Playground Safety

Books & Articles

Playground-related Injuries

• Occurrence and Consequences of Playground-Related Injuries
• National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), playground injuries
• Playground Safety Is No Accident – 5th Edition, By Kenneth S Kutska, Executive Director of the International Playground Safety Institute, LLC, November 19, 2011

 

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Playground Safety Handbooks

• Public Playground Safety Handbook – U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (free PDF from cpsc.gov)
• Outdoor Home Playground Safety Handbook – U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (free PDF from cpsc.gov)

 

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Playground Equipment Safety Standards
The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has established the following playground equipment safety standards to make playgrounds safe for children. These standards address safety specifications for public and home playground equipment. (The following resources are for purchase from ASTM International)

• ASTM F1487-17 Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specification for Playground Equipment for Public Use
• ASTM F1148-17 Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specification for Home Playground Equipment
• ASTM F1918-12 Standard Safety Performance Specification for Soft Contained Play Equipment
• ASTM F2373-11 Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specification for Public Use Play Equipment for Children 6 Months through 23 Months
• ASTM F2223-15 Standard Guide for ASTM Standards on Playground Surfacing
• ASTM F1292-13 Standard Specification for Impact Attenuation of Surfacing Materials Within the Use Zone of Playground Equipment
• ASTM F2479-12 Standard Guide for Specification, Purchase, Installation, and Maintenance of Poured-In-Place Playground Surfacing
• ASTM F2075-15 Standard Specification for Engineered Wood Fiber for Use as a Playground Safety Surface Under and Around Playground Equipment
• ASTM F3012-14 Standard Specification for Loose-Fill Rubber for Use as a Playground Safety Surface Under and Around Playground Equipment
• ASTM F1951-14 Standard Specification for Determination of Accessibility of Surface Systems Under and Around Playground Equipment
• ASTM F2049-11 Standard Safety Performance Specification for Fences/Barriers for Public, Commercial, and Multi-Family Residential Use Outdoor Play Areas

 

International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA) Playground Equipment Safety Certification of Conformance
The International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA) provides 3rd party product certification services for U.S. and Canadian public play equipment and U.S. public play surfacing materials. The services provide for the validation of a participant’s certification of conformance to ASTM F1487-17, ASTM F1292-13, ASTM F2075-15, ASTM F3012-14 and CAN/CSA-Z614-14 (Canadian playground safety standard for children’s play spaces and equipment). https://ipema.org/

Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) Certification Program
The National Recreation and Park Association offers a certification program in playground safety, the Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) Certification program. The CPSI certification program provides comprehensive and up-to-date training on playground safety issues including hazard identification, equipment specifications, surfacing requirements, and risk management methods.

U.S. CPSI Registry
This registry allows you to access certification information on CPSIs with a current certification. All currently certified individuals in the U.S. are listed here.