by Ken Kutska, Executive Director, International Playground Safety Institute, LLC

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Whether you are a National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) newly trained Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) or you have just been hired to manage your school or park and recreation agency’s playgrounds or a recently hired facilities operations employee responsible for playgrounds, this book is for you. Often times, people responsible for these unique facilities have little or no knowledge or experience with playgrounds. Each playground related job task requires specialized knowledge, training, and experience. Regardless of where your playground management program is today, you probably have many more questions than answers. I am often asked the following questions:

• How do I conduct a playground inspection?
• Am I qualified to conduct all of the different types of playground safety related inspections?
• What do I need to look for and focus on during these inspections?
• How often do I need to inspect the playground?
• How long should an inspection take?
• Should I take immediate action when I find something that needs corrective action?
• How much does a comprehensive playground compliance inspection (Audit) cost?
• If I become a CPSI should I expect to get paid more?
• What if I am unable to immediately fix the problem I have observed?
• How do I take playground equipment out of service if I cannot repair the problem immediately?
• How do I know if my playground protective surfacing meets current requirements?
• How do I prioritize my corrective actions based on all the identified non-compliant conditions?
• How do I determine if a non-compliant condition is a top priority for corrective action?
• Do I have additional personal liability as a playground safety inspector?
• What additional training do you suggest related to playground management?

These are important questions. First of which is to assess your resources (staff capabilities, time available, funding, etc.)

Playground Safety Is No Accident 6^th Edition is now available. The first Playground Safety Is No Accident manual is available through a posted article link on a web site blog. This edition reflects the revisions in the ASTM F1487-21 Standard and current 2010 CPSC Handbook. Awareness and understanding the content of these requirements is an important responsibility to all playground designers, managers, inspectors, maintenance technicians and the manufacturer’s sales force. The 6^th Edition addresses the questions above and provides examples and suggestions for developing or improving your public playground management and operations program. Samples of different types of inspections forms required in a comprehensive program are included. The forms are provided on a credit card USB device included with the book purchase. These Adobe Auto Fill-in Forms can be completed, printed, and/or saved to your computer. This USB storage device will also include a PDF version of the book along with a copy of the 2010 CPSC Handbook and the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. The revised comprehensive playground safety assessment form (Audit) includes the citation numbers for quick document reference related to the new ASTM F1487-21 Standards and CPSC Handbook. Another new feature of this edition is the inclusion of an accessibility and barrier free assessment form for your play area. This form is a stand-alone initial assessment (if you have never conducted such an evaluation process) to determine if you are meeting the minimum requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act which became U.S. Federal law in 1990. This form is also part of the “Comprehensive Playground Compliance Inspection and Assessment Form” process previously referred to as the Playground Audit for those who are:

• Conducting their first new playground post installation inspection
• Never performed a comprehensive inspection
• Reassessing how the play area compares to the current playground safety “Standard of Care.”

To order a copy of Playground Safety Is No Accident, 6^th Edition, click on the ORDER NOW button on this sites landing page and get your copy by entering your credit card information. You also can email your agency purchase order to ken@internationalplaygroundsafetyinstitute.com.

This book includes the following forms on a USB credit card style device along with the 2010 CPSC Handbook, the DOJ 2010 Standard for Accessible Design, and the full PDF version of the book itself.

List of Forms PSINA6

PG #           Form

C-6            A Guide to Developing and Conducting a Maintenance Needs Assessment Checklist for an Entire Playground Environment including Play Equipment, Impact Attenuating Surfacing, and Site Amenities as Part of an Operational Inspection or Annual Main Inspection Process

D-8            Guide to Frequency of Inspection Form/Inspection Frequency Summary Form for All Owner’s Sites

E-9            Routine Visual Inspection and Maintenance Form/Routine Visual Inspection and Maintenance Additional Comments

F-4            Itemized List of Playground Equipment

F-7            Operational/Annual Main Playground and Site Plan Inspection—Short Form

F-8            Operational/Annual Main Playground and Site Plan Inspection—Long Form

F-16          Operational and/or Annual Main Matrix Playground Inspection and Site Form

G-9            Barrier Free Accessible Use Playground Compliance Assessment

H-25          Protective Playground Surface Test Report

Comprehensive Playground Compliance Inspection and Assessment Form

I-1              Front Page/Introduction

                  Five Level Safety Concern Priority Rating System

                  A.1:  General Background Information

                  A.2 – A.4: General Conditions

I-9              B.1:  Use Zones: Stationary Equipment

I-9              B.2:  Use Zones: Rotating Equipment – Vertical Axis (Spinner, Whirl, Merry-go-round) for sit, stand, or hang

I-10            B.3:  Use Zones: Rotating Equipment: Horizontal Axis (Log Roll)

I-11            B.4:  Use Zones: Single Axis Swings (To-Fro Swings)

I-11            B.5:  Use Zones: Multi-Axis Swings (Rotating Swings)

