Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 06/10/2021

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Handbook for Playground Safety ceive and choose to undertake. Toddlers, preschool- and school -age children differ dramatically, not only in physical size and ability, but also in their intellectual and social skills. Therefore, age -appropriate playground designs should accommodate these differences with regard to the type, scale, and the layout of equipment. Recommendations throughout this handbook address the different needs of tod- dlers, preschool -age, and school -age children; "toddlers" refers to children ages 6 months through 2 years of age, "preschool -age" refers to children 2 through 5 years, and "school -age" refers to children 5 through 12 years. The over- lap between these groups is anticipated in terms of play- ground equipment use and provides for a margin of safety. Playground designers, installers and operators should be aware that the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is a comprehensive civil rights law which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. Titles II and III of the ADA require, among other things, that newly construct- ed and altered State and local government facilities, places of public accommodation, and commercial facilities be readi- ly accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. Recreation facilities, including play areas, are among the types of facilities covered by tides II and III of the ADA. The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Boards — also referred to as the "Access Board" — has devel- oped accessibility guidelines for newly constructed and altered play areas that were published October 2000. The play area guidelines are a supplement to the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG). Once these guidelines are adopted as enforceable standards by the Department of Justice, all newly constructed and altered play areas covered by the ADA will be required to comply. These guidelines also apply to play areas covered by the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA). Copies of the play area accessibility guidelines and further technical assistance can be obtained from the U.S. Access Board, 1331 F Street, NW Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20004-1111; 800-872-2253, 800-993-2822 (TTY), www.access-board.gov. 1.7 Playground Injuries The U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has long recognized the potential hazards that exist with the use of public playground equipment. The most recent CPSC staff study of public playground equipment -related injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms indicated that the majority (79%) resulted from falls from equipment.' These were pri- marily falls to the ground surface below the equipment rather than falls from one part of the equipment to another part. Other hazard patterns involved colliding with station- ary equipment and contact with hazards such as protrusions, crush or shear points, sharp edges, hot surfaces, and play- ground debris. Fatal injuries reported to the Commission involved falls, entanglement of clothing or other items, entanglement in ropes, head entrapment in openings, and impact from equipment tip over or structural failure. The recommendations in this handbook have been devel- oped to address the hazards that resulted in playground - related injuries and deaths. The recommendations include those that address: • The potential for falls from and impact with equipment • The need for impact attenuating protective surfacing under and around equipment • Openings with the potential for head entrapment • The scale of equipment and other design features related to user age and layout of equipment on a playground • Installation and maintenance procedures • General hazards presented by protrusions, sharp edges, and crush or shear points 1.8 Definitions Barrier — An enclosing device around an elevated platform that is intended to prevent both inadvertent and deliberate attempts to pass through the device. Composite Structure — Two or more play components attached or directly adjacent to each other creating one integral unit that provides more than one play activity (e.g., combination climber, slide, and horizontal ladder). Critical Height — The fall height below which a life -threat- ening head injury would not be expected to occur. Designated Play Surface — Any elevated surface for stand- ing, walking, crawling, sitting or climbing, or a flat surface greater than 2 inches wide by 2 inches long having an angle less than 30° from horizontal. ' Tinsworth, D.K. and McDonald, J.E.; Special Study: Injuries and Deaths Associated with Children's Playground Equipment. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: Washington DC, April 2001. 3