PLAYGROUND MAINTENANCE OR INSPECTION: WHICH COMES FIRST?

For more than ten years, the National Playground Safety Institute (NPSI)(1) has cited the lack of playground maintenance or improper maintenance as leading causes of playground accidents.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)(2) and the National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS)(3), many national organizations are trying to improve public playground safety, yet they have had no relevant impact on the reduction of reported playground injuries.

So why should we be concerned about playground maintenance if the number and severity of playground accidents seems to have stabilized? One reason is that one of every three lawsuits alleges improper maintenance or lack of maintenance as the cause of the injury. Public playground owners/operators have direct control over this statistic.(4) For this reason we must all remind ourselves of the following truism -- if you can't afford to properly maintain a public playground, don't build one.

Other incentives to improve maintenance practices on playgrounds are found in several chapters of Play It Safe, An Anthology of Playground Safety.(5) These writings suggest that the playground maintenance program should establish consistency in staff training, inspection processes, maintenance procedures, quality of repairs, and documentation. The results of such a program should reduce the frequency and severity of injuries on our playgrounds while, at the same time, constructing a sound defense against frivolous lawsuits and medical claims if and when an incident does occur.

The fact remains that children continue to sustain injuries while playing in the safest environment man can create. Children like to take risks, and this risk-taking process can lead to injury. Risk-taking is part of children's growth and development process. The safer children perceive their play environment to be, the more risk they are willing to take. Without risk-taking activities or challenging play environments, we limit children's learning and developmental opportunities. As parents and caregivers, we must stop trying to child-proof the play environment and begin to develop new exciting, challenging, and safety compliant play environments.

With this goal in mind, our challenge as managers of the play environment maintenance and inspection programs is to develop a customized program that meets the needs, expectations, and resources of the agency. To develop such a program, we must first understand the essence of a playground maintenance and inspection program, what constitutes a proper playground maintenance program and how much it will cost to implement.

What is Maintenance?

Webster's Dictionary defines maintenance as "the act of maintaining or means of support." Maintain is defined as "to hold or keep in any state; to sustain; to preserve from failure."(6)

What is Inspection?

Webster's dictionary defines inspection as "careful survey; official examination." Inspect is defined "to view narrowly and critically; to examine officially as troops, arms, or goods offered for sale, etc."

Simply stated, acting out these definitions becomes the primary goal of the playground safety program. Any public playground that exists without a comprehensive maintenance and inspection program cannot fulfill the basic function of providing a safe, challenging, and educational play experience for children throughout the expected life of the playground asset, while keeping the playground area hygienically and aesthetically clean. This is not just a reactive process that corrects problems, but also a pro-active process that prevents problems and accidents from occurring. The maintenance and inspection program can be further defined as the unforeseen or unknown cost of building a new playground.

Today's Maintenance and Inspection Standard of Care

Play equipment designers and manufacturers must, according to ASTM F1487 Section 13.1, provide the owner/operator with clear and concise inspection, maintenance, and repair instructions, including, but not limited to, what, when, and how to inspect, maintain, and repair.(7)

Owner/operators must, according to ASTM F1487 Section 13.2.1-3, maintain the protective surfacing within the use zone in accordance with Specification ASTM F1292 appropriate for the fall height of each structure. The use zone must also be kept free of any extraneous materials that could cause injury, infection, or disease; and shall establish and maintain detailed installation, inspection, maintenance, and repair records for each public-use playground equipment area.

While this is a big step in identifying who is responsible for what, it does not always give quantitative or qualitative direction to the owner/operator. The lack of detailed maintenance and inspection directions lies in the fact that we cannot assume that all installations are the same. There are several variables such as amount of playground use, types of materials used in manufacturing play components, and regional environmental factors that make it impossible to use a cookie cutter approach to establishing maintenance and inspection standards.

Meanwhile, some public playground owner/operators have begun to develop detailed documentation and rationale for specific maintenance and inspection procedures beyond the specifics provided by the designer/manufacturer. This information can assist everyone in their efforts to maintain safe playgrounds. It can also help project the total life cycle cost of playground development. When evaluating your purchasing options, maintenance and inspection costs should be included with the initial purchase and installation price of the equipment.

