Fall Prevention

Falls are the leading cause of emergency department visits (23%) and hospital admissions (19%) among children and youth in Alberta.¹

Falls can happen in a number of ways, including falling down stairs, tripping over objects, slipping on ice, or falling from high places. For children aged 5-9 years old, the top causes of serious injuries from falls include playground equipment, skates, skis and snowboards and general falls; for 10-14 year olds, the top causes of serious injuries from falls are skates, skis, and snowboards (See the Sports Safety Module for more information), general falls and playground equipment.²

In Alberta, there are an average of 3,185 emergency department visits among children each year as a result of playground injuries. Children who are between the ages of 5 and 9 years old are the age group with the highest number of playground related-injuries that result in the need to visit an emergency department. The most common types of injury that occur on playgrounds are fractures (both upper and lower extremity), concussions, and cuts and lacerations.¹ For more information on concussion, please see the Concussion & Head Injuries Module.

There are things you can do to help keep your child free from major injury, so that they can have fun and be safe at home, school, and on the playground. Here are important things for parents, caregivers, and teachers to remember to prevent children from suffering a severe injury due to a fall:

1. Stairs and escalators are not a safe place to play. Teach children to always hold the handrail, and make sure they are not wearing any loose objects that they could trip over (e.g., untied shoelaces, poorly fitted clothing).
2. Window screens are not strong enough to prevent a child from falling. Use window guards, especially for windows above ground level. In addition, let children know it's not safe to play on balconies or fire escapes.
3. Children should be reminded to look carefully where they step. This applies to both in the home and outside. Children must always be aware of their surroundings and look for any objects that might be in their path. If they are inside their home, always keep their toys and other objects stored away when not in use.
   a. When outside, look around to make sure their path is clear, and that in winter, children must always look carefully where they step and wear proper footwear for the conditions.
4. Furniture is not a toy. Children should not climb or play on furniture. It could topple over, or they could fall and get hurt.
   a. Ensure furniture such as bookshelves are anchored to the wall.
   b. Be alert for furniture recalls and replace products as needed.
5. Children should not wear loose clothing or floppy slippers that could make them trip.

Key strategies to prevent playground injuries to children include the following:

1. Inspect playground equipment before children play to make sure that it is safe. Teach children that it is important to tell an adult if something on the playground is broken, because it could pose a hazard. Hazards are things that could be unsafe or dangerous; for example, things that are broken or sharp that could lead to an injury.
2. Teach children that it is important not to wear a helmet while playing on the playground. Helmets are meant for the activity for which they are designed. Wearing helmets on the playground is a safety risk because chin straps may pose a strangulation issue and the helmet could create an entrapment hazard.
3. Only allow children to play outdoors in safe weather conditions. If temperatures are extreme or if there is a risk of thunderstorms, children should not be allowed to play outdoors.
4. Ensure outdoor playgrounds have deep, soft surfaces below equipment to absorb the impact of a fall. Sand, pea gravel, or wood chips are good impact absorbing materials, and should be 15 to 30 cm deep.³
5. Teach children it is important to follow the rules on a playground. These include, but are not limited to: wait their turn; make room for others; no pushing on equipment; slide down the slide feet first; do not run up or down slides; always hold handrails; never jump from unsafe heights; do not stand at the bottom of slides or in front of swings; keep fingers away from moving parts.^4,5
6. Whenever children are engaging in physical activity, make sure that they are properly hydrated.