A playground in Texas is getting too hot – even though the summer heat isn’t in full force. Main Street Garden and its tot lot opened in November and there are already complaints from parents. The play equipment is getting too hot to touch.
A stainless steel climbing wall and bouncing globes have already reached a temperature of 138 degrees on a kitchen thermometer. The bouncing globes were already 131 degrees.
The plastic or rubber playground equipment was not as hot but still above 100 degrees. Equipment at most of the city’s playgrounds is made of plastic, which can get very hot but not to the extreme temperatures of polished steel. So what to do? They are talking of coating it with a rubbery material that will not conduct heat so quickly. Or, they could shade the park.
In the meantime the city is posting signs to warn parents and children of the heat hazard.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website warns parents to be careful of hot playground equipment, particularly metal equipment. It can cause burns in a matter of seconds.
Playground safety is an important issue – which is why we advocate a safe playground surface like rubber mulch. Some playgrounds have literally caught on fire because the wood chips have combusted.
Related articles
- Playground in Ohio Set on Fire (rubbermulch.com)
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Tags: playground, Playground Equipment, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
