries being caused by falls to the ground, the CPSC recommends playgrounds be built with thick, protective surfacing underneath equipment.

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