Risk assessments for parks

[the happy house]

Do we need to risk assess every piece of play equipment in the park, or can we generalise?
Is it ok to say that all equipment is assessed to be appropriate for use by each child, that they are all in working order with no obvious faults etc, or does each swing, frame, slide etc have to be listed separately?

[rickysmiths]

I do a general one stating that I visually check the equipment before the children use it. I only allow children on age appropiate equipment. I do not list each item. I check for things like dog poo and any other mess.

[the happy house]

Great, thanks!
That's what I've done.... a separate one for each park, but within each park a general RA for equipment (and other things)
Just had a eek! moment wondering if that was enough.

[Penny1959]

I do similar to Rickysmiths - I just have play areas to cover all indoor and outdoor parks and play spaces - not every park I visit. That way if we decide to stop at a different park on a day out we can use it because covered by the general one - if you name the parks you can only go to those named parks and not use the new one until you have written the RA.


Penny

[rickysmiths]

I acually have a general outtings and car one and then one for each of the different parks I go to. If I was going to a new one I might try to visit first and do a RA if not then I do one on the day, it is un likely that the place would be so awful and I guess if it was we would leave!

[catminder]

I have a RA for each play area we visit. On my RA I say that I check all equipment the children will play on for damage on every visit and also I scan the area for animal faeces, broken glass, needles etc. Hope this helps.

[Penny1959]

I acually have a general outtings and car one and then one for each of the different parks I go to. If I was going to a new one I might try to visit first and do a RA if not then I do one on the day, it is un likely that the place would be so awful and I guess if it was we would leave!

Agree Rickysmith - if a place was that bad I would leave too.

Every trip is risk assessed in my head and any risks identified on the day and the action taken are recorded.

The reason I don't pre assess any place is because each visit something will have changed or the children will either be different children or presenting different behaviour or just developed a step further since the last visit.

Therefore I just have my general one which notes all the 'common sense' things any of us would check / do when going to a park

As the ofsted fact sheet on requirements for risk assessments says there is no need to do one for every place - just for that type of place - I am happy with what I do (as was Mrs. P when she inspected)

Not saying that your practice is wrong in anyway - and I would say with regard to risk assessments far exceeds what I do - but just wanted to point out that a RA for every park (or school or shop etc) is not necessary in Ofsted terms and is a personal choice.

Penny