Home playground equipment safety checklist

Home playground equipment safety checklist
The U.S. CPSC(Consumer Product Safety Commission) offers some quick tips for home playground equipment safe (at least as much as possible):
Do not attach ropes, clotheslines or pet leashes to play equipment. Children can strangle on these. Also, be careful of clothing that has "rope" on it like hooded sweatshirts.
Look at your hardware and make sure their are no sharp edges or protruding bolts like open S-Hooks on swings or other attached playground equipment, this can be hazardous and cause lacerations or the like; Check for sharp points or edges.
Check for openings that could trap kids, such as spaces in railings or between ladder steps and rungs. You should measure these openings as less than 3.5 inches or more than 9 inches. You don't want a child's feet to go through and head get stuck.
Check to verify that platforms, ramps, and stairs have guardrails.
Install and maintain a shock-absorbing playground safety surface around the playground equipment. Ask specifically for playground wood fiber when buying "wood chips" or "mulch". Traditional landscaping mulch is not safe for kids becuase of decomposition and contamenants. Also, look into playground rubber mulch as a long term solution.
Remove tripping hazards, such as exposed concrete footings, tree stumps and rocks

These are just the basics on playground equipment safety, but a good start for homeowners!

Based on guidelines from the cpsc.gov and online.

"Dear George: Remember- No Man is a Failure who has Friends"

"Dear George: Remember- No Man is a Failure who has Friends"
It's a wonderful Life

child in the woods playground concept

I was searching for some fun playground sketches and came across not only these sketches but a cool design for a playground with "child in the woods" concept of play. This playground (to me) is like posts for trees and tree top shade with slides and climbers

There is even a video of the playground in concept from all angles.

See the video rendition here.

Cool playground equipment!

Bounce City Playground in Strongsville Ohio

James and me at the grand opening of the bounce city indoor playground strongsville ohio

Importance of the playground

“A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove…but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.” Forest E. Witcraft

Playground Equipment contest from the NFL Play 60

Bacteria - spray park, water park, splash pad bacteria

Bacteria - spray park, water park, splash pad bacteria

We install many spray parks each year and the repeated question is, what about clean water and safety?
In the past few years there has been increase in the number of Recreational Water Illness (RWI) issues(example Cryptosporidiosis) associated with splash pads, water parks, spray parks.
Just look at your water source:
Potable
By using the current municipal water system you are able to use the cleaned and filtered water for the local waste water treatment plant. So instead of installing an expensive local system, use what you already have.
Treated
You can local treat your system, but you MUST check it regularly to make sure it is doing its job. For most cities it is tough to find the people service guys to do this. You probably bought a spray park, splash pad, or water park for having less people on staff then a pool. There are several treatment ways out there so please explore all the options when looking at a system like this.
Surfacing
Concrete is recommended by most manufacturers as it allows proper drainage. If you use a rubber surface then bacteria can build up and the surfacing will no doubt break down. The chlorine and constant water, UV and foot traffic just wears it down. So you have added long term cost of ownership.
Resources
Check out the CDC website on healthy swimming in water parks, splash pads and spray parks
Also, check local codes for rules in your area.
Also, the CPSC has come out with some new guidelines for water parks.
Summary
In the end, you need to focus on clean water, proper drainage and spray park maintenance!
I found this fun picture at - http://www.tenafly.k12.nj.us/~asandt/exploring_bacteria.htm

Playground Installation the right way

I have seen too many poor playground installations out there done by person(s) not knowledgable enough on the CPSC and ASTM standards for playgrounds. The International Playground Contractors Association however is working to provide customers with a certified contractor so that they know the installation will be done right. This helps when state and county inspectors stop by becuase of new legislation(Jarod's Law) in Ohio.
Since the inception in 1997, the International Playground Contractors Association (NPCAI) is a worldwide partnership to contribute to the advancement of the playground building industry by promoting playground installation as a legitimate contracting profession. The NPCAI currently serves over 260 playground professionals as members.
PLayground safety should not be comprimised, so please make sure your installer is certified. You would do it for your car, house, furnace etc. wouldn't you?

Xccent playground climbing wall at NRPA 2008