Outdoor Gyms: playing it safe
By Insurance Bureau of Canada
Playgrounds are a great place for children to exercise their imagination and bodies. From swings
and monkey-bars to swirling slides and jungle gyms, there are endless possibilities for adventure.
There are also a growing number of parks that have exercise equipment available for adults.
Push-ups, pull-ups and crunches are easily done on these multifunctional stationary apparatuses.
One example of these apparatuses in our communities is in Point Pleasant Park in HRM, located
by the Lower Parking Lot on Point Pleasant Drive.
But, beyond the joy of play and exercise, there is also a serious side to playground and outdoor
fitness equipment. Severe injury can, and unfortunately often does, occur. In fact, the number one
reason children are admitted to hospital in the Maritimes is because of a fall. For children aged 5
to 9, most of these falls happen on the playground.1
It is important for parents, children, group leaders (such as daycares and recreation clubs) and
proprietors to understand the risks involved with outdoor gyms and protect themselves against
harm.
Legal Liability
Common sources of legal action involving sports and recreation, including outdoor gyms and
playgrounds, include:

Occupiers’ Liability – “Occupiers” are people or organizations that own the premises,
have possession of it or have responsibility and control over it. They must keep the
premises reasonably safe to prevent injury. For example, if a person is injured while
using faulty equipment on the premises, the “occupier” may be held responsible.

Vicarious Liability – An organization can be held liable for the negligent actions of its
employees and/or volunteers. Therefore, if the organization assigns a supervisor to look
after people using sports or recreational equipment, and the supervisor’s negligence
results in someone getting hurt, the organization may be held responsible.
Risk Management – personal and proprietary
Here are some of the many ways to help prevent or decrease the risk of injuries for you, your
children and those using your equipment.
Personal
1. Ensure the design of the outdoor gym facility is appropriate for the age of those who will use
the equipment. Public playgrounds should have labels indicating how old a child should be to
1
Child Safety Link http://childsafetylink.ca/child-safety-5-plus/playground-safety.html
play with the structure or apparatus. Play equipment meant for children under five years old
should be less than five feet tall.
2. Look for warning signs and potential hazards such as broken glass, sharp or damaged
equipment.
3. Talk to older children about safety when using such equipment. Child Safety Link
(www.childsafetylink.ca) is a trusted source for safety and injury prevention tools regarding
children. They have several resources available for parents online including a playground safety
booklet, and information that is relevant to the age and stage of your child. A helpful tool to start
playground safety conversations with your child is the book Simon and Catapult Man’s
Perilous Playground Adventure available at major book retailers, which was produced by Child
Safety Link and Insurance Bureau of Canada.
4. Supervision is key! Close, active supervision is the best way to prevent your child from being
hurt on the playground.2
Proprietary
1. Ensure the equipment (playground or exercise) that you are responsible for meets the safety
standards set by the Canadian Standards Association.
2. Use signs to warn patrons of potential hazards. Signs should use symbols and French and
English text where necessary.
3. Implement a screening and hiring policy to ensure that you employ only qualified people to
maintain equipment.
4. Ensure the equipment is regularly inspected for damage and repaired or replaced as necessary.
There are professionally recognized consultants that you can hire to periodically inspect
equipment. Also, have a place the public can notify you of damage they find to the equipment
such a phone line, email or comment box that is regularly checked.
Tips:
2

Develop an inspection schedule. For example, employees or volunteers may perform
daily inspections and a qualified inspector may perform more formal monthly
inspections. The frequency of inspections and the level of expertise required will vary
across facilities.

Record and catalogue every inspection with dates, photos where required and signatures
of inspectors and supervisors. Catalogue all public notifications of damage and
remediation/repairs made to equipment.

Design a sports and recreation inspection form that reflects the existing equipment.
Child Safety Link http://childsafetylink.ca/child-safety-5-plus/playground-safety.html
5. Implement a training system for volunteers and employees on equipment and site inspections.
Regularly review the Canadian Standards Association’s and the federal, provincial and municipal
requirements for equipments safety and ensure employees and volunteers’ training is up-to-date.
For more information on risk management tools for proprietors, please go to
www.ibc.ca/en/business_insurance/risk_management where you can select various specialty
sectors from a drop down list, including Sports and Recreation. You can also call IBC’s
Consumer Information Centre at 1-800-565-7189 ext 227 between 8:30am and 4:30pm Monday
through Friday.