There are at least 6 feet of use space on all sides of each piece of equipment. Traffic patterns are designed to prevent children from bumping into each other. All anchoring devices, such as footings and bars at the bottom of climbers, are below the playing surface. Changes in elevation are made obvious by the use of brightly colored visual or other barriers. Age-specific play areas are separated by distance or a physical barrier.
All spaces are too big or too small to entrap a child's finger.
All wooden parts are smooth and without splinters. All corners are rounded, especially at exit ends and sides along a slide bed. Exposed ends of tubing have caps that cannot be removed without tools. Guardrails or protective barriers are used to prevent inadvertent or unintentional falls off elevated platforms. Boundaries such as painted lines or dividers separate play equipment from walking areas.