We are aware that many clients have halted inspections of playgrounds or reduced the frequency of inspections that would normally be carried out due to the COVID-19 Pandemic because the use of playgrounds has been restricted.
As a business, we have continued inspecting during the pandemic where clients have been happy for us to do so, however many clients have delayed or not ordered annual inspections with us as they usually would.
Following the government announcement that playgrounds can re-open on July 4th we are being contacted by numerous clients asking for us to inspect their playgrounds before July 4th so that they can get their playgrounds open and be sure that they are safe to be used, however it is not going to be possible for us to react to all of these requests in such a short time period.
Inspections that have not currently been ordered and are requested now, or where we have been asked to delay inspecting will be added back into our schedule and inspected within our standard lead times (we can offer an urgent response service for small numbers of sites, however this is something that would need to be priced in addition to your standard quoted rates).
With regards to opening your playgrounds without having conducted an annual inspection that was due, our advice is as follows:
- It is important that some kind of inspection is carried out as a bare minimum, especially where sites have laid dormant for months and have not been checked at all – we would recommend that an in-depth operational / maintenance inspection is carried out on your site before opening it up to the public – this can be done in-house (definition from BS EN 1176 Part 7 below)
“b) Operational Inspection The operational inspection is a more detailed inspection to check the operation and stability of the equipment, especially for any wear. This inspection should be every 1-3 months, or as indicated by the manufacturer’s instructions.
Special attention should be given to ‘sealed-for-life’ parts.
NOTE1 Examples of visual and operational inspection points are cleanliness, equipment ground clearances, groundsurface finishes, exposed foundations, sharp edges, missing parts, excessive wear (of moving parts) and structural integrity.”
- Ensure that any temporary barriers, hazard tape, chains or padlocks that have been used to restrict use of equipment or access to the area are removed safely from site once an inspection has been completed.
- Consider providing temporary signage on your play area entrances / gates and posting on any social media channels you use, advising parents and supervisors to consider the following:
- Follow the current social distance guidelines when visiting and encourage your children to do the same.
- If the playground is busy, consider coming back at a later time. Talk to your children about this possibility before visiting.
- Wash your and your children’s hands before and after visiting. Ensure your children are using hand sanitiser frequently.
- Follow and adhere to all current government advice in addition to the above guidance.
- If you are still not comfortable with opening your playground facility, please leave your playground closed until such time as it can be professionally inspected and advise your community that this is the case. If you do this, please ensure that any temporary barriers or equipment restrictions in place do not introduce additional hazards. We have seen numerous examples of sites that have been ‘closed off’ to the public during the COVID-19 Pandemic where the measures used have been quite frankly very dangerous. If you need any advice on this matter then please contact us for assistance