Projecting Foreseeable Maintenance Prior to Construction Can Help Make Decisions to Reduce Total Life Cycle Costs

Here's an example of how careful examination of anticipated maintenance needs may reduce the total life cycle cost of playground development while eliminating the potential of a serious life threatening injury:

Many playgrounds use wood posts as in-ground structural pillar/footers. These posts typically rot at or below ground level over a period of time. The equipment manufacturer, because of many environmental factors, may recommend that the playground owner replace all structural in-ground members every ten to 15 years, before the natural decaying process causes structural instability, The periodic cost of the wooden post footer is insignificant compared to the cost of the time and labor to make this renovation each time.

In the future, purchase decisions, which consider this foreseeable maintenance or repair cost may warrant a closer look at either

1) A more costly but more durable footer that will extend the life of the equipment, or

2) An installation method different from the standard in-ground construction methods.

For example, new post-sleeve mounting systems which prevent ground contact for the wooden post might extend the structural life expectancy of the item, thereby reducing the annual maintenance and repair costs throughout the equipment's lifetime.

Meaningful Inspections Should be the Basis for Routine & Preventive Maintenance and Renovation/Repairs

We cannot leave out the written comprehensive inspection procedures when it comes to implementing a maintenance program. The terms "maintenance" and "inspection" become synonymous. A playground maintenance program will require staff training that includes a quantitative and qualitative inspection procedure as well as routine and preventive maintenance and repair techniques to keep a playground in proper working condition, thereby delivering the service it was designed to provide.

Here's an example of how criterion-based inspections might be used as a basis for preventive maintenance and renovations:

Sample Inspection Specification

All wood structural members (e.g. posts, footer, etc.) extending below the top of the protective playground surface and/or the playground sub grade shall be tested for rot- or insect-caused deterioration every other year beginning with the equipment's eighth anniversary. The test method shall consist of drilling a small hole, using a forester's increment borer, to the center of the wooden upright at the smallest cross section dimension below the playground protective surfacing and as close to the surface sub grade as is physically possible. The borer will produce a core sample. If the core sample reveals wood rot or insect damage in excess of 25% of the width of the wooden upright's smallest cross section dimension, the structural item shall be replaced. All boring holes shall be plugged with wooden pegs the same diameter and length as the hole to prevent accelerated decay or infestation.

Maintenance Categories

Most authorities use three categories of maintenance to qualify and quantify the tasks at hand. These categories of maintenance are routine maintenance, preventive maintenance, and renovation/repair.

Routine maintenance consists of tasks performed on a regularly scheduled basis. This may be daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. It might consist of a specific procedure or inspection process. Many routine maintenance tasks are custodial in nature. Playground examples might include daily or weekly litter pick-up, sweeping walkways of any loose-fill surfacing materials; or raking out foreign matter and leveling, and loosening compacted areas, and replacing displaced loose playground protective surfacing such as sand.

Preventive maintenance consists of tasks that occur less frequently but are nevertheless equally important to preserving the function of the playground. Examples of this type might include coating metal play equipment with rust-inhibiting paint every three years to help prevent the natural deterioration of metal components, or inspecting all swing S-hooks, hangers, and chains quarterly, looking for excessive wear or damage. (It is recommended that these items should be replaced when the wear exceeds 25% of the diameter of the item thickness. The purpose of this type of task is to replace the chain before it breaks and thereby prevent an accident). Notice that both routine and preventive maintenance may require minor replacements.

Renovations and repairs are done to restore an item or area to sound condition after damage or deterioration. These are the most costly forms of maintenance. Most renovations and repairs require more capital resources in the way of materials and supplies than routine or preventive maintenance. Renovations are usually scheduled and can be incorporated into an agency's annual maintenance budget and work program. Repairs are usually unscheduled and therefore more disruptive and costly to the agency's total maintenance program. Both renovations and repairs may require major replacements.

Examples of playground renovations include replacing rotten wood framework, replacing synthetic unitary safety surfacing, or repositioning existing equipment in an old playground to conform to new safety spacing and layout standards.

Inspection Categories

NPSI promotes two forms of periodic inspections -- Low Frequency and High Frequency. These inspections are not to be confused with a Playground Safety Audit. An audit is a one-time comprehensive evaluation of a playground to identify areas of noncompliance to the standard of care such as life threatening or permanently debilitating hazards. The purpose of a periodic inspection program is to maintain a standard of care and to identify all new hazards on a playground resulting from rapid or evolving changes such as vandalism, storm damage, weather, breakage, wear, and litter.

