FOI Request - Playground Equipment Condition
Request 101003980253
Please provide the following information for the period 1 January 2020 to present:
1. Inspections and maintenance
a) The total number of playground inspections carried out per year.
b) Copies of any inspection guidance, checklists, or policies used, particularly those referencing:
o corrosion
o rust
o metal degradation
2. Recorded defects
a) The number of recorded maintenance issues or defects relating to playground equipment, broken down by year.
b) Where available, the number of defects specifically categorised as:
o corrosion
o rust
o structural degradation of metal components
(If defects are not categorised in this way, please provide any relevant keyword-searchable records or closest equivalent classification.)
3. Complaints from the public
a) The number of complaints received relating to playground equipment described as:
o rusty
o corroded
o damaged or unsafe
4. Incidents and injuries
a) The number of reported incidents or accidents in council-managed playgrounds, per year.
b) If recorded, the number of incidents where equipment condition (e.g. damage, corrosion, or wear) was noted as a contributing factor.
5. Maintenance response
a) Any policies or service standards relating to:
o repair timeframes for damaged or corroded equipment
o criteria for removing unsafe equipment from use
Response 11-05-2026
1. 12 planned inspections per year for each play area.(Inspections are carried out on 121 play areas, i.e. monthly. Ad-hoc inspections are also carried out as required but data is not held on number of ad-hoc inspections.
b) See attached play inspection Risk Assessment and Method Statement.
2. No information is recorded as defects have not been recorded in this way. Information that is not held falls under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held.
3. From a check of received complaints from January 2020 to present we have found 11 relating to playparks; only 2 specifically mention the equipment (others cover issues such as broken glass, lack of bark, long grass, cracked paving).
Please note that the 2 that mention equipment, however, do not cover rusting, corrosion or metal degradation.
4.a) There was a total of 5. To break down the figures further would result in numbers between 1 and 5. Due to the low numbers involved, release of this information could result in the identification of individuals. This information is therefore exempt under Section 38(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Personal Information.
b) The total across all years is less than 5, as such this is exempt under low numbers - exempt under Section 38(1)(b) FOISA.
5.a) Repair timeframes for damaged or corroded equipment:
If a notification of damage has been submitted via a customer enquiry we aim to reply to an enquiry within 10 working days but we would prioritise investigating any report of play area equipment damage or safety issue (usually within same or next working day). If the item is not beyond economical repair then it will be repaired as soon as is reasonably practicable, taking into account available budget / availability of parts / prioritised workplan.
If an item of equipment has been identified as damaged / broken / degraded sufficiently following inspection then it will be made safe immediately and repair completed as outlined.
b) Criteria for removing unsafe equipment from use:
Where equipment has been broken / damaged / degraded and is unable to be repaired to BSEN1176/1177 standards, upon arrival at site or shortly thereafter using parts held in stock it will be made safe and an assessment completed to cost repairs. Items will be permanently disabled and removed from service once they have become beyond economical repair.