Health and safety
The health and safety team from Shetland Islands Council came to inspect the project to make sure that all is in order and that our plans do not infringe upon the stringent requirements by HSE.
The structures will be built on to a grassy surface, so there are no problems about children falling off and hurting themselves. I already knew that the maximum height a structure in a playground can be is 500mm. The only thing we were not sure about, that even the health and safety team did not know, is the distance the structures should be from each other if the children are jumping from one to the next.
In the meantime I conducted my own field test by pulling a couple of kids from class and laying out hula hoops in the rough position of the toadstools. I then asked the children to jump from one to the next, to see how far they could actually reach, and based the layout on these results.
The health and safety team found out the answer and I now know that the maximum distance two such structures can be from each other is 500mm.