Scheduled Maintenance and Inspection -- "Pay Me Now" or "Pay Me (More) Later"

Regardless of the type of maintenance being performed, each must be addressed during a scheduled inspection or by a special work request. Scheduled maintenance-- routine, preventive, or renovation--should be performed on playground equipment and areas before they require repairs. A pro-active scheduled maintenance and inspection program will prevent most major repairs, equipment failures, and possible resulting injuries to the public.

A good maintenance and inspection program will minimize the wasteful reallocation of resources necessary to defend staff actions or the lack thereof in the event of a lawsuit. The program can also eliminate staff stress and the frustrations of reorganizing priorities and work schedules for unexpected and unscheduled repairs.

Every agency should develop its own criteria for providing routine and periodic maintenance and timely renovations by establishing a frequency for safety inspections. The maintenance manager should evaluate the history of maintenance tasks performed in and around the playground, assess and allocate manpower availability, and foster skill level and inspection enhancement.

A staff-training program will be required to ensure a successful outcome once you have established the frequency of your inspection process that complements the level of detail covered within the inspection process or processes. The maintenance program will evolve from these considerations and a documented history of known routine and preventive maintenance tasks, plus the manufacturer's maintenance requirements.

Playground Maintenance and Inspection Standards

An effective maintenance and inspection program is achieved by meeting guidelines or standards that are based on local history and knowledge of usage, environmental conditions, site, and facilities. The bad news is that there is no ideal, concise, generic maintenance standard that agencies can order through the mail, by fax, or over the telephone.

Playground maintenance is too important to rely upon boilerplate, `one size fits all' universal standards. Customize your program site by site to meet your community needs, expectations, and resources.

The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) has several publications on area and facility standards for parks, open space and recreation facilities. These books recommend that they be used as a guideline for each city or agency to develop its own standard based on geographic, demographic and economic criteria plus cultural demands. The latest approach includes a level of service guideline that is needs based, facilities driven, and land measured. Whatever approach is used, the results should be unique to your community.

In an attempt to simplify the process, the National Playground Safety Institute has provided participants in its certification course with many samples of audits, inspection forms, and other useful tools. Also available, through the National Recreation and Park Association, is the 1999, 2nd Edition, Playground Safety Is No Accident: Developing a Public Playground Safety and Maintenance Program.(8) This manual provides a blueprint for an agency to develop a customized maintenance and inspection program. There is much value from other sources as well, but the ultimate program must be written and tailored specifically for the agency that will use it. The implementation of this program will take several years, but the program and process are ongoing.

CASE STUDY OF SUCCESS: THE WHEATON PARK DISTRICT

The Wheaton Park District of Wheaton, Illinois, (WPD) in 1989 developed a comprehensive public playground safety and maintenance program. The WPD is entering the thirteenth year of its playground safety program, and the program has resulted in many accomplishments. These successes have repeatedly surfaced at each of its annual WPD playground safety team meetings.

The first five achievements speak for themselves. They have existed since the completion of the Comprehensive Public Playground Safety and Maintenance Program Manual(9) and completion of the first year of program implementation. They are:

1. Heightened staff awareness of playground safety at all levels.

2. An established historical file of all sites, which provides excellent information retrieval.

3. A blueprint to bring all sites into compliance with current CPSC playground safety guidelines and ASTM standards.

4. The knowledge and experience base to adapt to future guidelines.

5. The requirement to meet annually with all employees responsible for implementing the playground safety program, to discuss progress and program deficiencies as identified by our inspection process and to set new goals and objectives for the coming year.

The next two accomplishments were developed early in the second year of the program and have continually been changing as fast as the industry changes. They are:

1. Development of public playground design and installation guidelines.

2. Establishment of a playground equipment replacement schedule, which was fully implemented in the year 2000 with the next replacement cycle to begin in 2004.

Over the last few years, the WPD program's annual review process has highlighted the need to determine the cost of its inspection and maintenance program during the life of a playground. Initial analysis of our current inspection process, maintenance, repairs, and retrofits was completed in early 1999. This information allows the WPD to better plan and budget for the future.

Bottom Line: Playground Maintenance/ Inspection and Facility Life-Cycle Cost

Playground maintenance and inspection plays an important, very visible, and apparent role in facility safety. This maintenance and inspection also plays an important, yet often forgotten or neglected, role in the big picture of an agency's financial wellness and the life-cycle cost of a new facility design.

