One of the most important things that you need to consider when purchasing a Swing set is the Swing Set Safety Zone. 
A Swing Set Safety Zone also called the Fall Zone is a safe perimeter around the Swing Set to guide and provide your children with enough room for a safe play environment.
Basic recommendations:
- The areas on either side are clear of any obstruction by 4 feet
- The areas to the front and back are clear of any obstruction by a minimum of 6 feet and will increase depending on the height of the Swing Set (see below)
- Finally the perimeter should be clear of rocks, debris or trees and contain a loose fill such as mulch or sand.
Source = U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (C.P.S.P)
Swing height to determine size of Swing Set Safety Zone:
If the Swing set is 8 foot high, the Swing set Safety zone needs to be double this on the front and back. So in layman’s terms – that will be 16 foot in front and 16 feet to the back – a total of 32 feet front to back.
Similarly if the Swing set is 9 foot high, the Swing Set safety zone needs to be 18 feet either side - a total of 36 feet!
So one of the first and more important things you will need to do before buying a Swing set is to get out your measuring tape to measure the area you have available and select the Swing sets that can fit into these Swing Set safety zones.
The CPSC mentioned above stated that there has been over 40000 cases in one year alone in Children’s injuries associated to Swing Sets so please please make sure both you and your children are aware of all the potential safety hazards and that your Swing set Safety zone is used at all times!
Finally, If you would like to leave a comment to benefit the wider community, please do so by leaving a comment in the comment section below
Hi Ryan, what a great article, it is so true that you definitely have to make 100 % sure about all the obstacles around you and put safety first before you let your children start using the swing set. It is great fun for them but like the story you shared, great fun can quickly turn into a serious situation. Thanks for the info and all the safety tips.
Your welcome Joe and thanks for visiting my site – yes you can never pay enough attention when there are kids involved. Come back again soon!
Regards
Ryan
I had no idea that there were so many injuries from swing sets! Thats honestly awful! I have been to many playgrounds with my daughter. I know a lot of kids these days are jumping from them while swinging, many playground swing areas have put wood or some sort of material-sometimes a plastic around the perimeter of the swing area. What are your thoughts? Do you think these are safe to have there? It may look nice but could cause a serious injury if a child was to fall and hit it -or jump and land on it.
Hi Jessa, many thanks for your question, that barrier needs to be kept a minimum 6 foot away from the Swing set so next time you visit – bring a measuring to double check. AIso – if the height is 9 foot high, there should be an area free of obstruction for safe play of 18 foot to the front and also 18 foot to the back.
Many thanks for visiting my site and come back again soon
Regards
Ryan