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

Home

Handbook for Playground Safety Embankment Slide — A slide that follows the contour of the ground and at no point is the bottom of the chute greater than 12 inches above the surrounding ground. Entanglement — A condition in which the user's clothes or something around the user's neck becomes caught or entwined on a component of playground equipment. Entrapment — Any condition that impedes withdrawal of a body or body part that has penetrated an opening. Fall Height — The vertical distance between the highest designated play surface on a piece of equipment and the pro- tective surfacing beneath it. Footing — A means for anchoring playground equipment to the ground. Full Bucket Seat Swing — A swing generally appropriate for children under 4 years of age that provides support on all sides and between the legs of the occupant and cannot be entered or exited without adult assistance. Geotextile (filter) Cloth — A fabric that retains its relative structure during handling, placement, and long-term service to enhance water movement, retard soil movement, and to add reinforcement and separation between the soil and the surfacing and/or sub -base. Guardrail — An enclosing device around an elevated plat- form that is intended to prevent inadvertent falls from the elevated surface. Infill — Material(s) used in a protective barrier or between decks to prevent a user from passing through the barrier (e.g., vertical bars, lattice, solid panel, etc.). Loose -Fill Surfacing Material — A material used for protec- tive surfacing in the use zone that consists of loose particles such as sand, gravel, engineered wood fibers, or shredded rubber. Preschool -Age Children — Children 2 years of age through 5 years of age. Projection — Hardware that extends outward from a surface of the playground equipment and must be tested to deter- mine whether it is a protrusion or entanglement hazard, or both. Protective Barrier — See Barrier. Protective Surfacing — Shock absorbing (i.e., impact atten- uating) surfacing material in the use zone that conforms to the recommendations in §2.4 of this handbook. Protrusion — A projection which, when tested, is found to be a hazard having the potential to cause bodily injury to a user who impacts it, or whose clothing becomes entangled on it. Roller Slide — A slide that has a chute consisting of a series of individual rollers over which the user travels. School -Age Children — Children 5 years of age through 12 years of age. Slide Chute — The inclined sliding surface of a slide. Stationary Play Equipment — Any play structure that has a fixed base and does not move. Supervisor — Any person tasked with watching children on a playground. Supervisors may be paid professionals (e.g., childcare, elementary school or park and recreation person- nel), paid seasonal workers (e.g., college or high school stu- dents), volunteers (e.g., PTA members), or unpaid caregivers (e.g., parents) of the children playing in the playground. Toddlers — Children 6 months through 2 years of age. Tube Slide — A slide in which the chute consists of a totally enclosed tube or tunnel. Unitary Surfacing Material — A manufactured material used for protective surfacing in the use zone that may be rubber tiles, mats, or a combination of energy absorbing materials held in place by a binder that may be poured in place at the playground site and cures to form a unitary shock absorbing surface. Upper Body Equipment — Equipment designed to support a child by the hands only (e.g., horizontal ladder, overhead swinging rings). Use Zone — The surface under and around a piece of equipment onto which a child falling from or exiting from the equipment would be expected to Land. These areas are also designated for unrestricted circulation around the equipment. 4