IPEMA: committed to safety.

Children's safety at play is a concern we all share. Because we are in the fun and exercise business, tragedy and liability are the nightmares we all want to prevent. But ensuring safety, as anyone who has purchased playground equipment can tell you, takes more than good intentions. Park and recreation directors and supervisors try, within their budgets, to buy the best. They look for assurance that the equipment they're purchasing will be safe -- as well as fun and challenging -- for kids. But what exactly constitutes safety? And, just as importantly, according to whom?

Fortunately, an independent safety certification service for playground equipment does exist -- and recognition of this service's value and credibility is growing faster than a 9-year-old can scramble up a ladder.

The International Playground Equipment Manufacturers Association is a nonprofit international trade association of 49 manufacturers of play equipment and surfacing products. Its testing service, unique to the industry, uses Detroit Testing Laboratory Inc. to validate a manufacturer's certification of conformance to standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials. The IPEMA certification seal announces to consumers, parents, and professionals that a manufacturer has received written validation from the independent laboratory that his or her product conforms to safety requirements.

Product safety certifications can be verified by visiting the IPEMA Web site at www.ipema.org. This site provides two options for checking IPEMA certifications: by selecting the equipment manufacturer and entering a model number for a specific piece of equipment, or by browsing by manufacturer and product line.

IPEMA was created in 1995 by 14 playground equipment manufacturers who recognized that customers wishing to buy ASTM-compliant playground equipment were sometimes overwhelmed and confused by contradictory claims of compliance and different interpretations of the ASTM standard. Their goal was to sponsor a certification program that would help create a level playing field for playground equipment safety testing.

But IPEMA offers much more than the certification program. IPEMA has served as a gathering point for a wealth of evolving industry knowledge -- in fact, some of its members contributed to the development of the original ASTM standard. Membership in IPEMA -- which has nearly doubled in size over the past year -- provides a convenient way to stay abreast of safety-requirement issues and industry news.

It's important to know that the safety certification program certifies individual products only, not companies. Membership in IPEMA does not mean that a manufacturer's product has been safety-certified. In fact, manufacturers do not have to join IPEMA to participate in the certification program.

The equipment certification testing program was designed to provide credible assurance that the certified products are compliant to the safety standard ASTM F1487. This is accomplished in two ways:

1) The program meets the requirements of the American National Standards Institute Z 34.1-1993, Third Party Certification for Products, Processes and Services.

2) The program's operation is overseen by an Equipment Certification Committee comprised of IPEMA members and participants in the product certification program, along with representation from the Detroit Testing Lab. The certification committee has two primary functions: running the program, including assisting the validator in procedural matters and ruling on appeals, and answering participant questions and monitoring consistent application of the standard for the program. The committee works closely with ASTM to clarify and improve the standard.

IPEMA considers consistency, credibility, and commitment to be necessary components of a successful certification program that truly serves the marketplace. Use of the same information for product certification provides the consistency. Running the program under the auspices of an accepted ANSI standard for third-party certification programs provides the credibility. Submitting suggestions for standard improvements exhibits commitment.

The program has grown quickly from its inception and is gaining national recognition. The IPEMA Web site currently features 12 companies with certified products; three other participants are on their way toward product certification.

Customers, who desire complete assurance that they are buying ASTM-compliant equipment, are recognizing the program's integrity, and are specifying IPEMA certification in their bid documents. As customer confidence grows in the program, this trend is expected to accelerate.

Does this mean IPEMA holds the same warm, fuzzy feeling for consumers as, say, the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval? No, not quite yet In today's society, no procedure can guarantee safety 100 percent. However, the ongoing collaborative efforts by manufacturers and others to take collective responsibility for establishing IPEMA and improve the association's services are encouraging.

What's ahead? Among other service projects, IPEMA is approaching completion of its surfacing certification program and is investigating an equipment certification program to the Canadian standard.

IPEMA, like the National Recreation and Park Association, is committed to safety. The pooled expertise and input of our members constitute the collective safety net we must continue to construct for our children.

The International Playground Equipment Manufacturers Association considers consistency, credibility, and commitment all necessary components of a successful equipment certification program. "Ensuring safety, as anyone who's purchased playground equipment can tell you," says IPEMA Secretary Curtis Cleveland, "takes more than good intentions. [Our] goal was to sponsor a certification program that would help create a level playing field for playground equipment safety testing".