Sample Basic Playground Maintenance Inspection Checklist - Daily and Weekly/Monthly Safety

Sep 30, 2026

Playground owners and operators must set inspection and maintenance schedules to ensure ongoing playspace safety. The document outlines best practices including daily visual checks to detect vandalism, broken glass, and dangerous debris; and weekly/monthly basic equipment inspections to identify defects such as loose anchoring, surfacing issues, cracked plastics, missing end caps, and loose bolts. It also specifies manufacturer-aligned repairs, record keeping for at least two years, and provides a sample checklist organized by surfacing, signage, ground hazards, fencing, and equipment hazards.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

Inspection and Maintenance Schedule

Daily visual inspection

Weekly and monthly equipment inspections

Repairs and record keeping

Sample Basic Maintenance Inspection Checklist

Surfacing

Signage

Ground hazards

Fencing (if applicable)

Equipment: General

Notes and recommendations

Playground owners/operators are responsible for determining appropriate inspection and maintenance schedules for play spaces. The following are considered best practice for ensuring the ongoing safety of playspaces: 􀁸 A visual inspection of the playspace area should be performed by the owner, maintenance inspector, caregiver, or custodian on a daily basis. Daily checks could identify problems such as vandalism, broken glass and other hazardous or dangerous debris. 􀁸 Weekly and monthly basic maintenance inspections of playspace equipment should be completed to identify defects or emerging problems with the equipment. Such inspections could identify problems such as loose anchoring, problems with surfacing, broken equipment such as loose bolts, missing end caps, cracks in the plastic, etc. These inspections may be done by simple observation for facilities that do not have access to a playground inspection kit or to a CPSI Certified playground inspector. A sample basic maintenance inspection checklist is attached (Appendix 1) . 􀁸 Maintenance and repairs to equipment and the replacement of components should be performed in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations. 􀁸 The owner/operator should keep inspection and maintenance reports on file for at least two years. These records can be used when investigating injury incidents and show due diligence. The following is a sample basic playground maintenance inspection checklist that you can use to create your own checklist or use for your own inspections. Sample Basic Playground Maintenance Inspection Checklist Date of Inspection: Person Responsible Location: Type of Surfacing Loose Fill: Pea Gravel Rubber Tile Wood Fibre Rubber Crumb Sand Depth is inches Unitary Material: Rubber Pour in Place Artificial Grass Turf | | YES | NO | N/A | Action Taken | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1. SURFACING | | | | | | 􀁸 Depth of loose-fill material adequate (30 .5 cm/12 inches of non-compact material pea gravel/sand, 12 inches of wood fibre, 20.5 cm/8 inches of rubber crumb) | | | | | | 􀁸 Loose fill material well maintained and free of weed/grass invasion | | | | | | 􀁸 Border to contain loose-fill material in good condition | | | | | | 􀁸 Adequate condition of rubber tiles, pour in place rubber, or artificial turf (no cracks, large gaps between tiles, large pieces breaking off, torn turf) | | | | | | 􀁸 No items obstructing the protective surfacing zone/fall zone around elevated equipment (6 feet obstacle free zone on all sides of equipment) | | | | | | 2. SIGNAGE | | | | | | 􀁸 Recommended age signage in place and visible | | | | | | 􀁸 Playground owner contact information available | | | | | | 3. GROUND HAZARDS | | | | | | 􀁸 NO Animal feces | | | | | | 􀁸 NO Broken glass/litter | | | | | | 􀁸 NO Standing water | | | | | | 􀁸 NO Trip hazards (holes, tree roots, exposed concrete footings, loose items) | | | | | | 4. FENCING (IF APPLICABLE) | | | | | | 􀁸 Fence in good repair | | | | | | 􀁸 Fence free of hazards such as nails, slivers, etc. | | | | | | 5. EQUIPMENT: GENERAL | | | | | | 􀁸 NO Entanglement hazards (gaps around slides/sliding poles) | | | | | | 􀁸 NO Head/neck entrapment hazards (openings great than 3.5 and less than 9 inches) | | | | | | 􀁸 NO Loose components (nuts/bolts/handholds/guardrails/steps/rungs) | | | | | | 􀁸 NO Pinch, crush, or shear points | | | | | | 􀁸 NO Protrusion hazards (bolt ends projecting from equipment) | | | | | | 􀁸 NO Sharp points, corners, edges, or loose welds | | | | | | 􀁸 NO Suspended hazards (cables, wires, ropes) | | | | | | 􀁸 NO Looping hazards (ropes, cables & chains secured at both ends) | | | | | | 􀁸 NO Missing/broken parts | | | | | | 􀁸 NO Metal rust/wood rot | | | | | | 􀁸 NO Worn/frayed cables | | | | | | 􀁸 Equipment is stable/secure and will not overturn | | | | | | 􀁸 Safe fastening device

FAQs

What should be done daily for playground safety?

A visual inspection should be performed daily by the owner/operator, maintenance inspector, caregiver, or custodian to identify issues such as vandalism, broken glass, and hazardous debris.

How often should basic equipment inspections be completed?

Weekly and monthly basic maintenance inspections should be completed to identify defects or emerging problems, including loose anchoring, surfacing issues, and damaged equipment components.

How long should inspection and maintenance reports be kept?

Inspection and maintenance reports should be kept on file for at least two years, supporting due diligence during injury incident investigations.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by Aria Callaghan