Most of us like to think that the United States is the most advanced country in the world. And while that may be true in some aspects, we can still learn a lot from other cultures. Japan is known for making things fun and creative and their playgrounds are no exception. Kito Fujio is a Read more about Spark creativity in your students with these playgrounds[…]
Playgrounds can be a blast and horizontal (monkey bars) ladders are a lot of fun too. Unfortunately, a horizontal ladder installed above 84 inches can quickly lead to broken arms and other injuries, especially if those ladders go unsupervised. As any good risk manager would tell you, get out there and measure those monkey bars. Read more about What is the center of the playground grasping device?[…]
Being a CPSI for 12 years now, I get asked a lot how to decide to shut down a playground based on the hazards that I find during an inspection. My answer typically involves a reference to the book “Blink”, but that never seems to satisfy the inquirer. So, I am going to try to Read more about When should you shut down a playground?[…]
Injuries on inflatable bouncers has increased 15 fold from 1995 to 2010 according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics. To read the abstract or get the full article, click http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/130/6/1076.abstract Inflatables have always been a source of injuries, but the number of injuries has risen from 702 a year to more than 11,000. Those Read more about Are inflatables too dangerous?[…]
New ASTM F 1487-11 Standard ASTM Standard F1487-11 is here and if you haven’t yet read it, you should. There are multiple changes in this standard from the previous versions and many will affect your playgrounds. So, you’re probably saying to yourself, but wait just a minute there – we use the CPSC Handbook 325 Read more about ASTM F1487 changes playground requirements[…]
Budgets are tight and money is hard to find. Here’s a little list to help ease the pain. We will keep adding to this list as time goes on, so check back often. Miracle Kaboom Landscape Structures BYO Little Tykes American Academy of Dermatology Walmart Finish Line Hasbro Boundless Playgrounds Peaceful Playground LEGO
CPSI’s we finally did it! We designed our way right over the dark side of the moon. We have made our playgrounds too safe….at least that is what the New York Times is reporting. If one thing that this story highlights it is that you can never make anyone happy. If we want to let Read more about Are Playgrounds Too Safe?[…]
California has adopted playground safety regulations. They are hidden in an unlikely place – Title 22 Social Services. Why California did not place it in Health & Safety Code is beyond comprehension. California Title 22 Section 65745 addresses the issue of supervision by referring it to the CPSC Handbook Publication #325, Subsection 6.4. This particular Read more about Where is playground supervision required?[…]
This seems like common sense, but the reality is that if you leave wood outside, pests are going to munch on it. Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) should not be used in wooden playground structures, but you cannot always get around it. If you do have this substance in your wooden structure, it needs to be Read more about Can we use Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) in Playgrounds[…]