Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
Playground Safety Inspector Lawrence and the safety inspection team
Canberra has more playgrounds than any other state or local council in Australia.
And each day, plenty of work goes into ensuring they are safe and ready for play.
Playground Safety Inspector Lawrence is part of a City Services team working to assess Canberra’s 500+ playgrounds.
Lawrence’s team of six inspects district parks twice a week, community play spaces weekly and smaller neighbourhood parks every fortnight.
Lawrence and his team use three main assessment methods.
Level 1 – visual inspection
In this initial inspection, workers check the area for sharps, vandalism and major equipment faults.
They collect any litter and rake bark into heavy-use areas to keep the playground clean and ready to use.
Level 1 inspections occur bi-weekly to fortnightly, depending on the size and use of the playground.
Lawrence assesses a timber post for repair
Level 2 – detailed inspection
A Level 2 inspection occurs monthly or bi-monthly.
The team tests all playground equipment for wear and tear, operational defects, deterioration and any other faults.
They also test for hazards, including potential for head, torso and finger entrapment.
They check timber posts, look for swing chain entrapment and measure the height of swing sets to ensure a safe distance between the bottom of the seat and the ground.
Depending on the risk associated with the fault or hazard, the playground may need to be fenced off or temporarily closed for repairs.
Finger entrapment testing
Level 3 – independent assessor inspection
Qualified external assessors carry out Level 3 inspections annually.
These assessors are independent from the ACT Government and have an engineering background.
The assessor compares each playground to the Australian Playground Standards.
This ensures equipment is safe and the existing process of ongoing safety inspections is compliant.
External assessor Grant from Playtest conducting surface impact testing
Get involved
The community is the most important playground safety inspector, so if you see a potential safety hazard, please complete a job request via the Fix My Street online tool.
Provide as much detail as possible on the location and issue when completing the request.
Head entrapment testing
Find out more about Canberra’s playgrounds.
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