Playground safety in Galveston parks: A descriptive analysis

Public playground safety is a major public health issue. The foundation of the playground safety movement is grounded by a public demand for safe parks and playground equipment. Significant morbidity and cost is associated with park playground injuries annually. Most playground injuries were attributed to falls. This report provides a descriptive analysis of playground composition and safety using the National Program for Playground Safety safety report card survey instrument for each of the 12 Galveston public park playground areas. All Galveston park playgrounds were found to score “A’s” on these safety surveys. The composition of playground equipment of Galveston parks is primarily climbing equipment, which accounts for 52 percent of the total equipment type. Climbing equipment means more fall risk and potential injuries. Appropriate fall surfacing and maintenance is a key feature in mitigating this risk at Galveston parks.