Study emphasizes child dangers of tree houses

William Atkins
Monday, 04 May 2009 17:42

Science - Health

These same risks (those of children playing on playgrounds) are also associated with tree houses.

However, similar national safety standards and regulations are not present for tree houses. States and communities sometimes have various regulations but none of them are standardized across the United States.

Dr. McKenzie adds, “Tree house safety deserves special attention because of the potential for serious injury or death due to falls from great heights, as well as the absence of national or regional safety standards. We recommend tree house safety standards are modeled after those developed for playgrounds by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the American Society for Testing and Materials.”

Four specific recommendations from the study include:

1.    Building tree houses low to the ground (no more than ten feet),

2.    Covering the tree-house site with a 72-inch zone with at least nine inches of protective surfacing, such as mulch,

3.    Using solid barrier walls at least 38 inches in height instead of guardrails, and

4.    Requiring adult supervision during tree house playtime of any child younger than six years of age.

Learn more about Tree House Safety at the website (pdf file) of the Center for Injury Research and Policy.

More information about tree house safety is found at eHow.com: How to Install Treehouse Safety Features.

A video about “Doctors Stress Tree House Safety” is found on the MeFeedia.com website.