Facility Design

Factors which affect playground safety

Age of equipment Deferred or slow maintenance Equipment construction (Wood - no, Metal - yes, Plastic - maybe, No exposed slides facing south) Playground design Poor drainage Poor landscape Type of equipment (Moving & Stationary) Use of equipment Users of equipment

What kind of lockers?

Coin operated Bring your own padlock Free Open (no doors, a cubby) Hooks on the wall

Inorganic loose material (sand & gravel) cons

Combines with other materials Easy to bury things Can be blown or into children's eyes Can be swallowed Conceals excrement (kitty litter like) Adheres to clothing

In defense of a playground safety policy

Commits agency/department to long-term support Establishes your agency's standards Involves and informs the public It establishes your agency's SOPs

Planning considerations (Swimming Pool)

Communities with at least 10,000 people must have a swimming pool (100,000 residents must have an indoor pool) Need analysis (Find out competition, User groups) Programming Funding sources Future needs

Temperature

Competitive swimming at 78 degrees No competition at 83 degrees To eliminate odor and smell keep water and air temperature within 3 degrees of each other

Deck drains (Indoor Pool)

Continuous drain around the deck Drains have to slope away from the pool

Filtration systems (Pool)

DE Filters - miscroscpoic remains of tiny animals, hose off filter when it's dirty, only for indoor pools, keeps pool cleaner Sand & Gravel Filter - all the water from pool goes through the sand and gravel and then back out, most cost efficient Cartridge filtration - high pressure container that look like oil filter on cars, mainly attached to whirlpools and spas, replace the cartridge when needed, expensive Turnover is 8 times an hour

Showers

Determine number required 10% of locker room capacity (35% of facility capacity) Individual or gang showers Drying area (Floor drain slope at least 1% drop in the center) Epoxy wall Push button for 30 second water at 98-99 degrees

Non-slip decks (Indoor Pool)

Don't ever use fabrics or carpet Don't paint Concrete with a broom finish for traction Ceramic tile

Saunas

Dry heat Cedar wood 150-190 degrees Always a window in the door Never a lock on the door Never any door hardware, only a push open

Inorganic loose materials (shredded tires) pros

Easy to install Really good shock absorbency capacity Not abrasive Microbiologic growth cannot occur Don't deteriorate

Lighting (Indoor Pool)

Elite competitive events require 125-150 foot candles High school meets need 100 foot candles Recreational needs 35-50 foot candles Dimmer switches

5 ADA Legislation Titles

Employment Public Entities Public Accommodations Telecommunications Miscellaneous

Risk management (Playground)

Establish a playground safety policy (Insurance person & Manufacturer) Conduct a facility inventory of every playground Administer or contract for a playground safety audit (Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI)) Determine the basis for prioritization of corrective actions Establish a playground capital improvement schedule (Never have a playground older than 20 years & Never have a wood playground) Conduct periodic safety inspections of all playgrounds (Inspections once a month) Develop and observe a playground maintenance program Review the progress and evaluate the procedures

Benefits of a good playground maintenance program

Fewer playground accidents Give you a legal defense against charges of negligence Better cost accounting Effective resource utilization Better public image and public relations

Inorganic loose materials (shredded tires) cons

Flammable May darken clothing or skin Can be eaten

Organic loose materials pros

Has a very low initial cost Easy to install Good drainage Less abrasive than sand Less attractive to animals Fairly attractive appearance Readily available

Unitary synthetic (rubber or foam) cons

Initial cost Flammable Subject to vandalism Susceptible to weather

Unitary synthetic (rubber or foam)

Installation (Can be done over hard surface)

Inorganic loose materials (shredded tires)

Installation (Cannot be installed over hard surface & Needs containment) Good drainage Continuous maintenance

Organic loose materials (woodchips)

Installation (Should not be installed over existing hard surfaces, Requires a method of containment, Requires good drainage) Requires constant attention Cocoa leave (similar to shredded tires)

Inorganic loose material (sand & gravel)

Installation (Shouldn't be installed over hard surface &Need method of containment) Needs to be shoveled

Outdoor pools

Limited season (Memorial Day to Labor Day) Basic needs (Abundance of shade) Deemphasize shallow water, move to splash pads Chemical content Security Pool lighting

Inorganic loose material (sand & gravel) pros

Low initial cost Easy to install Not able to have microbiological growth Not flammable Ready available material Gravel is less attractive than sand to animals

Unitary synthetic (rubber or foam) pros

Low maintenance Consistent shock absorbency Good footing Handicap accessible

What are you going to build lockers out of?

Metal lockers (painted different colors) Recycled plastic (white to brighten the room and keep it clean) Stainless steel Hardwood

Indoor air quality (Indoor Pool)

Most toxic air is 1-3 inches above surface Air to turn over 50 times an hour Ashrae Standards might not be accurate Dehumidification

Users (Playground maintenance)

Not to litter For vandalism reduction Cooperate and support

Playground Surfaces

Organic loose materials (Woodchips) Inorganic loose materials (Sand & Gravel; Shredded Rubber) Unitary Synthetic (Rubber or foam)

Massage areas

Should be near the locker room High privacy environment Everyone is licensed and the licenses are posted

Specialty locker rooms

Staff locker room Official's locker room (Both male and female rooms) Express locker room (Summertime activities, Short-term singular use locker rooms) Family locker room (Make it an ADA/family locker room)

Manufacturer/vendor (Playground maintenance)

They need to provide an inspection to ensure proper installation Need to provide a list of maintenance that needs to be done Provide a list of tools and materials needed to perform maintenance

Chemistry (Pool)

Use of chlorine - disinfectant (1.0 is ideal) Use of soda ash/acid - agitate (7.2 is ideal pH) oZone & UV Lights - help clean pool and eliminate smell Chlorine stabilizer if pool is in sunshine all the time, helps chlorine from dissipating

Owner/operator (Playground maintenance)

We must complete all maintenance tasks Must complete inspections Must keep records

Organic loose materials cons

Weather reduces it cushioning potential With normal use it gets combined with everything else It decomposes Can be blown or thrown into kid's eyes Subject to microscopic growth when wet Conceals animal excrement and trash Can be flammable Subject to theft

Steam rooms

Wet heat High humidity Made out of tile 110-120 degrees No locks or handles on doors One wall of tempered glass

Telecommunications

ensure functionally equivalent services for consumers with disabilities, notably those who are deaf or hard of hearing and those with speech impairments

Potty parody law

equal number of toilets in both men's and women's locker rooms

Public Accommodations

no individual may be discriminated against on the basis of disability with regards to the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, or accommodations of any place of public accommodation by any person who owns, leases (or leases to), or operates a place of public accommodation

Employment

not discriminate against a qualified individual with a disability.

Miscellaneous

prohibition against retaliation or coercio

Public Entities

prohibits disability discrimination by all public entities at the local (i.e. school district, municipal, city, county) and state level

Whirlpools

100-104 degrees All the water has to be dumped once a week More bubbles on top, the worse it is