5 reasons to have regular playground maintenance
1. Manage risk:
Safety is paramount in any play area where vulnerable children are running around. While children learn the cause and reaction affect from 3 months, their reflex’s and long-term memory when it comes to hazards are not developed until their 4-5. Their sense of danger, easily forgotten within minutes with lots of distraction a playground provides. So, prevention is key, which is why routine maintenance checks from a maintenance person who specialises in childcare help to proactively identify hazards and manage risks. Allowing you to repair or replace ahead of any injuries.
2. Protect your investment:
Building a new playground can cost anywhere between $10-300K depending on what you require. It is a huge capital investment for any owner, so the longer you prolong its life the longer you will have full function. It’s not just about a damaged fort or plastic toy, surfaces alone can cost upwards of $10k to replace so getting on top of those holes or ripped surfaces could be a cost saver. Not to mention the insurance risk.
3. Improve children’s play experiences:
At the end of the day its all about the children’s experience. And if something is broken or an area is out of action the children miss out. With regular maintenance, you are improving children’s play experience whether they know it or not. Not to mention the peace of mind that it brings to their parents.
4. Protect your staff:
Your staff are there to provide a safe environment for children, regular maintenance ensures they can focus on where the children are as opposed to mending children who are injured.
5. Control expenses:
With regular maintenance, the cost of replacements is reduced and you can forecast costs on needs to replace with regular checks. Knowing all you are looking out for is the maintenance costs which spread throughout your centre.
