Selecting a site for a playground-important factors
Travel patterns to and from
Nearby accessible hazards
Sun exposure
Slope and drainage
Playground layout of equipment-key factors
- Accessibility-F1951- equipment selection,location, type of protective surfacing
- Age Separation- buffer zone, 6-23 months, 2-5, 5-12.
- Conflicting activities- crowding/congestion, location of activity based on equipment, use zones.
- Sight lines- visual barriers, location of supervisor
- Signage/labeling- guide for supervisors, age appropriateness
- supervision -type of supervision, and what they look for.
Selecting Equipment- important& not recommended
- Age range of users
- Not recommended- trampolines, swinging gates, giant strides, climbing ropes not secured on both ends, heavy metal swings, multiple occupancy swings, rope swings, swinging dual exercise rings and trapeze bars.
Surfacing - ASTM # and Manufacturers provide?
F1292, Manufacturers provide critical height rating which is an approximation of the fall height below which a life-threatening head injury would NOT be expected.
Equipment not covered by protective surfacing
Equipment that children use when their feet remain in contact to ground surface. ex. sand boxes, activity walls at ground level, play houses.
Two types of surfacing
- Unitary surfacing materials - generally rubber mats and tiles or combination of material poured in place.
- loose fill surfacing - shredded/recycled rubber, Engineered Wood Fiber, sand, pea gravel, wood mulch (non-cca), wood chips.
Durability & finish
- use manufactured equipment with tested durable materials
- use finishes, treatments, and preservatives that do not present a health hazard
Hardware
- should not loosen or be removable without tools
- smooth - not cause laceration, penetration, or present clothing entanglement
- locking means should be provided for all nuts and bolts
- corrosion resistant
- bearings/bushings should be easy to lubricate
- all hooks should be closed and no gap greater than .04 inches (thickness of a dime).
metal
avoid using bare metal surfaces
paints and finishes
- limit preservatives
- prevent rusting or peeling
- prevent corrosion or deterioration
- check for lead paint
Wood
- cedar or redwood
- do not use creosete-treated wood
- do not use pressure treated CCA wood.
- no pesticide finishes
Assembly/installation
- follow all instruction
- after assembly or first use it should be inspected
- manufacturer’s instructions and other material collected and kept in a permanent file
- secure anchoring is key to stable install.