There are three parts to this financial picture. First, the lack of an effective scheduled inspection and maintenance program that addresses routine and preventive maintenance and timely renovations will ultimately lead to more costly and time consuming repairs. Second, it will accelerate facility deterioration and shorten the effective life-cycle of playground equipment. Third, this will necessitate more frequent equipment replacement and ultimately increases the life-cycle cost of the playground facility.

The maintenance manager of the playground should play an integral part in all aspects of the facility life-cycle, from its conception to the day the playground is removed. The various stages in the public playground life-cycle are shown here in a typical sequence:

* Conception and Design

* Equipment Selection and Purchase

* Installation and Construction

* Scheduled Maintenance (routine and preventive)

* Unscheduled Maintenance (repairs)

* Renovation (equipment retrofit for safety compliance)

* Removal or Replacement of Equipment

Annual Amortization of a Public Playground

Professional experience has shown that the current life cycle of modern-day manufactured playground equipment is only ten to 15 years and is dependent upon several factors. Once the life expectancy of a playground has been established, it is possible to determine the annual amortized cost of the playground by using the following cost factors divided by the projected life of the playground:

* Initial design cost

* Purchase price of the playground equipment

* Materials and supplies

* Installation cost of equipment, surfacing and amenities

* Annual cost of maintenance, repair, and inspections for the playground.

The idea of estimating the life-cycle cost of a public playground would be a realistic concept if the maintenance manager could look into a crystal ball and project realistic inspection, maintenance, and repair costs for a new playground design over that 10 to 15-year period. More research is required in this area by both manufacturers and maintenance managers before this concept becomes a reality.

A management concept whose time has come is the ability to analyze, predict, and budget for the life-cycle maintenance and repair cost of a capital improvement.

The capital development cost for the initial construction of a facility may seem like an enormous amount of money. However, it is just a small portion of the resources expended during the life of most facilities. The amount of maintenance that a piece of playground equipment requires and the ability of a manager to provide the necessary maintenance in a timely fashion will also have a dramatic impact on the life-cycle cost of a playground. An acceptable industry rule of thumb for projecting annual maintenance costs for a capital asset is between two and four percent of the current replacement value of the facility(10). The Wheaton Park District wanted to determine its position with relation to this industry standard.

In preparation for my presentation at the second international conference on playground safety held at Penn State University(11), I analyzed the Wheaton Park District's playground maintenance and inspection experience in an effort to estimate our playground inspection and maintenance costs and evaluate effectiveness of our current efforts. I evaluated all inspections and maintenance performed on each playground to better understand the costs associated with repetitive routine and periodic maintenance tasks, including the consumption of time, manpower, equipment, materials, and supplies. Prior to this task, we had to evaluate the current cost of contracting out the construction of a typical neighborhood playground according to our current design standards. This information would help put the annual maintenance and inspection costs into perspective with the initial cost to construct the playground. To date we have documented the following.

Step 1: Estimating WPD's Cost of a Public Playground in 1998

In the fall of 1998 the WPD went out to public bid for the installation of the Hawthorne Junction Park playground. This is an average neighborhood playground designed to serve approximately 50 children at any given time. The bid specifications itemized each aspect of the installation project. The scope of the bid specifications included removal of the old playground equipment, surfacing, amenities, and site work. The new work included the installation of $30,000 worth of play equipment, 2,700 square feet of engineered wood fiber mulch safety surfacing, 1,000 square feet of poured-in-place synthetic surfacing, and 530 linear feet of stone block retaining wall two feet high. The average cost from six qualified bidders for demolition, site work, and installation was $80,000 to construct a playground with $30,000 worth of play equipment.

Design of the playground and supervision of its installation is typically another in-house cost. If this work were contracted, it would cost approximately 8% to 10% of the total project cost or $10,000, bringing the total contracted cost of a new playground to approximately $120,000.00. The contractual design, demolition, site work, miscellaneous supplies, and installation costs are 75% of the total cost.

Using this information, the WPD estimated the costs to construct an average neighborhood playground to be:

* Playground equipment cost: 25% of the total budget

* Design and construction supervision: 8% to 10% of the total construction cost

* Installation of a typical playground: approximately 35% to 40% of the total budget

* Miscellaneous supply costs: 25% to 30% of the total costs

Miscellaneous supply costs include drainage and surfacing materials, surfacing containment materials, and landscape materials. These costs vary greatly depending on the type and quantity of safety surfacing and the method of surfacing containment. Safety barriers, protective fencing, and safety/information signage are additional items that will affect the final cost of a playground. Analysis of all of these cost factors becomes critical when selecting the final playground site location.

