Why playground shade structures are a must for our children’s safety

July 5th, 2016 · Published to Playgrounds by Steve Lewis

Kids love to play outdoors. Indeed, playgrounds are where kids are most active, interact with others and make new friends. However, it is essential that playgrounds in Australia are made safe for children to play in. Australia receives the highest amount of UV radiation as compared to other parts of the world and kids must always be kept protected from the harmful sun’s rays.

Recently, I came across an article which highlighted the importance of this issue. Councillors in Ballina proposed a bid to provide shade structures to all playgrounds in the area. Currently, 47 playgrounds in the area are equipped with shade structures, while 12 playgrounds do without them. With this bid being likely to be passed, it will be mandatory for any new playground in Ballina to have a shade structure.

As a professional shade solution supplier, this news is certainly exciting to me. Over the many years of my career, I have stressed upon the importance of the use of shade structures, especially in playgrounds. In this article, I will put forth some more points to support this fact. Hopefully, after reading this article, you will agree that it should be mandatory for all playgrounds in Australia to have shade structures in place.

Shade and UV radiation

I’ve had a large number of people ask me if any type of shade is effective in blocking out the sun’s UV radiation. Well, the answer to this is not all that straightforward. First of all, it must be understood that human senses are able to easily detect heat (infrared radiation) and light but fail to detect
UV radiation. The sun’s UV radiation reaches the earth even on cool and cloudy days. UV radiation is also scattered and reflected from various surfaces such as sand, water, snow and even concrete and buildings. Thus, we need to deal with two kinds of UV radiation – direct UV radiation and indirect UV radiation. While shade structures can provide great protection from direct UV radiation, unless a structure is properly designed, it fails to offer proper protection from indirect UV radiation. When considering shade structures for children’s play areas, always remember to buy them from reputed names such as Global Shade. Playground shade structures, such as ours, are specifically designed to offer complete protection both from direct and indirect UV radiation.

Benefits of playground shade structures

Playground shade structures must always be considered so as to provide a safe environment for kids every time they head outdoors to play. The benefits of such shade structures go far beyond simply keeping the sun’s rays off your kids when they are playing. Shade structures prevent areas in a playground from getting heated up, even when your kids aren’t out playing. This means that sand, metal structures and any other items commonly found in a playground can be kept from overheating. Thus, when kids head out to play, shade structures provide them with a cool play area as also protect them from the sun. Furthermore, shade solutions such as ours, offer comfortable outdoor spaces that can be used in all seasons. Quality playground shade structures are also practical, sustainable, safe, environment friendly and attractive to look at.

Here, at Global Shade, we specialise in offering playground shade structures. The fine quality fabrics and materials in our shade structures offer up to 99% UV protection. Moreover, our playground shade structures are available in a variety of designs and colour options. Not only do our playground shade structures offer comfort and protection from the sun, but they are also attractive to look at. Use Global Shade playground shade structures to offer the ultimate protection to your kids when they go out to play.

Conclusion:

As a concerned Australian parent, you must always ensure that your kids are well protected from the sun’s UV rays when they head outdoors to play. If you have a background play area or you own a playground, make sure to equip it with a high quality playground shade structure. Not only do shade structures provide protection against direct and indirect UV radiation, but they also keep play areas cool and comfortable. These structures always offer a safe play environment for your kids to play in, no matter at what time of the day they head out.

To purchase the best playground shade structures in Australia, give us a call at Global Shade. Our products are affordable, attractive and can block UV radiation up to 99%. Remember – we ship our products all over Australia. So wherever you are, get in touch with us today!