Playground Merry Go Rounds Basics

Choose a safe commercial playground merry go round
By J.R. Glass Playground merry go rounds are a classic piece of playground and park equipment. For a child, there is nothing quite like the exhilaration of being spun until he can't walk straight. As a provider of playground equipment, it's critical that you consider the safety of the children before purchasing a playground carousel. Many parks have out of date playground equipment, merry go rounds in particular, which are unsafe for children to play on.

Beyond safe equipment, there are other safety factors to consider in making the most of playground merry go rounds. A padded surface is a critical part of a safe merry go round, as well as choosing the correct size merry go round for the age of the children. Consider the following as you research playground merry go rounds basics:

1. Get up to date safety guidelines and information on commercial playground merry go rounds.

2. Understand the types of safety surfaces to install under merry go rounds.

3. Choose the right size of merry go round play equipment for the children using it.

Understand the safety guidelines for a commercial playground merry go round

Every year hospitals treat nearly 200,000 children due to injuries sustained on unsafe playground equipment. Injuries occur on public and home playground equipment alike. Before you buy merry go rounds, make sure you understand their safety guidelines. Installing safe equipment can help protect against lawsuits caused by unsafe playground equipment.
Try:  The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has current information about merry go round playground equipment safety guidelines. For more safety information on playground merry go rounds visit Weitz & Luxenberg.

Install safety surfaces under a playground carousel to increase safety

There are many options for increasing playground safety. Installing padded playground surface materials is one way. Several options are available when it comes to padded surfaces under playground merry go rounds, including mulch, turf, rubber mats and more. The best type of surface is one with durability in regards to both children and weather.
Try:  For information on safe playground padding, visit the ABC Article Directory. It outlines several types of safe playground surfaces. For more information on safe playground surfaces, visit Planet Safety.

Purchase the appropriate sized playground equipment merry go round

A 30 person merry go round is not very practical for a small day care, just as a five person merry go round is not practical for a busy city park. Choosing the appropriate sized park merry go round is another way to ensure safety. As you get ready to purchase a merry go round, consider the age of the children playing on the equipment, the size of the playground and the atmosphere where you plan to install the equipment.
Try:  AAA State of Play is a merry go round play equipment provider that has several options to choose from. Another provider of merry go round playground equipment is Education Works. Both of these providers have small, medium and large merry go rounds available.

• When renovating an old playground on a limited budget, it's better to remove unsafe equipment and forgo having playground merry go rounds than to keep out of date equipment. Older equipment may not meet current safety guidelines.