Merry Go Round Specifications

Public Playground Safety Handbook

CPSC Publication 325

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

5.3.4 Merry-go-rounds

Merry-go-rounds are the most common rotating equipment found on public playgrounds. Children usually sit or stand on the platform while other children or adults push the merry-go-round to make it rotate. In addition, children often get onand off the merry-go-round while it is in motion. Merry-go-rounds may present a physical hazard to preschool-age children who have little or no control over such products once they are in motion. Therefore, children in this age group should always be supervised when using merry-go-rounds. The following recommendations apply when the merry-go-round is at least 20 inches in diameter.

• Merry-go-rounds should not be used on playgrounds intended for toddlers.

• The standing/sitting surface of the platform should have a maximum height of:

– Preschool: 14 inches above the protective surface.

– School-age: 18 inches above the protective surface.

• The rotating platform should be continuous and approximately circular.

• The surface of the platform should not have any openings between the axis and the periphery that permit a rod having a diameter of 5/16 inch to penetrate completely through the surface.

• The difference between the minimum and maximum radii of a non-circular platform should not exceed 2.0 inches(Figure 15).

• The underside of the perimeter of the platform should be no less than 9 inches above the level of the protective surfacing beneath it.

• There should not be any accessible shearing or crushing mechanisms in the undercarriage of the equipment.

• Children should be provided with a secure means of holding on. Where handgrips are provided, they should conform to the general recommendations for hand gripping components in §5.2.2.

• No components of the apparatus, including handgrips, should extend beyond the perimeter of the platform.

• The rotating platform of a merry-go-round should not have any sharp edges.

• A means should be provided to limit the peripheral speed of rotation to a maximum of 13 ft/sec.

• Merry-go-round platforms should not have any up and down (oscillatory) motion.

5.3.4.1 Use zone

• The use zone should extend a minimum of 6 feet beyond the perimeter of the platform.

• The use zone may not overlap other use zones, unless the rotating equipment is less than 20 inches in diameter and the adjacent equipment allows overlap.

5.3.4.2 Fall height

The fall height for a merry-go-round is the distance between the perimeter of the platform where a child could sit or stand and the protective surfacing beneath it.