Chirana Berntson

Playground Analysis
The playground that I observed is located at Lafayette Village Community in Annandale, VA. I
used to drive past there on my way to work. It is a community playground, and it is a good size
as it is not too big or too small. This playground is also surrounded by townhomes in a quiet
neighborhood. They have a big play set with two slides, climbing area, and monkey bars. There
are also two sets of swings, one set of baby swings, and one set of school-age swings. There is
shade from trees around the playground; however there is still direct sun in the morning and in
the afternoon. It is cooler in the evening around 4 oclock because of the shade, and many
children come during that time. Not many children come during the day because it is too hot. The
playground is located on Fenton Rd. and Trammell Rd. There are no parking spaces because it is
for children who live in the townhome community and I dont think children from other areas
would come here to play. There is parking available on the road and there is little traffic on the
road as well.

FENC

According to The Dirty Dozen Checklist

1. Improper Protective Surfacing

The surface is covered with dirt and wood chips covering the dirt. The ground is still soft even I
clear off the top layer of wood chips. However, I think they still need to fill the area with more
wood chips because there are some areas that you can see dirt.

2. Inadequate Use Zone

The area is large but there are only few pieces of playground equipment in there. The swing sets
were far away from the slide. There was enough room around the swings use zone; all around
them was more than sixteen feet. The slides of the play set were on opposite sides from each
other, and there was enough room on the bottom more than six feet at the bottom of the slide exit
area. The slide high is less than six feet, I used my tape measure to measure them.

3. Protrusion & Entanglement Hazards

There were no signs of hazardous equipment that could hurt children at all. There was no open
hooks or sharp items on the play set and on the swing set. Screws and bolts were flat and did not
protrude or leave gaps. They were extended at a proper level according to the Dirty Dozen
manual.

4. Entrapment in Openings
All of the openings were at the proper size to avoid children being trapped. The spacing of the
rails to get to the slide was less than three inches and on the slide there were no entanglement
hazards. The play structures seemed to be well designed with safety in mind.
5. Insufficient Equipment Spacing
The playground area is large and there is plenty of space between all of the equipment. There is
only the main play area with the climbing area and slides and two sets of swings. There is at least
nine feet of space between the two main equipment areas of the playground.
6. Trip Hazards
I could not find any trip hazards when I looked for them. I could not find any exposed concrete
footings, sharp changes in surfaces, tree roots or stumps, or rocks.
7. Lack of supervision
When I was there to observe, the bigger childrens parents were sitting outside of the playground
area at the picnic tables. These kids were 4-6 years old. The smaller children had their parents
with them in the playground to supervise them more closely. There was only one bench inside
the playground for parents to sit and watch their children. I dont think one bench is enough but
the playground is small and open so its easy for parents to keep watch of their children.

Picnic area for parents

8. Age Inappropriate Activities

This playground is intended for children aged eight and younger. There are no free-standing arch
climbers or flexible climbers, chain and cable walks, seesaws, log rolls, track rides or sliding
poles. The main playground structure is suitable for all children. For older children, they could
play on the swings but not the baby swings.
9.Lack of maintanence
The playground appears to be in very good shape except for needing a little more surface
material and the metal gate at the entrance needs to be repaired. Parts of the fence around the
playground also need to be resecured at the bottom. Because the main playset is mostly plastic
there is not as much maintenance as if it was metal or wood. No bolts were loose and there was
no signs of vandalism.
10. Crush, Shearing and Sharp Edges

I did not see any sharp edges or points that could cut a child. There are no moving parts that
could crush a childs finger. The only thing I could see that could cut a child was at the main gate
to get into the playground. This needed to be repaired as a metal piece was sticking out.

11. Platforms with no Guardrails

All of the elevated surfaces and stairs up to the set of slides had the proper guardrails to protect
children from falling. All of the guardrails were higher than 48 inches.
12. Equipment Not Recommended for Public Playgrounds
There was no equipment that was inappropriate for Public Playgrounds. It is a very safe
playground and contained no heavy swings, multiple occupancy swings, free swinging ropes,
exercise rings or trapeze bars.
In my opinion, this playground is a safe and quality playground for children in that area. This is a
small playground but very convenient for children in that area. It is right next to a small road and

the fence around the playground makes it safer. Because it is a small area, they didnt have room
to separate the older children (5-8 year) and young children (2-4 year) so parents and caregivers
have to watch them carefully. The playground is designed for children 8 years old and under, but
I only saw children aged 2-5 play in that area. I went there a few times for my observation, and
during the day it was too hot and the slide was hot as well as the weather. I dont think children
can go down the slides during the day because of the heat making the slide hot. When I went
there in the evening around 4 oclock, there was shade from the trees and it made it cooler and
there were more children running around. I also like the open picnic area, where older children
can run and play sports.
I believe this place meets National Playground Safety Standards according to the dirty dozen
check lists. However, it needs to fill in more wood chips and needs maintainace with the fence.
The playground belongs to the community but I think anyone can go there and there are many
houses within walking distance that most likely use this playground. When I was there I didnt
see children engaged in any unsafe behavior. There isnnt much equipment there so this makes it
easier for parents to watch them and not have to worry as much. Older children were running up
and down the play set by themselves, while younger children went up the play set with their
parents. Younger children wanted to use the tot swings but some had to wait as there are only two
of them. Overall this is a small quiet and safe playground for the community.