Selecting Playground Equipment
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in their publication Public Playground Safety Handbook - CPSC Publication 325 has recommendations and guidelines for selecting playground equipment. In Section 2.3 Selecting Equipment:
When selecting playground equipment, it is important to know the age range of the children who will be using the playground. Children at different ages and stages of development have different needs and abilities. Playgrounds should be designed to stimulate children and encourage them to develop new skills, but should be in scale with their sizes, abilities, and developmental levels. Consideration should also be given to providing play equipment that is accessible to children with disabilities and encourages integration within the playground.
2.3.1 Equipment not recommended
Some playground equipment is not recommended for use on public playgrounds, including:
• Trampolines
• Swinging gates
• Giant strides
• Climbing ropes that are not secured at both ends.
• Heavy metal swings (e.g., animal figures) – These are not recommended because their heavy rigid metal framework presents a risk of impact injury.
•Multiple occupancy swings – With the exception of tires wings, swings that are intended for more than one user are not recommended because their greater mass, as compared to single occupancy swings, presents a risk of impact injury.
• Rope swings – Free-swinging ropes that may fray or other-wise form a loop are not recommended because they present a potential strangulation hazard.
• Swinging dual exercise rings and trapeze bars – These are rings and trapeze bars on long chains that are generally considered to be items of athletic equipment and are not recommended for public playgrounds. NOTE: The recommendation against the use of exercise rings does not apply to overhead hanging rings such as those used in a ring trek or ring ladder.
Source: 2.5 Equipment Materials
Public Playground Safety Handbook - CPSC Publication 325
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
2.5.1 Durability and finish
• Use equipment that is manufactured and constructed only of materials that have a demonstrated record of durability in a playground or similar setting.
• Finishes, treatments, and preservatives should be selected carefully so that they do not present a health hazard to users.
2.5.2 Hardware
When installed and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions:
• All fasteners, connectors, and covering devices should not loosen or be removable without the use of tools.
• All fasteners, connectors, and covering devices that are exposed to the user should be smooth and should not be likely to cause laceration, penetration, or present a clothing entanglement hazard (see also §3.2 (of CPSC Pub. 325) and Appendix B).
• Lock washers, self-locking nuts, or other locking means should be provided for all nuts and bolts to protect them from detachment.
• Hardware in moving joints should also be secured against unintentional or unauthorized loosening.
• All fasteners should be corrosion resistant and be selected to minimize corrosion of the materials they connect. This is particularly important when using wood treated with ACQ/CBA/CA-B2 as the chemicals in the wood preservative corrode certain metals faster than others.
• Bearings or bushings used in moving joints should be easy to lubricate or be self-lubricating.
• All hooks, such as S-hooks and C-hooks, should be closed (see also §5.3.8.1 CPSC Pub 325). A hook is considered closed if there is no gap or space greater than 0.04 inches, about the thickness of a dime.
2.5.3 Metals
• Avoid using bare metal for platforms, slides, or steps. When exposed to direct sunlight they may reach temperatures high enough to cause serious contact burn injuries in a matter of seconds. Use other materials that may reduce the surface temperature, such as but not limited to wood, plastic, or coated metal (see also Slides in §5.3.6 of CPSC Pub 325).
• If bare or painted metal surfaces are used on platforms, steps, and slide beds, they should be oriented so that the surface is not exposed to direct sun year round.
2.5.4 Paints and finishes
• Metals not inherently corrosion resistant should be painted, galvanized, or otherwise treated to prevent rust.
• The manufacturer should ensure that the users cannot ingest, inhale, or absorb potentially hazardous amounts of preservative chemicals or other treatments applied to the equipment as a result of contact with playground equipment.
• All paints and other similar finishes must meet the current CPSC regulation for lead in paint.
• Painted surfaces should be maintained to prevent corrosion and deterioration.
• Paint and other finishes should be maintained to prevent rusting of exposed metals and to minimize children playing with peeling paint and paint flakes.
• Older playgrounds with lead based paints should be identified and a strategy to control lead paint exposure should be developed. Playground managers should consult the October 1996 report, CPSC Staff Recommendations for Identifying and Controlling Lead Paint on Public Playground Equipment, while ensuring that all paints and other similar finishes meet the current CPSC regulation.3
2.5.5 Wood
• Wood should be either naturally rot and insect resistant(e.g., cedar or redwood) or should be treated to avoid such deterioration.
• Creosote-treated wood (e.g., railroad ties, telephone poles, etc) and coatings that contain pesticides should not be used.
2.5.5.1 Pressure-treated wood
A significant amount of older playground wood was pres-sure-treated with chemicals to prevent damage from insects and fungi. Chromated copper arsenate (CCA) was a chemical used for decades in structures (including playgrounds).Since December 31, 2003, CCA-treated wood is no longer processed for use in playground applications. Other rot and insect resistant pressure treatments are available that do not contain arsenic; however, when using any of the new treated wood products, be sure to use hardware that is compatible with the wood treatment chemicals. These chemicals are known to corrode certain materials faster than others.
Existing playgrounds with CCA-treated wood
Various groups have made suggestions concerning the application of surface coatings to CCA-treated wood (e.g., stains and sealants) to reduce a child’s potential exposure to arsenic from the wood surface. Data from CPSC staff and EPA studies suggest that regular (at least once a year) use of an oil or water based, penetrating sealant or stain can reduce arsenic migration from CCA-treated wood. Installers, builders, and consumers who perform woodworking operations, such as sanding, sawing, or sawdust disposal, on pressure-treated wood should read the consumer information sheet available at the point of sale. This sheet contains important health precautions and disposal information.
When selecting wood products and finishes for public play-grounds, CPSC staff recommends:
• Avoid “film-forming” or non-penetrating stains (latex semi-transparent, latex opaque and oil-based opaque stains) on outdoor surfaces because peeling and flaking may occur later, which will ultimately have an impact on durability as well as exposure to the preservatives in the wood.
• Creosote, pentachlorophenol, and tributyl tin oxide are too toxic or irritating and should not be used as preservatives for playground equipment wood.
• Pesticide-containing finishes should not be used.
• CCA-treated wood should not be used as playground mulch.