Entrapment, strangulation, entanglement, protrusion, maximum fall attenuation, critical fall height, pinch, crush and shear points are all items of focus in making sure a playground is safe and properly maintained. I know what you re thinking as your eyes glaze over. Truth is that hospitals treat over 200,000 children for playground injuries annually. One would only hope that the data gathered from the investigation of these accidents is being used to decrease the number of serious playground injuries and deaths. Now, just imagine what happens when the injury is serious or causes death.
Today there are three major organizations looking after and influencing playground safety.
In a nut shell, the ASTM standards are written for the manufacturers of playground equipment while the CPSC guidelines are written for the users of such equipment. It s important to understand and apply the information from both. Only then, do you have a fully compliant playground. Audits, annual inspections and periodic inspections provide the basis for applying the ASTM, CPSC, and ADA standards to playgrounds. So, we re back to the same question.