Playground Training

Conflicting Activities

The play area should be organized into different sections to prevent injuries caused by conflicting activities and children running between activities. Active, physical activities should be separate from more passive or quiet activities.

Use Zone

The surface under and around a piece of equipment onto which a child falling from or exiting from the equipment would be expected to land. These areas are designated for unrestricted circulation around the equipment.

Age Separation

For playgrounds intended to serve children of all ages, the layout of pathways and the landscaping of the playground should show the distinct areas for the different age groups. The areas should be separated at least by a buffer zone, which could be an area with shrubs and benches.

Slide chute

The inclined sliding surface of a slide

Flexible component

Any part of the playground equipment, excluding swings, that temporarily changes its shape when in use; examples include the tire net, the cargo net, and the log bridge.

Supervisor

Any person tasked with watching children on a playground. Supervisors may be paid professionals (e.g., childcare, elementary school or park and recreation personnel), paid seasonal workers (e.g., college of high school students), volunteers (e.g., PTA members), or unpaid caregivers (e.g., parents) of the children playing in the playground.

Stationary Play Equipment

Any play structure that has a fixed base and does not move.

Projection

Anything that extends outward from a surface of the playground equipment and must be tested to determine whether it is a protrusion or entanglement hazard, or both.

Preschool -Age Children

Children 2 years of age through 5 years of age

School-Age Children

Children 5 years of age through 12 years of age

Toddlers

Children 6 months through 23 months of age.

Upper body equipment

Equipment designed to support a child by the hands only (e.g., horizontal ladder, overhead swinging rings).

stepping forms

one or more individual, elevated freestanding devices used to provide balance experiences which may also be used as an access or egress component

upper body equipment

overhead component designed to support a child by the hands only (for example, horizontal ladders, chinning bars, and ring ladders).

accessible route

pathway specifically designed to provide access for individuals with disabilities, including those using wheelchairs or mobility devices.

preventive maintenance

planned program of inspections and maintenance intended to keep equipment functioning properly and to forestall equipment failures.

transfer point

platform along an accessible route of travel or an accessible platform provided to allow a child in a wheelchair to transfer from the chair onto the equipment.

track rides

play components designed for coasting, with a rolling mechanism enclosed within or surrounding a track.

public use playground equipment

play structure for use in play areas of schools, parks, child-care facilities, institutions, multiple-family dwelling, private resorts and recreation developments, restaurants, and other areas of public use.

functionally linked play structure

play structure that acts as a single unit in its physical form or sense of function as continuous play even if the components are not physically attached.

climbing net structure

playground climbing devices made of flexible components arranged in either a 2-dimensional grid of a 3-dimensional matrix.

accessible playground

playground equipment area, that, when viewed in its entirety, may be approached, and entered and provides a range of play opportunities and experiences to users of varying abilities.

sharp point

point that can puncture or lacerate a user's skin during use.

protrusion

projection which, when tested in accordance with the requirements of this standard, is found to be a hazard having the potential to cause bodily injury to a user who impacts it.

Discussion

protective surfacing shall meet the minimum impact attenuation requirements of Specification F1292.

accessible

relating to a part or portion of the playground equipment that can be contacted by any body part or is approachable or usable, or both, by persons with disabilities.

handrail

rigid linear device, following the path of access or egress, that when grasped, provides balance and support in maintaining a specific body posture.

protective surfacing

material(s) to be used within the use zone of any playground equipment.

step

horizontal flat crosspiece of a ladder or stair used primarily as a foot support.

warning

notice or communication to indicate a potentially hazardous situation that if not avoided could result in death or serious injury.

small part

object that may become detached and presents a choking aspiration, or ingestion hazard to the user.

component

of a play structure, any portion thereof that generates specific activity and cannot stand alone.

maximum user

12 year old child; measurement characteristics are the 95th percentile values for combined sexes.

geotextile (fiber) cloth

A fabric that retrains its relative structure during handling, placement, and long-term service to enhance water movement, retard soil movement, and to add reinforcement and separation between the soil and the surfacing and/or sub-base.

Unitary Surfacing Material

A manufactured material used for protective surfacing in the use zone that may be rubber tiles, mats, or a combination of energy absorbing materials held in place by a binder that may be poured in place at the playground site and cures to form a unitary shock absorbing surface.

Loose-fill surfacing material

A material used for protective surfacing in the use zone that consists of loos particles such as sand, gravel, engineered wood fibers, or shredded rubber.

footing

A means for anchoring playground equipment to the ground.

Tube slide

A slide in which the chute consists of a totally enclosed tube or tunnel.

embankment slide

A slide that follows the contour of the ground and at no point is the bottom of the chute greater than 12 inches above the surrounding ground.

Roller slide

A slide that has a chute consisting of a series or individual rollers over which the user travels.

full bucket seat swing

A swing generally appropriate for children under 4 years of age that provides support on all sides and between the legs of the occupant and cannot be entered or exited without adult assistance.

Key factors when laying out a playground

Accessibility, age separation, conflicting activities, sight lines, signage and/or labeling, and supervision

designated play surface

An elevated surface for standing, walking, crawling, sitting, or climbing, or a flat surface greater than 2 inches wide by 2 inches long having an angle less than 30 degrees from horizontal.