Looking back at the life-cycle model for a public playground, the first four items have been addressed. The fifth item still remains: "What is the annual cost to maintain, repair, and inspect a public playground?"

Step 2: Estimating the Annual Cost to Maintain, Repair, and Inspect a Playground

First, WPD analyzed both its High Frequency Inspection program and its Low Frequency Inspection program throughout 1998. There were three significant findings:

* There was a pattern of many reoccurring safety and maintenance concerns.

* We now had documentation necessary to establish a frequency for inspections.

* This process created the data necessary to establish a budget guideline for time and labor required for each type of inspection that includes routine maintenance and other corrective measures.

The WPD also tabulated all High and Low Frequency Playground Safety Inspections for 1998 to determine the monthly frequency of each throughout the year. This information allowed the WPD to calculate the total resources being committed to inspection, maintenance, repair, and other corrective action processes for the year.

High and Low Frequency Playground Safety Inspection and Maintenance Analysis

Regardless of the inspection type, there were many similarities in the routine and preventive maintenance deficiencies requiring corrective action on almost every inspection cycle. Since loose-fill surfacing is the predominate type used by the WPD, displaced surfacing was a constant area of maintenance.

Recurring maintenance tasks include:

* Sand and engineered wood fiber mulch almost always requires leveling in kick-out areas.

* Loose-fill surfacing material must be removed from adjacent hard surface areas.

* Sand surfacing requires mechanical tilling to reduce compaction.

* Litter and other debris must be picked up within the playground use zones.

* Waste receptacles must be emptied on a regular basis.

* Swing chains must be untwisted but not with the same frequency as the other items.

Low frequency inspections detected several types of maintenance concerns in addition to those already mentioned. Many of the detected deficiencies require a much greater knowledge base and experience in order to detect and analyze the problem and take the correct action to eliminate the problem.

Items commonly found include:

* Metal equipment requiring painting almost annually

* Tightening loose hardware

* Immediately removing graffiti

* Sanding, repairing, or replacing wood equipment and wood timber containment borders whenever they present a hazard

* Repairing or replacing missing information and regulatory signs

* Repairing or replacing broken playground components

* Lubricating moving parts

* Caulking sectional slide seams

* Replacing worn swing seats and chain

One additional area of routine and seasonal maintenance is drinking fountains. They are turned on at the beginning of the season (late March) and turned off and drained at the end of the season (November). Low Frequency Inspections frequently detect clogged drain lines, and stuck water control devices routinely require maintenance and repair. The most common cause of drinking fountain problems is surfacing material finding its way into the fountain bowls and heads.

Frequency of Playground Inspection Analysis

In 1998, the WPD performed 416 written High Frequency Playground Safety Inspections and 156 written Low Frequency Playground Safety Inspections on its 24 playgrounds. During analysis, the WPD Playground Safety Team discovered the High Frequency Playground Safety Inspections being performed at the community center and the two aquatic facilities were not being conducted in writing on the proper inspection forms. The sum of High Frequency Inspections reaches 476 when the total is adjusted for the three playgrounds missing inspection forms. This is an average of 20 High Frequency Playground Safety Inspections per site per year and seven Low Frequency Playground Safety Inspections per site per year.

Inspections averaged just under two High Frequency Inspections per month and one Low Frequency Inspection every two months.

The high use season for playgrounds in the Midwestern United States is between the months of May and October when the high frequency inspections averaged two to three High Frequency Inspections per site per month. During the remaining months High Frequency Inspections averaged approximately one every other month per playground.

The monthly average of Low Frequency Inspections did fluctuate without a consistent pattern; however, there appears to be a trend of conducting only one Low Frequency Inspection every other month throughout the year. On further analysis, it was noted that each playground was inspected on consecutive months during April and May. This accounts for why each playground had seven Low Frequency Inspections performed each year and marks the heart of the prime outdoor recreational season when visits to the parks and playgrounds are highest. These two months are critical since high use can bring rapid changes to the condition of each and every playground.

One final observation was made about the two playgrounds located within Wheaton's two outdoor aquatic facilities. These facilities are closed to the public between the months of September and May. During months of operation, these playgrounds were inspected on an average of twice per week with the High Frequency Inspection process and once per month with the Low Frequency Inspection process.

