Once you’ve invested in new playground equipment, one of your main priorities is ensuring that the equipment lasts for as long as possible. A key way of doing this is to make sure you’re maintaining playground equipment effectively. This means that it will be able to withstand the impact of children playing on it daily.
These tips will help to keep your playground equipment well maintained and safe for children to use:
Plan before you buy
Before buying new equipment think about how it will fit into the environment in which it will be installed. If the environment means that equipment will have to withstand repeated heavy use, you should ensure that the equipment is able to withstand tough physical play. You certainly don’t want to have to be repairing it every month. Also take into account the age range of children using the equipment. Planning ahead and thinking about the environment and how equipment will be used will help ensure that you buy right equipment for that playground.
Inspect your equipment
Whatever type of environment your playground equipment is in, regular inspections will ensure the equipment is always safe to use. It will also ensure it remains in good condition. Inspecting your playground equipment once a month will ensure that you are able to spot any small damages early. This means they can be repaired before the equipment becomes too damaged to use.
Make repairs quickly
If you do spot any damage, however small, ensure repairs are done quickly. This reduces the risk of damage getting worse and potentially unrepairable. Most playground repairs can be carried out by the school maintenance team. However, if the damage is too difficult for your in-house team to repair you will need to hire playground experts. This ensures that the repairs are carried out quickly and the equipment remains safe for children to use.
Ensure repairs are correct
Along with making repairs quickly, it is also important that repairs are made correctly. Sourcing the correct parts for the relevant playground equipment and ensuring said parts are high quality. Not only will ensuring that repairs are carried out correctly keep the equipment well maintained, but will also that it is safe and won’t need constant repairing.
Make use of school holidays
When children are on holiday it is the ideal time to carry out upkeep to your playgrounds. This is the perfect opportunity to repaint fences, ensure the right playground furniture is installed, and re-evaluate the security of the playground. Summer is a particularly good time to carry out general maintenance to your playground and ensure everything is ready for the new school year.
While eventually over time all playground equipment becomes worn through constant use, by following our tips it will help to keep your playground well maintained so that the equipment lasts for as long as possible.
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