Playground Safety Statistics

Since 1982, there have been 18 playground deaths in Canada. Many of these deaths were due to strangulation and head entrapment. Others were due to falls from playground equipment. (Source: Product Safety Bureau, Health Canada, Personal Communication. October, 1999.)

In 1997-98, 2,057 children were hospitalized due to falls from playground equipment. Falls from playground equipment accounted for 8 per cent of all hospital admissions of children up to 14 years of age. (Source: Coppens, N.M. and Gentry, L.K. Video Analysis of Playground Injury-Risk Situation, "Research in Nursing & Health", 1991; 14, 129-136.)

The risk of injuries related to falls increases with the height of the playground equipment and equipment higher than 5 ft. (1.5 m) increased the risk of severe injury twofold. (Source: Macarthur, C., Hu, W., Wesson, D., Parkin, P.C. Risk factors for severe injuries associated with falls from playground equipment: a case-control study. "Accident Analysis and Prevention", 1999.)

Health Canada estimates that more than 28,500 Canadian children (under age 20) are treated by hospitals for playground related injuries. (Source: Lesage, D. and Laforest, S. Playground equipment injuries: Circumstances, nature of injuries and opportunities for action. Chapter 12 in Health Canada. "For the Safety of Canadian Children and Youth: From Injury Data to Preventive Measures", 1997.)

Reports from 16 Canadian hospitals show that more than 4,000 emergency visits are reported each year. (Source: Lesage, D. and Laforest, S. Playground equipment injuries: Circumstances, nature of injuries and opportunities for action. Chapter 12 in Health Canada. "For the Safety of Canadian Children and Youth: From Injury Data to Preventive Measures", 1997.)

Playground Safety Statistics

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