High and Low Frequency Playground Safety Inspection and Maintenance Labor Analysis

Labor requirements average three persons for High Frequency Inspections and two persons for Low Frequency Inspections. The time required for each type of inspection averages between one hour and five minutes and one hour and ten minutes for a total of three and one half labor hours per High Frequency Inspection and two hours and six minutes per Low Frequency Inspection. This translates to $35 per High Frequency Inspection and $37 per Low Frequency Inspection.

Low Frequency Inspections cost more than High Frequency Inspections even though High Frequency Inspections are more labor intensive because the knowledge, skill level, experience, and overall job responsibility warrants a substantially higher rate of pay. Adjusting this information for the missing High Frequency Inspections, WPD has estimated the total labor cost for High Frequency Inspections at $16,500 and Low Frequency Inspection costs at $5,750 for a total labor cost for inspection, maintenance, and repair of $22,250. This cost does not include the annual budgeted cost of $11,500 for materials, supplies, or playground equipment parts.

The WPD estimated the cost to inspect and maintain one playground for a year by adding:

* Total labor cost for the inspection and maintenance program: $22,250

* Annual budget for playground materials and supplies: $11,500

* Annual amortized cost of two vehicles at $3,000 each: $6,000

* 15% miscellaneous administrative overhead: $6,000

To arrive at the annual cost to inspect, maintain, and repair one playground, the sum of the costs above is divided by the total number of playgrounds (24). The estimated average annual cost of inspection, maintenance, and repair is $1,900 in year 1998 dollars, $1,950 in year 1999 dollars, and $2010 in year 2000 dollars.

Step 3: Life Cycle Cost of a Public Playground

In 1999 dollars, a new playground with play equipment valued at $30,000 would cost a total of $120,000 if it were designed, purchased, and installed by contract. The first year replacement value of this playground with a 15-year life expectancy is $8,000. Add the annual inspection, maintenance, and repair cost of $1,950, and the first year amortized life cycle cost of a public playground is $9,950 or $10,250 for the second year in 2000.

Adjusting this first year amortized life cycle cost by an annual 3% rate of inflation over a 15-year life expectancy results in the total life cycle cost of $190,000 for that same playground. Approximately $37,500 of this cost is attributed to inspection, maintenance, and repair over the life of the playground

Additional Findings:

* Annual cost for inspection, maintenance, and repair is 1.66% of the initial cost of the asset, not including land value.

* Annual cost for inspection, maintenance, and repair is 25% of the annual amortized cost for the entire playground.

* The life cycle cost for inspection, maintenance, and repair of a public playground is nearly 33% the initial cost to construct the playground.

* Total life cycle cost for inspection, maintenance, and repair is 15% more than the initial cost of the playground equipment.

* The life cycle cost for inspection, maintenance, and repair of a public playground is 20% of the replacement cost based on a 15-year life expectancy.

In summary, safety of the playground user is dependent upon an integrated maintenance and inspection program that is implemented by trained staff in a timely fashion. There are many reasons to improve or create a public playground maintenance and inspection program that will provide staff training in all aspects of public playground safety.

The primary goal of the agency's maintenance and inspection program and staff training efforts is the safety of play area users and the financial strength of the agency.

The public playground maintenance and inspection process has become a specialized work task that is increasingly important to the general public, to local elected officials, to park and recreation administrators, to park operations managers, to public school officials, and to day care providers.

Playground inspection, maintenance, and repair will cost more over the life of the playground than the initial price of the play equipment.

The two biggest challenges playground owner/operators face are the establishment of quantitative and qualitative guidelines for public playground maintenance and inspections and the ability to train employees to analyze playground hazards and take appropriate, timely corrective action.

To help with these challenges we have created:

* A model for developing a comprehensive public playground safety and maintenance program.

* A methodology to establish your own quantitative and qualitative playground maintenance and inspection guidelines.

* The National Playground Safety Institute and its Certified Playground Safety Inspector training course and certification exam are available as training resources.

Now is the time to start a proactive playground maintenance and inspection program.