I-12            B.6:  Use Zones: Combination Swing Use Zone

I-12            B.7:  Use Zones: Rocking/Springing Equipment

I-13            B.8:  Use Zones: Slides

I-14            B.9:  Use Zones: Trolley/Track Rides

I-14            B.10:  Use Zones: Composite Structures

I-15            B.11:  Use Zones: Placement of Equipment – Playground Equipment Layout

I-16            C.1:  Maintenance, Surfacing, Labeling, Signage: General Playground Maintenance Observations

I-17            C.2:  Maintenance, Surfacing, Labeling, Signage: Protective Surfacing

I-18            C.3:  Maintenance, Surfacing, Labeling, Signage: Labeling

I-18            C.4:  Maintenance, Surfacing, Labeling, Signage: Information Signage/Warnings

I-21            D.1:  Access and Egress Components

I-24            D.2:  Platforms, Landings, and Walkways

I-27            E.1:  Flexible Components and 3-Dimensional Climbing Nets

I-29            E.2:  Rigid Climbers

I-30            E.3:  Upper Body Equipment (Horizontal Ladder)

I-32            E.4:  Upper Body Equipment (Sliding Pole)

I-33            E.5:  Slides

I-35            E.6:  Embankment Slides

I-37            E.7:  Swings (Single-axis, Multi-axis, Combination)

I-40            E.8:  Vertical Axis Rotating Equipment – Merry-Go-Rounds (Whirls)

I-43            E.9:  Horizontal Axis Rotating Equipment (Log Rolls, Barrel Roll)

I-45            E.10: Seesaws – Sit/Stand/Upper Body (Teeter-Totters)

I-47            E.11: Spring Rocking Equipment

I-49            E.12: Trolley Rides – Sitting/Standing/Hanging (Track/Cable Ride)

I-54            E.13: Standing/Balance Equipment (Beams, Ropes and Stepping Forms)

I-56            E.14: Play Panels/Manipulative Play Events: Ground Level or Elevated

I-58            E.15: Roofs and Shade Structures

I-60            F:     Assessment of New Equipment Not Covered by ASTM Standard and/or CPSC Handbook

I-62            G.1:  Barrier Free Accessible Use Playground Assessment: Approach

I-64            G.2:  Barrier Free Accessible Use Playground Assessment: Enter

I-65            G.3:  Barrier Free Accessible Use Playground Assessment: Enter/Use— Elevated Accessible Route (EAR) by Ramp (EARR)

I-66            G.4:  Barrier Free Accessible Use Playground Assessment: Enter/Use— Elevated Accessible Route by Transfer (EART)

I-67            G.5:  Barrier Free Accessible Use Playground Assessment: Use—Ground Level Play Components

I-68            G.6:  Barrier Free Accessible Use Playground Assessment:
                           Number of Accessible Play Component Requirements

I-70            Summary of Non-Compliances and Comments:
                  Summary of Priority 1 Safety-Related Concerns

I-71            Summary of Non-Compliances and Comments:
                  Summary of Priority 2 Safety-Related Concerns

I-72            Summary of Non-Compliances and Comments:
                  Summary of Priority 3 Safety-Related Concerns

I-73            Summary of Non-Compliances and Comments:
                  Summary of Priority 4 Safety-Related Concerns

I-74            Compliance Post-Installation Site Summary of Non-Compliant Conditions

Playground Compliance Inspection and Assessment “Short Form”

J-4             2021 Playground Compliance Inspection and Assessment “Short Form”

J-38           Short Form Summary of Non-Compliances and Comments:
                  Short Form Summary of Priority 1 Safety-Related Concerns

J-39           Short Form Summary of Non-Compliances and Comments:
                  Short Form Summary of Priority 2 Safety-Related Concerns

J-40           Short Form Summary of Non-Compliances and Comments:
                  Short Form Summary of Priority 3 Safety-Related Concerns

J-41           Short Form Summary of Non-Compliances and Comments:
                  Short Form Summary of Priority 4 Safety-Related Concerns

J-42           Playground Compliance Inspection and Assessment “Short Form”
                  Site Summary of Non-Compliant Conditions

L-18         Taking Playground Equipment Out of Service Checklist

M-9          Training Roster

M-16        Understanding Quiz for all Operational, Annual Main, Comprehensive
Post-Installation Compliance Inspectors (Level 2 and 3)

N-7           Playground Site History Checklist

O-4           Incident/Accident Report

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This entry was posted on Saturday, June 12th, 2021 at 12:52 pm and is filed under Accessible Playgrounds, ASTM Standards, Certified Playground Safety Inspector Course, DOJ 2010 Americans With Disabilities Standard for Accessible Design, Hazard versus Risk, National Recreation and Park Association, Playground injuries, Playground Maintenance Technician, Playground Maintenance Training, Playground Protective Surfacing, playground safety, Playground Safety Training, US Consumer Product Safety Commission. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.