Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Playground
  • Surfacing
  • Parks
  • Athletics
  • Aquatics
  • Play
Home
  • Playground
  • Surfacing
  • Parks
  • Athletics
  • Aquatics
  • Play
  • Playgrounds Make a Great Place for a Play Day
  • Critical Lightning Detection
  • Rules of the Red Rubber Ball Book Review
  • 3 Overlooked Benefits to Building a Playground in Your Community
  • Play Spaces for All Abilities

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Playground
  3. Safety
  4. The Pied Piper of Playground Safety

The Pied Piper of Playground Safety

Safety
July 01, 2006
Profile picture for user Playground Magazine
By Playground Magazine on
  • facebook-f
  • twitter
  • envelope
  • print
467

Recently, I came under suspicion of being the pied piper of playground safety. Some people question that the rulemaking process has gone too far. Why does the playground industry continue to push playground rules? Some lament that “new rules and new information each year are hard to keep up with, and why should we worry, nobody has ever been hurt on our playground.”  

Playground safety can be separated into two categories: those safety features that are put in place prior to children playing on the equipment, and those that relate to the behavior and how children use the equipment. In the first category, two entities, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the American Society of Testing and Materials International (ASTM), develop safety “rules” that affect the kind of play equipment that is being manufactured today.

The CPSC, for example, is charged with protecting the public against products that are found to be defective and even can be fatal. The ASTM, on the other hand, does the testing on products and then develops minimum technical standards for them. Almost everything manufactured has an ASTM standard.

To further distinguish the difference between the two safety “rule” making entities consider this: the CPSC is a group of employees of the U.S. Government who gather data from a myriad of sources to create safety guidelines and tip the public about products that are known to be unsafe.

The ASTM is comprised of individuals from a wide range of vocations who volunteer their time on committees of particular interest to their profession. The ASTM committee for playground equipment is made up of manufacturers, consultants, educators, installers, engineers, designers and other professionals in the field. Anyone can volunteer to be on an ASTM committee—including those disillusioned with playground rules. Committee members come from different backgrounds with varying personalities and experiences.

So it is easy to believe there are some committee members who think we should strive to eliminate all playground-related incidents. To do so, endless rules and guidelines have to be written to prevent literally any child from being hurt on a playground.

Other committee members think no or very few standards are needed on playgrounds.

Most members of the ASTM playground committee take a more realistic approach to rule-making and strive to create a required minimum standard to help reduce the number of serious and debilitating injuries and eliminate the potential for fatalities.

There are guidelines in all aspects of our lives intended for our safety.  Car safety belts, children’s car seats, airbags and traffic rules all contribute to a safer driving experience. Like-wise, surfacing, safety zones, elimination of protrusions, entanglements, and entrapments, and other current playground safety guidelines all contribute to a safer playground experience.

These minimum safety guidelines have proven very effective in reducing playground-related fatalities and have curbed many potential playground hazards.

We have the CPSC and volunteers of the ASTM playground committee to thank for this. Has the rule-making process has gone too far? I say no. They are a great beginning to protecting the children of America while at a local playground.

The future of playground rules is yet to be determined. We may move into more “regulation,” or it could level out as committees determine our current guidelines to be adequate. Anyone can be personally involved and have his opinion heard by joining ASTM or contacting the CPSC. Your involvement may be part of the voice that determines the future of playground safety guidelines.

Add new comment

About text formats

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
Profile picture for user Playground Magazine
Playground Magazine
Published 16 years ago
Last updated 3 months ago
467
2
min read
A- A+
  • facebook-f
  • twitter
  • envelope
  • print

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter

More About Safety

Oct 01, 2006
Safety

Are We Fear-Based?

Playground Magazine
Nov 01, 2001
Safety

The Lay of the Land

Playground Magazine
Jun 04, 2013
Safety

Why is Risk and Challenge Disappearing from our Children's Play Environment?

Kenneth Kutska
Jul 01, 2006
Safety

Check your SPF, ASAP

Playground Magazine
Sep 01, 2001
Safety

Consider the Characteristics

Playground Magazine
May 01, 2007
Safety

Critical Lightning Detection

Dan and Gini McKain
Feb 15, 2022
Safety

How Parents Can Keep Kids Safe On Public Playgrounds

Mark Palmer
Aug 31, 2015
Safety

Hazard Based Approach to Standards Development: The time is now - Part 2

Kenneth Kutska
Feb 01, 2004
Safety

The A thru Z of Playground Safety

Playground Magazine
Jan 12, 2021
Safety

How To Stay Safe When Playing In The Playground

Daryl Clements
Apr 29, 2021
Safety

How To Improve Playground Safety at School

PGP
Mar 01, 2003
Safety

Why have Playground Safety Week?

Donna Thompson

Safety Professionals

Slyde the Playground Hound
Slyde the Playground Hound
Organization
More
Safety Play, Inc.
Safety Play, Inc.
Services
More
National Program for Playground Safety
National Program for Playground Safety
Organization
More
ASTM International
ASTM International
Organization
More
International Playground Safety Institute
International Playground Safety Institute
Organization
More
ADA.gov
ADA.gov
Organization
More
Playground Safety Services, Inc.
Playground Safety Services, Inc.
Services
More
United States Consumer Product Safety Commission
United States Consumer Product Safety Commission
Organization
More
Home

Follow Us

Play and playground news and information since 2001

  • instagram
  • facebook-f
  • twitter
  • pinterest
  • linkedin

Company

  • Playground Magazine
  • Contributors
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

Copyright © 2001 - 2023 Playground Professionals, LLC

Footer menu

  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Terms and conditions