Playground Building Season

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2017 there were over 20,000 occupational injuries related to ice, sleet and snow. Exposure to severe winter weather and cold temperatures can lead to serious injury and even death. That’s why, at LuckyDog Recreation, construction season starts the minute the ground thaws and ends when the ground freezes.

Watch the Edgewater video HERE

Our busiest season is summer and fall. In summer, schools and school districts want the playground built when the students are on summer break, so the deadline of school starting is a real thing that brings with it a lot of stress. Our crews work overtime to make those deadlines, and they take great pride in being able to make each and every principal happy, and by association, all the returning students happy on the first day of school as well.

After school starts, things rarely lighten up because then we have the deadline of beating pending winter weather. Much harder to predict and even more difficult to work around than a school full of eager-faced children, inclement weather in the fall can bring torrential and freezing rain and early snow storms.

Even October can bring inclement weather like the job at Gateway Preparatory Academy in Enoch, Utah, Fall 2021.

Consider this: just driving to and from the jobsite is hazardous on icy winter roads. Traffic accident numbers significantly rise on the roads during winter months. Add a trailer with tools or a mini-ex to the back of your truck and this risk of a traffic accident is even higher.

What about slips, trips and falls, all of which increase when the ground is wet or frozen? Job sites are dangerous by their very nature; add ice and snow on the ground when working around holes, concrete stakes, power tools etc. and it’s a brew for trouble. “It’s surprising to me that we don’t see many more accidents on the jobsite then we actually get,” said CJ Stoddard, Construction Manager here at LuckyDog.

Hypothermia and other factors in cold weather can put stress on the body and can take a serious toll. Being out in the cold for 6-10 straight hours will affect anyone’s body to be able to function normally.

How about frozen ground? It’s nearly impossible to dig in ground that has been frozen. When attempted, it takes a lot of extra effort, time, money, and wear and tear on equipment and human bodies. In addition, for sites that require the ground to be compacted, it’s impossible to get proper compaction of earth materials during winter months.

Pouring concrete in freezing temperatures brings its own challenges and a whole bunch of extra effort, time, and extra money. Not only that, but there is no guarantee that the concrete will set up properly even if the worker follows all the “concrete winter pouring procedures.”

For us at LuckyDog Recreation, our biggest concern is the safety and wellbeing of our installation team. Our team of installation professionals work long, long hours out there starting at the first thaw in the spring until the ground freezes in the fall. A rest for them is well-deserved, and the next spring with its thawed ground will find a refreshed team eager to get back to work.

See you in the spring!

For questions or concerns please contact your Creative Play Designer.