Entrapment

Any condition which impedes withdrawal of a body or body part that has penetrated an opening.

When non-compliant conditions

Have been corrected, the standard of care has been achieved.

Hazard Priority Rating Scale

Hazard 1 is permanent disability, loss of life or body part. Condition should be corrected immediately.

Hazard Priority Rating Scale

Hazard 2 is serious injury resulting in temporary disability. Condition should be corrected when time permits.

Hazard Priority Rating Scale

Hazard 3 is minor (non-disabling injury). Condition should be corrected when time permits.

Hazard Priority Rating Scale

Hazard 4 is potential for injury very minimal. Condition should be corrected if it worsens.

Hazard Priority Rating Scale

Hazard 5 is existing condition is compliant.

Age Group

In areas where access to the playground is unlimited or enforced only by signage, the playground designer should recognize that since child development is fluid, parents and caregivers may select a playground slightly above or slightly below their child's abilities.

infill

Materials used for protective barrier or between decks to prevent a user from passing through the barrier (e.g., vertical bars, lattice, solid panel, and etc.)

Play Areas

Moving equipment, such as swings and merry-go rounds, should be located toward a corner, side, or edge of the play area while ensuring that the appropriate use zones around the equipment are maintained.

crash and shear point

junction at which the user could suffer contusion, laceration, abrasion, amputation, or fracture during use of the playground equipment.

Protective surfacing

Shock absorbing (i.e. impact attenuating) surfacing material in the use zone that conforms to the recommendations in this handbook.

Accessibility

Special consideration should be given to providing accessible surfaces in a play area that meets the ASTM Standard Specification for Determination of Accessibility of Surface Systems Under and Around Playground Equipment, ASTM F1951. Equipment selection and location along with the type of protective surfacing are key components to ensuring the opportunity for children with disabilities to play on the playground.

Enclosed swing seat

Suspended device upon which a user sits which has nonremovable supports on all side and between the legs of a user. The supports are intended to prevent a user from falling out of the device while it is in motion.

Fall height

Vertical distance between a designated play surface and the protective surfacing beneath it.

minimum user

a 2 year old child; measurement characteristics are the 5th percentile values for combined sexes.

head injury criteria (HIC)

a measure of impact severity that considers the duration over which the most critical section of the deceleration pulse persists as well as the peak level of deceleration.

professional judgement

ability of an individual with current knowledge, skill or experience, or both, in the field of playgrounds/playground equipment design, use, or operation, which enables the person to form an opinion or make a decision or both, concerning a matter within that field or expertise.

stability

ability of the playground equipment to withstand anticipated forces which to tip or slide the playground equipment when properly assembled and installed.

trip hazard

abrupt change in elevation that is not clear and obvious to the user.

swing

an element or set suspended from an elevated support structure so as to allow users to move freely in one or more planes and possesses a pivot point greater than 24 in. (610mm) when measured vertically from the top of the suspended element to the pivot point.

designated play surface

any elevated surface for standing, walking, sitting, or climbing, or a flat surface for standing, walking, sitting, or climbing, or a flat surface larger than 2.0 in. (51mm) wide by 2.0 in (51 mm) long having less than 30 angle from horizontal.

completely bounded opening

any opening in a piece of play equipment that I totally enclosed by boundaries on all sides so that the perimeter of the opening is continuous.

partially bounded opening

any opening in a piece of play equipment that is not totally enclosed by boundaries on all sides so that the perimeter of the opening is discontinuous.

rotating equipment

any play structure that moves about a vertical or horizontal axis (for example, a merry-go round, whirl, logroll, or spinner)

rocking/springing equipment

any play structure that rocks from a fixed base

stationary equipment

any play structure which has a fixed base and does not move.

use zone

area beneath and immediately adjacent to a play structure or equipment that is designated for unrestricted circulation around the equipment and on whose surface it is predicted that a user would land when falling from the exiting equipment.

Entanglement

condition in which the user's clothes or something around the user's neck becomes caught or entwined on a component of playground equipment.

projection

condition which, due to its physical nature, must be tested to the requirements of this standard to determine whether it is a protrusion or entanglement hazard, or both.

rung

crosspiece in a ladder or other climbing equipment used for supporting the user's feet or for grasping by the user's hands, or both.

guardrail

device around an elevated surface that prevents inadvertent falls from the elevated surface.

stair

device having a slope of 50 degrees or less from a horizontal plane and consisting of a series of steps that can be used for ascending and descending.

sharp edge

edge that can cut a user's skin

protective barrier

enclosing device around an elevated surface that prevents both inadvertent and deliberate attempts to pass through the device.

platform

flat surface, intended for more than one user to stand, and upon which the user(s) can move freely.

play structure

free standing structure with one or more components and their supporting members.

swing bay

space beneath the overhead beam bounded by one or more supports on which swing assembly or assemblies are attached.

composite play structure

two or more play structures attached or functionally linked, to create one integral unit that provides more than one play activity; an example is a combination climber, slide, and horizontal ladder.

adjacent platforms

two platforms having a common vertical plane with some deviation in their height.

signal work

word that designates a degree or level of hazard