HOA Management: Playground Safety Tips

For children across the U.S., school is almost out for the summer. This means that the playground equipment in parks and recreational areas of HOA communities will be full of children having fun in the sun. Before the playground equipment in your homeowners association fills with the sound of small voices; however, be sure to perform the following maintenance checks and property assessments to ensure that playground areas are safe for the presence of kids.

Inspect Playground Surfaces

Playground surfaces should ideally be composed of material that softens falls from playground equipment, such as pea gravel, sand, or a bouncy composite rubber surface. If the playground equipment in your complex sits on hard ground, the likelihood of injury is considerably higher.

Inspect Nuts and Bolts on Equipment

Over time, nuts and bolts that secure pieces of playground equipment together can rust and become loose due to stress and weather exposure. Consequently, the nuts and bolts on equipment should be carefully inspected and replaced when they show significant signs of wear.

Inspect Equipment for Insect Nests

In spring, wasps, hornets, bees, and other stinging insects look for places to build nests. Because playground equipment has several nooks, crannies, and hollow places where nests can reside, have the HOA management provider check the equipment for nests. Getting stung by insects would ruin anyone’s day of fun in the sun.

Have Safety Signs Clearly Posted

Have the provider of HOA management post safety signs in full view of playground equipment. The signs should tell how the equipment should be used, and the age group that is permitted to use it. Placing safety signs in the playground area can help deter liability suits against the community.

mem property management HOA Safety Advice

Ensuring that the playground areas in your community are ready for children is relatively easy, however, you have to be vigilant about performing property assessments and maintenance checks. Ideally, the assessments and checks should be performed monthly to ensure that the equipment and the ground on which it stands is safe.