HIGH FREQUENCY INSPECTION RECURRING MAINTENANCE TASKS:

* Leveling surfacing in kick-out areas

* Remove loose-fill surfacing from adjacent hard surface areas

* Mechanically till sand to reduce compaction

* Empty waste receptacles

* Remove litter and debris from use zones

* Untwist swing chains

LOW FREQUENCY INSPECTION RECURRING MAINTENANCE TASKS:

* All recurring high frequency inspection tasks

* Paint metal equipment

* Tighten loose hardware

* Remove graffiti

* Repair wood component surfaces

* Repair/replace broken components

* Lubricate moving parts

* Caulk sectional slide seams

* Replace worn swing seats and chains

* Replace missing signage

WHEATON PARK DISTRICT: LOW FREQUENCY PLAYGROUND
SAFETY INSPECTIONS -- 1998

PARK                       JAN   FEB   MAR   APR   MAY   JUN   JUL   AUG

Atten Park                        1           1     1           1     1
Briar Patch Park                  1           1     1           1     1
Brighton Park                     1           1     1           1     1
Central Park                      1           1     1           1     1
Graf Park                         1           1     1           1
Hawthorn Junction                 1           1     1           1
C..L. Herrick Park                1           1                 1
Hoffman Park                      1           1           1     1     1
Kelly Park                        1           1     1           1     1
Briarknoll Park                   1           1     1           1     1
Northside Park                    1           1     1     1     1
Northside Aquatic Center                                        1     1
Presidents Park                   1           1     1           1     1
Rathje Park                       1           1     2                 1
Hull Park                         1           1     1           1     1
Seven Gables Park                 1           1     1           1     1
Prairie Path Park                 1           1     1           1
Sunnyside Park                    1           1     1           1
Triangle Park                     1           1     1           1
W.W. Stevens Park                 1           1     1           1
Scottdale Park                    1           1     1           1
Rice Pool & Water Park                                    1
Community Center            1                 1     1           1
Jefferson School/Park             1           1     1           1
TOTAL                       1    21     0    22    21     3    23    12

PARK                       SEPT   OCT   NOV   DEC   TOTAL

Atten Park                         1     1            7
Briar Patch Park                   1           1      7
Brighton Park                      1           1      7
Central Park                       1           1      7
Graf Park                   1      1           1      7
Hawthorn Junction           1      1     1            7
C..L. Herrick Park          1      1           1      6
Hoffman Park                       1           1      7
Kelly Park                         1           1      7
Briarknoll Park                    1           1      7
Northside Park                                 1      7
Northside Aquatic Center                              2
Presidents Park                    1           1      7
Rathje Park                        1           1      7
Hull Park                          1           1      7
Seven Gables Park                  1           1      7
Prairie Path Park                  1           1      7
Sunnyside Park              1      1           1      7
Triangle Park               1      1           1      7
W.W. Stevens Park           1      1           1      7
Scottdale Park                                        4
Rice Pool & Water Park      1      1           1      4
Community Center            1      1           1      7
Jefferson School/Park       1      1           1      7
TOTAL                      10     22     2    19     156

[GRAPH OMITTED]
WHEATON PARK DISTRICT: HIGH FREQUENCY PLAYGROUND
SAFETY INSPECTIONS -- 1998

PARK                       JAN   FEB   MAR   APR   MAY   JUN   JUL   AUG

Atten Park                        1     1           2     5     4     3
Briar Patch Park            1                       2     4     2     2
Brighton Park                                       3     3     3     4
Central Park                                        3     3     4     5
Graf Park                         1     1           3     4     4     3
Hawthorn Junction                                   2     2     2     3
C..L. Herrick Park                1                 3     2     3     4
Hoffman Park                      1           1     3     3     2     3
Kelly Park                  1           1           3     5     4     2
Briarknoll Park                                     3     2     4     2
Northside Park              1           1     1     3     5     4     4
Northside Aquatic Center                            1     6     6     6
Presidents Park             1     1     1           4     4     2     1
Rathje Park                 1     2           1     2     5     2     3
Hull Park                   1                       3     4     2     2
Seven Gables Park           1           1                 4     2     4
Prairie Path Park                 2     1           4     4     5     2
Sunnyside Park                                      2     4     3     3
Triangle Park                     1                 3     5     3     3
W.W. Stevens Park                 1     1           3     3     2     2
Scottdale Park              1                       3     5     3     1
Rice Pool & Water Park                              1     6     6     6
Community Center            1     1     2     2     2     2     2     2
Jefferson School/Park             2                 3     4     4     3
TOTAL                       9    14    10     5    61    94    78    73

