The Safety of your Playground is Very Important To Us

The safety of your children is our highest concern! Parker, our Safety Superhero, and the team at Play it Safe Playgrounds can provide a detailed analysis of the current condition of your play structure when we begin our service.

Our safety audits, which are a report of the structure in its current condition, follow the guidelines of the National Playground Safety Institute and are conducted by our inspectors, who are Certified Playground Safety Inspectors (CPSI). Parker says “This analysis is necessary at least once per year in order to verify the play structure’s status per national standards.” In addition to the audit itself, we will also prepare a detailed repair report with the suggested repairs so your management team will know exactly the steps that should be taken to ensure your structure remains safe to play. Leave it to Parker who knows – “At Play it Safe Playgrounds and Park Equipment, we go the extra mile because we want to make sure the children are safe to play!”

When shopping for commercial playground equipment, Parker knows to be sure to verify the products you are looking at are true commercial designs. Some manufacturers advertise that their products meet commercial standards by upgrading the size of vertical post, or using larger bolts. However, those items have very little to do with determining if the products meet the safety standards and guidelines for commercial public play equipment. Parker recommends that if you will be using your playground for anything other than single family residence backyard play, then you should not consider anything other than commercial equipment. Home Owners or Condo Associations, Private Schools and Day Cares, Churches and Private Club Facilities, all require commercial products.

Parker Recommends!

Easy-to-remember key indicators that equipment may not be commercial:

• Swing set attached to climber unit. Swing sets must be free standing with their own specific safe fall zone.
• More than 2 swings in a swing bay or mixed swing types in a swing bay (e.g. Belt swing seat and a tot swing seat).
• A tire swing must be free standing and not attached to any other structure unless it is part of a free standing multi-bay swing set. Radial tires are not acceptable and solid plastic tires specifically designed for tire swing use are highly recommended.
• Single wall or half tube slides. These do not offer the required transition zones at the bottom that safely bring the child to a stop before reaching the end of the slide. Very important when children slide head first!
• Hardware on a commercial system should be tamper proof and not easily removable with common household tools. If the system has nuts and bolts like you can find at a local hardware store, it does not meet current safety guidelines.

Playground safety has become a major concern in recent years. With the increasing litigation over injury, guardians of public playground equipment have become aware that there are 3 main elements for success in providing a safe yet fun environment for child development.

• Safe Setting
• Age Appropriateness
• Standard of Care Compliance

Playgrounds must provide activities that are appropriate for the physical, social, emotional and learning level of the children using the playground. And they must comply with the current standard care for public playgrounds. To this end a comprehensive plan must be developed to comply with the existing CPSC playground safety guidelines and the ASTM voluntary industry standards. For, according to Points About Playgrounds, a publication of the National Recreation and Park Association,

"An agency that is unaware of — or simply ignores — the current guidelines could run the risk of being negligent in the event that a child is seriously injured on a piece of playground equipment and legal action is taken."

REFERENCES: PUBLIC PLAYGROUND SAFETY HANDBOOK

Play It Safe Playgrounds and Park Equipment services a multitude of clients that include schools, preschools, churches, apartments, HOA’s and community parks. For more information to find out how we can help you make your playground and surrounding area safe for play…please give us a call at 480-347-8486.