With school finished for the year and warmer weather at the Jersey shore, it’s time to take trips to the park or community recreation area for outside fun.

Many children will head to a neighborhood playground and immediately start climbing and swinging on equipment.

The playground seems harmless, but take a closer look at the surroundings.

Parents and guardians need to familiarize themselves with the risks on playgrounds and how to prevent injuries.

Nearly 80% of playground injuries are caused by falls.

Each year, more than 200,000 children aged 14 and younger are injured severely on playgrounds and need to go to a hospital emergency room, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Some playgrounds dangers to watch out for:

· Improper ground surfaces: The area around playground equipment should have at least 12 inches of wood chips, mulch, sand, or mats made of safety-tested rubber or similar material. Playgrounds must be free of exposed concrete footings, rocks, or tree stumps.

· Overcrowded play areas: The area under and around play equipment should be a minimum of 6 feet in all directions. Swing set areas should be twice the height of the suspending bar in the back and front of the swings.

· Unprotected elevated areas: Platforms higher than 30 inches should have guardrails or barriers.

· Head entrapment spaces: Opening between rails, bars, rungs, and even ropes of cargo nets should be less than 3.5 inches or more than 9 inches.

· Sharp points and edges: Playground equipment should be free of protruding bolt ends, “S” hooks, and other sharp points and edges.”

Dressing a child correctly for the playground is important to prevent injury.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children should not wear or play in anything that could get caught on playground equipment or become a strangulation hazard.

Some tips for child safety:

· Don’t allow children to attach ropes, jump ropes, clotheslines, or pet leashes to play equipment.

· Leave sweatshirts with drawstrings and necklaces at home

· Remove bike helmets when playing on a playground.

Watch out for sliding boards and heat.

Metal sliding boards can get very hot from the sun, and seriously burn a child’s hands and legs. Plastic slides get hot too. Check for playgrounds where slides are shaded.

Swinging is shown to calm kids, but it’s important to check that the swings are not too close.

There should be at least 2 feet between swings and no more than 2 seat swings in the same section of the structure.

Steer clear of hard surfaces like concrete and asphalt.

Municipalities are responsible for the upkeep of public playgrounds.

Schools and daycare centers are responsible for making sure all equipment children use is safe to use.

Cooper Levenson is a full-service law firm established in 1957. The firm includes 70 attorneys with offices in Atlantic City and Cherry Hill, N.J.; New York, N.Y.; Wilmington, Del.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla, and Las Vegas, Nev. Randolph Lafferty, and Kathleen Beers are personal injury attorneys and can be reached at (609) 572-7788.