PARK                       SEPT   OCT   NOV   DEC   TOTAL

Atten Park                  4      5                 25
Briar Patch Park            4      2                 17
Brighton Park               4      2                 19
Central Park                4      3                 22
Graf Park                   2      3                 21
Hawthorn Junction           1      2                 12
C..L. Herrick Park          4      3                 20
Hoffman Park                4      1                 18
Kelly Park                  6      1                 23
Briarknoll Park             3      2                 16
Northside Park              4      4                 27
Northside Aquatic Center    1                        20
Presidents Park             4      1     1           20
Rathje Park                 3      3                 22
Hull Park                   3      1                 16
Seven Gables Park           3      3                 18
Prairie Path Park           3      2                 23
Sunnyside Park              7      3                 22
Triangle Park               4      3     1           23
W.W. Stevens Park           4      2                 18
Scottdale Park                                       13
Rice Pool & Water Park      1                        20
Community Center            2      2     1     1     20
Jefferson School/Park       3      2                 21
TOTAL                      78     50     3     1    476

[GRAPH OMITTED]
WHEATON PARK DISTRICT 1998 COST
ANALYSIS OF PLAYGROUND SAFETY
INSPECTIONS

HIGH FREQUENCY INSPECTIONS

Total Annual Inspections                                    476
Average Inspections per Month                             39.66
May -- October                                            70.66
November -- April                                          6.66
Average Time per Inspection                         1hr. 10 min
Average Man Hours per Inspection                            3.5
Average 3 Person Crew:
 Lead @                            $ 9.00 per hr.
 2 Crew Mambers @                  $ 7.50 per hr.
 Hourly Rate                       $24.00 per hr.
 Benefits @ 23.64%                 $ 5.67 per hr.
 TOTAL                             $29.67 per hr.
Cost Per Inspection                       $ 32.62
Cost per Month                         $ 1,373.02
TOTAL ANNUAL COST                      $16,479.12

LOW FREQUENCY INSPECTIONS

Total Annual Inspections                                    156
Average Inspections per Month                                13
May -- October                                            15.91
November -- April                                         11.65
Average Time per Inspection                          1hr. 3 min
Average Man Hours per Inspection                            2.1
Average 2 Person Crew:
 Operations III @                  $16.40 per hr.
 Operations I @                    $12.00 per hr.
 Hourly Rate                       $28.40 per hr.
 Benefits @ 23.64%                 $ 6.71 per hr.
 TOTAL                             $35.11 per hr.
Cost Per Inspection                       $ 36.86
Cost per Month                           $ 479.25
TOTAL ANNUAL COST                      $ 5,751.02
ESTIMATED LIFE-CYCLE COST:

1999 total playground cost     $120,000
2014 total replacement cost    $190,610
Maintenance costs              $ 37,355
First year amortized
Life-cycle cost                $ 10,000

Note: all estimates are base on a fifteen year
life expectancy and an annual 3% inflation factor

Footnotes

(1.) National Playground Safety Institute (NPSI) Est. 1990, Standing Committee of the National Recreation and Park Association, 22377 Belmont Ridge Road, Ashburn, VA 20148

(2.) United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Washington D. C. 20207

(3.) National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS), School of Health, Physical Education, and Leisure Services, WRC 205, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0618

(4.) The National Playground Safety Institute Certified Playground Safety Inspector Course Curriculum, 1996-2000, National Recreation and Park Association, prepared by Teri Hendy

(5.) Christiansen, Monty L. & Vogelsong, Hans (Editors) (1996). Play It Safe, An Anthology of Playground Safety, Second Edition, Ashburn, VA: National Recreation and Park Association

(6.) -- (1990). Webster's Desk Dictionary of the English Language. New York: Random House

(7.) American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) F 1487 - 98 Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specification for Playground Equipment for Public Use, ASTM, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428

(8.) Kutska, Ken; Hoffman, Kevin; Malkusak, Anthony (1999) 2nd Edition, Playground Safety Is No Accident: Developing a Comprehensive Public Playground Safety and Maintenance Program, NRPA, NPSI, PDRMA

(9.) Wheaton Park District (1989). Comprehensive Public Playground Safety Program. Wheaton, IL: Wheaton Park District

(10.) U.S. Department of Interior -- Facilities Assessment and Recommendations, February 1998

(11.) Playground Safety 1999 An International Conference, Conference proceedings Edited by Monty Christiansen, Conference Chair, Penn State University, 210 Mateer Building, University Park, PA 16802-1307

Kenneth S. Kutska has more than twenty years of full-time experience in park operations management. He has spent the past twenty years as superintendent of parks and planning for the Wheaton, Illinois, