FACTS

• Children are more vulnerable to heat and cold stress than adults.
• Playground surfaces absorb and retain heat.
• Seasonal transitions increase slip and fall risk.
• Rapid weather changes create unpredictable hazards.
• Early intervention prevents serious injury.

STATS

• The U.S. CDC reports that children experience higher rates of heat-related illness during outdoor activity than adults.
• The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that playground surfaces can reach burn-causing temperatures in hot weather.
• Falls are the leading cause of non-fatal injury among children in the U.S., with outdoor surfaces contributing significantly.
• Canadian injury surveillance shows increased emergency visits for child falls during winter and shoulder seasons.
• In Canada, extreme heat events have led to thousands of excess deaths in recent years, increasing awareness of heat risk in vulnerable populations, reported by the Public Health Agency of Canada.