Washington Schools Risk Management Playground Policies Make Good "Cents"

check these links for more information:

 http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/playpubs.html

Tips for playground safety CPSC http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/Playfct.pdf

CPSC Playground Safety Handbook http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/325.pdf

http://www.peninsula.wednet.edu/support/RMPplayground.doc

The best standards are in the Consumer Product Safety Commission Safety Guide for Public Playgrounds. I’ll e-mail you the webpage so that it can be viewed online. I’ll also e-mail you our loss control bulletin about selecting playground equipment. The attached is our Reference Manual article on playground equipment.  Tom Chan

In an effort to reduce playground injuries and the resultant liabilities to member districts, the Risk Management Pool recommends that member districts' playgrounds should meet U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) playground guidelines.

Although the CPSC guidelines are not a mandatory standard required by Washington State law they are the nationally recognized standard of care. It is important for member districts to be in compliance with these guidelines not only to reduce student injuries but also to be in the best defensible position when a student injury does happen.

Develop and implement a playground equipment policy and procedure that establishes the protocol through which playground equipment is chosen for a particular school site. All new equipment must meet CPSC guidelines.

Central oversight of playgrounds is crucial to reducing injuries on playgrounds, and reducing costs. Many school districts have wasted a lot of money on purchase and installation of expensive, new playground equipment only to discover that it was unsafe. Prior planning can eliminate these nightmares from occurring.

Have the Facilities or Maintenance Director approve all proposed new playground sites, playground equipment purchases and installation, and any repairs or modifications to existing equipment. Written approval from the manufacturer must be obtained prior to modifying any structure so as not to nullify its product liability insurance.

In order to ensure the equipment meets standards:

• Require all vendors to certify that the playground equipment meets CPSC guidelines and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards.
• Ensure all vendors are members of the International Playground Equipment Manufacturer's Association (IPEMA).
• Do NOT allow homemade playground equipment.

Many school districts choose three or four vendors that they know meet these requirements, and only purchase equipment through these vendors. This saves time and money on purchasing of replacement parts as well.

Once you have established which vendors meet the requirements, review the playground equipment catalog. Call a Pool Loss Control Consultant for a review of the equipment. We see reports of many playground injuries, and therefore know of some pieces of equipment that meet CPSC guidelines but have higher injury frequency rates than others.

Determine which pieces of equipment your district will approve for installation on your playgrounds. Then figure out how much surfacing is required under the equipment, and how much it will cost including the containment barrier. Generally, surfacing must extend 6 feet around the equipment and must be between 9 to 12 inches in depth, depending on the type of surfacing and the height of the equipment. (See the CPSC Handbook for Public Playground Safety for surfacing depth requirements.) Add this cost to the price of the equipment. Do not install the equipment without appropriate surfacing!

Playground equipment is much more sophisticated these days than it was twenty years ago. Due to numerous reports of serious playground injuries, the CPSC and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) conducted research to identify and reduce the causes of these injuries. As a result they published the CPSC Handbook for Public Playground Safety as a guide for parks and school districts. The CPSC Handbook establishes recognized standards of care to be used by manufacturers and installers of public playground equipment.

The Pool recommends that the vendor install new playground equipment and certify in writing that it was installed according to the manufacturer's specifications. Then, if an injury occurs due to the negligent installation or failure of the equipment, the manufacturer's or installer's product liability insurance may provide coverage. Include the charge for installation in the total cost of the equipment.

Once the school district has established playground equipment policy and procedure, the process of purchasing playground equipment will go more smoothly. Principals will be able to direct the Parent/Teacher Association or other group wishing to raise funds and purchase playground equipment to the appropriate persons for assistance. The fundraisers will know whom to contact for a list of approved equipment they can choose from, and will have the total outlay for the equipment including installation charges and surfacing costs right at their fingertips. The Facilities Director will have a system that allows budgeting and planning for playground improvements.

The District will have safer playgrounds and fewer student injuries.

For more information regarding Playground Safety or to request a copy of the CPSC Handbook for Public Playground Safety call Loss Control Services at the Pool.