During her 15 years as a Project Officer with the PAU, Bev was an integral part of the team, assisting in the development of programs and services to help make the Unit what it is today. The team at Kidsafe NSW, wish her the best, both professionally and personally and thank her for her dedication to “making a safer world for kids.”

The visits include a Playground Safety and Inspection Workshop and an opportunity for playground owners to engage the PAU for a Comprehensive Playground Inspection. Other services are available upon request. Scheduled visits for 2016:

Western NSW

Mudgee-  Workshop- 23 March 2016

Inspection services- 22&24 March 2016

Hunter/New England

Armidale-  Workshop- 11 May 2016

Inspection services- 10&13 May 2016

Far West NSW

Cobar-  Workshop- 3 August 2016

Inspection services- 2&4 August 2016

Murrumbidgee

Albury-  Workshop- 10 August 2016

Inspection services- 9&11 August 2016

To register for a workshop, click here.

For more information or to request a visit to your region, contact the office on 02 9845 0893 or email V%BB%97%BA%AD%5E%BD%91y%BC%B0%9A%98%B8%CC%AB%D2%AD%B6%C7%5F%DC%A7%B9%5E%C8%B2%DD%99%AF%E9u

To register for the workshop, click here.

Inspection services for Sydney Metropolitan are available at all times.

To complete an Expression of Interest for a comprehensive playground inspection, click here. Alternatively, call the office on 02 9845-0893.

Safe and Creative Backyards for Family Day Care - Back by popular demand!

This one hour webinar provides family day care educators with information about backyard safety, risk and challenge, potential injury types, and novel ideas for backyard play by "thinking outside the box!"

Date: 16th March 2016

Time: 7pm

Click here to register.

One Path – Benefits of a Labyrinth in a Playspace

Participants will be informed of the benefits of a labyrinth and how a labyrinth can enhance children’s learning and play. The one hour webinar will include learning how to draw a simple labyrinth with templates provided for more complex labyrinths and examples of strategies for consultation and involvement.

Date: 30th March 2016

Time: 7pm

Click here to register.

The award categories are:

• Education and Care Services

• Schools

• Innovative Design Elements

• Public Playspaces

Visit the website for more information.

To view the 2014 winning entries, click here.

Kidsafe is looking for suitably qualified judges – if you are interested, click here for information.

The Australian Standard recommends a regime for regular inspections. Failure to carry out regular inspections, and/or inadequate record keeping, may leave the playground owner accountable for any adverse incidents in the playground. What is important though, is that a regularly inspected and well maintained playground provides a fun place for children to play and family members can be reassured that the safety of their children is important to the playground owner.  

Inspection Regimes

There are 3 types of playground inspections:

• Routine (Daily or Weekly) - Routine inspections are used to identify obvious damage to playground equipment such as vandalism or adverse weather conditions. These inspections should occur daily or weekly depending on usage levels and items identified as hazardous removed or closed off. Replacement or repair of damaged equipment should occur as soon as practicable as determined by the level of risk.

• Operational (Monthly or Quarterly)  - Operational inspections are conducted to establish the overall safety of equipment, foundations and surfaces with an emphasis on checking the structural integrity due to the effects of rotting and corrosion  It is recommended that they occur 1 to 3 monthly  depending on usage level, location and exposure to environmental conditions.

• Comprehensive (Annual) - A comprehensive inspection is intended to establish the overall level of safety of the equipment, foundations and playground surfaces. Playground owners and operators will find it valuable to engage a qualified playground inspector to undertake this inspection. If you are planning to engage the services of an inspector it is worthwhile checking on their training and/or qualifications to ensure that you are satisfied with the level of competence they hold.

Note: Check the information supplied by the equipment manufacturer/supplier regarding the recommended frequency of inspection.. 

PAU team members are qualified Level 3 Playground Inspectors having successfully completed nationally recognised training and attaining the following competencies:

• BSBRES401A: Analyse and Present Research Information
• AHCOHS301A: Contribute to OHS Procedures
• AHCPGD206A: Conduct Visual Inspection of Park Facilities
• AHCPGD305A: Conduct Operational Inspection of Park Facilities
• AHCPGD505A: Conduct Comprehensive Inspection of Park Facilities
• BSBWHS303A: Participate in Whs Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Risk Control

For more information or to request a quote, contact the office on 02 9845 0893 or to send an email, V%CB%C0%DB%C2%9C%92%B0%9A%DB%D4t

To download the draft Standards and/or to make a comment visit the Standards Hub by clicking here. 
 

