Beyond just playing well with others
To one who hasn’t spent time working in the playground industry, it could be a real eye-opener to find that it isn’t as simple as turning children loose on a playground anymore—the playground rules of today reach far beyond teaching children to play well with others and taking care of scraped knees.
There are voluntary standards for design, installation, and maintenance designed to help ensure that children have a safe play experience when they go out to the playground.
California, for instance, has already mandated that new playgrounds be inspected by a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI), trained by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). Other states may be on the way to this.
Manufacturers, installers, inspectors, and playground buyers share a common goal when it comes to playgrounds—safety for children at play. With that in mind, manufacturers spend a great deal of time designing great play structures that are challenging and fun, as well as safe.
The standards for playground installation and maintenance have been composed by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the American Society for Testing and Materials International (ASTM) and these standards are taught in the CPSI course. ASTM International is one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world and is a credible source for technical standards for materials, products, systems, and services. It plays an important part in the infrastructure for information-guiding design, trade, and manufacturing in the global economy, as it is known for high technical quality and relevancy in a given market.
The ASTM has set forth standards for surfacing, structure installation, and maintenance and these standards are revisited periodically with changes made as needed. Committees for the standards meet and discuss current standards and the ASTM accepts new committee members periodically as well. To become involved with one of these committees, log on to www.astm.org for more information. The CPSI course is updated with this information as it becomes available, keeping the course on the cutting edge of standards.
More ASTM standards that relate to playgrounds
- F1487 Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specification for Playground Equipment for Public Use.
- F2373 Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specification for Public Use Play Equipment for Children 6 Months through 23 Months.
- F1292 Standard Specification for Impact Attenuation of Surface Systems Under and Around Playground Equipment.
- F2075 Standard Specification for Engineered Wood Fiber for Use as a Playground Safety Surface Under and Around Playground Equipment.
- F2223 Standard Guide for ASTM Standards on Playground Surfacing.
- F2479 Standard Guide for Specification, Purchase, Installation, and Maintenance of Poured-In-Place Playground Surfacing.
- F1951 Standard Specification for Determination of Accessibility of Surface Systems Under and Around Playground Equipment.
- F1816 Standard Safety Specification for Drawstrings on Children’s Upper Outerwear.
- F2049 Standard Guide for Fences/Barriers for Public, Commercial, and Multi-Family Residential Use Outdoor Play Areas.
- F1148 Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specification for Home Playground Equipment.
- F1918 Standard Safety Performance Specification for Soft-Contained Play Equipment.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has published the handbook titled Public Playground Safety Handbook, the first edition published in 1981. It is intended for use by childcare professionals, school officials, equipment buyers, parks and recreational personnel, playground designers, and any other members of the general public including parents and school groups. It was written for those concerned with public playground safety and those interested in evaluating their playground.
The guidelines in this handbook were also written to help promote greater safety awareness among those who purchase, install, and maintain public playground equipment. Venues addressed by these guidelines include:
- Commercial (non-residential) child care facilities
- Institutions
- Multiple-family dwellings, such as apartments and condominiums buildings
- Parks, such as city, state, and community-maintained parks
- Restaurants
- Resorts and recreational developments
- Schools
- Other areas of public use
For guidelines for indoor childcare facilities, you can refer to ASTM F2373 — Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specification for Public Use Play Equipment for Children 6 Months Through 23 Months, for more guidance on areas unique to your facility.
To give you an idea of how often changes have been made to the CPSC Public Playground Safety Handbook, here is an account taken from cpsc.gov.
- 1981 – The first CPSC Handbook for Public Playground Safety was published, a two-volume set.
- 1991 – Standard Specification for Impact Attenuation of Surface Systems Under and Around Playground Equipment, ASTM F1292, was first published.
- 1991 – Two-volume set was replaced by a single-volume handbook, which contained recommendations based on a COMSIS Corporation report to the CPSC (Development of Human Factors Criteria for Playground Equipment Safety).
- 1993 – The first version of the voluntary standard for public playground equipment, ASTM F1487 — Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specification for Playground Equipment for Public Use, was published (revisions occur every 3 to 4 years).
- 1994 – Minor revisions to the Handbook.
- 1997 – Handbook was updated based on (1) staff review of ASTM F1487, (2) playground safety roundtable meeting held October 1996, and (3) public comment received to a May 1997 CPSC staff request.
- 2005 – The first version of the voluntary standard for playground equipment intended for children under two years old, ASTM F2373 — Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specification for Public Use Play Equipment for Children 6 Months Through 23 Months, was published.
- 2008 – The handbook was updated based on comments received from members of the ASTM F15 Playground Committees in response to a CPSC staff request for suggested revisions.
Significant revisions for 2008 to ASTM voluntary playground standards and CPSC guidelines include:
Equipment guidelines
- Age ranges expanded to include children as young as 6 months based on ASTM F2373.
- Guidelines for track rides and log rolls added.
- Exit zone requirements for slides harmonized with ASTM F1487.
Surfacing guidelines
- Critical height table revised.
- Suggestions for surfacing over asphalt added.
General guidelines
- Suggestions on sun exposure added.
Other revisions
- Editorial changes to make the Handbook easier to understand and use.
NPSI CPSI courses are taught throughout the country year-round.