Public Playground Safety Handbook - eckan.org

1 Public Playground Safety Handbook Consumer Product Safety Commission Saving Lives and Keeping Families Safe TABLE OF CONTENTS. Page No. 1. 1. Scope .. 1. Intended Audience .. 1. What is a Public Playground ?.. 1. Public Playground Safety Voluntary Standards and CPSC Handbook History .. 1. ASTM Playground standards .. 2. Significant Revisions for 2008 .. 2. Equipment guidelines .. 2. Surfacing guidelines .. 2. General guidelines .. 2. Other revisions .. 2. Background .. 2. Playground Injuries .. 3. 3. 2 General Playground 5. Selecting a Site ..5. Shading considerations.

2 5. Playground Layout ..5. Accessibility .. 6. Age separation .. 6. Age group .. 6. Conflicting activities .. 6. Sight lines .. 6. Signage and/or labeling .. 6. Supervision .. 7. Selecting 8. Equipment not recommended .. 8. Surfacing .. 8. Equipment not covered by protective surfacing recommendations .. 8. Selecting a surfacing material .. 9. Equipment Materials .. 10. Durability and finish .. 10. 11. Metals .. 12. Paints and finishes .. 12. Wood .. 12. Assembly and Installation .. 13. 3 Playground 14. Crush and Shearing Points ..14. Entanglement and 14. Strings and ropes.

3 14. Entrapment .. 15. Head entrapment .. 15. Partially bound openings and 16. Sharp Points, Corners, and Edges .. 16. Suspended 16. PUBLICATION #325 NOVEMBER 2010. Handbook for Public Playground Safety Tripping Hazards ..16. Used 4 Maintaining a Playground .. 18. Maintenance Inspections .. 18. Repairs ..18. Maintaining Loose-Fill Surfacing .. 18. Recordkeeping .. 19. 5 Parts of the 20. Platforms, Guardrails and Protective Barriers .. 20. Platforms .. 20. Stepped platforms .. 20. Guardrails and protective 20. Access Methods to Play Equipment .. 22. Ramps, stairways, rung ladders, and step ladders.

4 23. Rungs and other hand gripping components .. 24. Handrails .. 24. Transition from access to platform .. 24. Major Types of Playground Equipment .. 24. Balance beams .. 24. Climbing and upper body equipment .. 24. Log rolls .. 30. Merry-go-rounds ..30. Seesaws ..31. Slides ..32. Spring rockers .. 36. Swings .. 37. Fall height and use zones for composite structure .. 41. Fall height and use zones not specified elsewhere .. 41. APPENDICES. A Appendix A: Suggested General Maintenance Checklist .. 43. B Appendix B: Playground Testing .. 45. Templates, Gauges, and Testing Test Methods.

5 49. Determining whether a projection is a protrusion .. 49. Projections on suspended members of swing assemblies .. 49. Projections on slides .. 49. Entrapment .. 51. Test fixtures ..52. Handbook for Public Playground Safety 1. INTRODUCTION What is a Public Playground ? Public Playground equipment refers to equipment for use In recent years, it is estimated that there were more than by children ages 6 months through 12 years in the play . 200,000 injuries annually on Public playgrounds across ground areas of: the country that required emergency room treatment.

6 By Commercial (non-residential) child care facilities following the recommended guidelines in this Handbook , you and your community can create a safer Playground Institutions environment for all children and contribute to the reduc Multiple family dwellings, such as apartment and condo . tion of Playground -related deaths and injuries. minium buildings Parks, such as city, state, and community maintained Scope parks This Handbook presents Safety information for Public play Restaurants ground equipment in the form of guidelines. Publication of Resorts and recreational developments this Handbook is expected to promote greater Safety aware.

7 Ness among those who purchase, install, and maintain Public Schools Playground equipment. Because many factors may affect Other areas of Public use Playground Safety , the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff believes that guidelines, rather These guidelines are not intended for amusement park than a mandatory rule, are appropriate. These guidelines are equipment, sports or fitness equipment normally intended not being issued as the sole method to minimize injuries for users over the age of 12 years, soft contained play equip . associated with Playground equipment.

8 However, the ment, constant air inflatable play devices for home use, art Commission believes that the recommendations in this and museum sculptures (not otherwise designed, intended Handbook along with the technical information in the and installed as Playground equipment), equipment found ASTM standards for Public playgrounds will contribute to in water play facilities, or home Playground equipment. greater Playground Safety . Equipment components intended solely for children with disabilities and modified to accommodate such users also are Some states and local jurisdictions may require compliance not covered by these guidelines.

9 Child care facilities, espe . with this Handbook and/or ASTM voluntary standards. cially indoor, should refer to ASTM F2373 Standard Additionally, risk managers, insurance companies, or others Consumer Safety Performance Specification for Public Use Play may require compliance at a particular site; check with Equipment for Children 6 Months Through 23 Months, for state/local jurisdictions and insurance companies for specific more guidance on areas unique to their facilities. requirements. Public Playground Safety Voluntary Intended Audience Standards and CPSC Handbook This Handbook is intended for use by childcare personnel, History school officials, parks and recreation personnel, equipment 1981 First CPSC Handbook for Public Playground Safety purchasers and installers, Playground designers, and any was published, a two-volume set.

10 Other members of the general Public ( , parents and school groups) concerned with Public Playground Safety and inter 1991 Standard Specification for Impact Attenuation of ested in evaluating their respective playgrounds. Due to the Surface Systems Under and Around Playground Equipment, wide range of possible users, some information provided may ASTM F1292, was first published. be more appropriate for certain users than others. The 1991 Two-volume set was replaced by a single-volume voluntary standards listed in contain more technical Handbook , which contained recommendations based on a requirements than this Handbook and are primarily intended COMSIS Corporation report to the CPSC (Development for use by equipment manufacturers, architects, designers, of Human Factors Criteria for Playground Equipment Safety ).