A labyrinth, unlike a maze, has no dead ends. There is only one path, and while it does have twists and turns, you can‘t get lost. With a labyrinth you don‘t have to think, or analyse, or solve a problem. In a labyrinth you just trust that the path will lead you to where you need to be.

Some benefits of labyrinths include stress reduction, quietening of the mind, enhanced feelings of well-being, improved concentration skills, development of problem-solving skills, improved creativity, and practice in conflict resolution, engage in spiritual reflection and are a lot of fun!

Labyrinths can be designed in many ways and with different materials as long as there is a single path to follow.  The simple design of the classical labyrinth makes it easy to draw and thus can become the "blueprint" for building your own labyrinth.

Want to know more? Join Kay for a one hour webinar. Click here for details.

Kidsafe encourages kids to have fun by:

• Making a mess

• Being noisy

• Getting dirty

• Experiencing movement across uneven surfaces

• Trying something new

• Playing with other children

Kidsafe advocates the importance of providing challenging play opportunities for children of all ages in playgrounds. In recent times we have seen the introduction of playground equipment items which provide children the freedom to test their skills and develop their physical capabilities. The Playground Standard was updated in 2014 giving playground owners and designers greater flexibility in design and equipment choices to install challenging playgrounds.

A recent article by Jordan Baker in The Daily Telegraph (17/1/2016) titled Danger is coming back to Australian playgrounds with experts advocating risk in children’s play focused on risk and challenge in children’s playgrounds. The article provides some interesting insights into play and playgrounds. To read the article, click here.

The PAU is interested to hear your comments about:

• How you manage risk in your playground?

• What challenges have you provided in your playground?

• Have you had any incidents in your challenging playground?

• How have the users/public responded?

Click here to send us an email.

Graffiti vandalism is against the law and should be reported. The NSW Graffiti Hotline makes it easier for individuals and local communities to report graffiti in NSW. Anyone can report acts of graffiti vandalism against public assets, community facilities or private property. The Hotline refers reports of graffiti to the relevant government agency or authority for clean-up and removal.

To make a report, please call the NSW Graffiti Hotline on 1800 707 125 (free call) between 9:00am and 5:00pm Monday to Friday.

At surface temperatures greater than 50ºC, tender young skin can be burned severely within seconds and may require surgery. Playground surfacing and equipment can exceed this temperature on dry, bright sunny days with temperatures in the high twenties.

Test the surfaces - metal slides, poles, guardrails, barriers and other playground equipment may pose burn/scald risks if the equipment is exposed to direct sunlight.

• Carefully place your hand above equipment surfaces to check if they are hot - use caution, don't expose yourself to burns.

• Alternatively, use a thermometer to measure the temperature. If the surface temperature is 50° C or more children should not play in the playground.

• Keep rechecking temperatures as the day progresses. Parents, carers and educators need to assess the environment regularly to determine whether the playground is suitable for use.

• Rubber and synthetic grass playground surfacing have been known to cause burns on the soles of children's feet on hot days, particularly dark coloured surfaces. On low humidity, hot sunny days, dark coloured surfaces can exceed 60ºC.

• Children should wear shoes at all times.

• Provide children with adequate clothing to prevent sunburn as well as any contact scalds from sitting or kneeling.

• Wetting the area with water may assist in cooling the surface temperature however this may only serve as a temporary solution.

• Be Sunsafe. Visit the Cancer Council website for information on sun protection for babies and children:

Playground operators may consider the installation of signage alerting visitors of potential hot surfaces and the recommendation to keep shoes on during play.

Indoor Play Centres

Playground equipment found in play centres and fast food restaurants can heat up when exposed to direct or indirect sunlight. Most centres require shoes to be removed during play however children have sustained scalds to feet when playing on indoor playground equipment. Operators are encouraged to include the installation of signage, monitor the temperature of surfaces and shade or protect equipment from exposure to sunlight.