It’s a new year, children will be going back to school, childcare facilities will be busier than ever and being outside in the sunshine on the play equipment will be the place to be. It’s time now to look at your facility and determine if your centre is safe and ready to go for 2018. Mathiou Services prides ourselves in safety, especially when it comes to playground facilities. Here are few things to look out for that we can help fix and maintain for you:

Playground surfaces to be level/even

A very important element of designing a playground or play area is to make sure that all surfaces are level and even, but sometimes bad designs from years ago didn’t stand the test of time or a new tree root has created a mound or uneven flooring. There can be many reasons but one that shouldn’t be ignored. A professional needs to be called in to rectify the issue and possibly replace the surface.

 

Design and Space

Whether you are deciding on implementing a new playground or adding more features, space and design needs to be considered, to ensure that children are not all on top of each other but instead have room to play without reason of injury. Equipment needs to be looked at carefully to which ones should be next to each other as some require a lot of room whilst others might be a bit smaller on the activity scale. Mathiou Services works closely with their clients on both design, material and budget to assure that the final product will be safe and a joint collaboration effort.

Sun Safety

Especially in Australia, it is so important to recognize the strength of the Australian sun and the damage it can do to such young skin. The younger a person is, the easier they will burn and the more damage it can do. Therefore, making sure your playground is sun safe should be a top priority this year. We recommend taking a look at Shade sails that reflect the UV rays and give a nice cool shade, as well as making sure that at least some part of your outside area/playground has shade and making sure all children wear hats and sunscreen when outside.

Maintenance and regular inspections

After you get your playground all touched up and ready to go for the new year, it’s no point if you’re not going to correctly look after and maintain it. There should be no broken equipment or splintering, and sandboxes should be regularly changed and inspected for anything harmful that could be hiding underneath the sand. Playgrounds should be kept safe and clean by keeping the playground rubbish free and teaching the children how to properly use the equipment.

We understand how hard it can be to keep on top of it all and how to know if your equipment and surfaces are safe. Mathiou Services also understands that big kids and little kids play different, that they require different playground designs and elements and that they should both be safe. Therefore, if your centre, school, or facility needs help in making sure it’s playground child safe Mathiou Services is your one stop shop for all your playground needs this year.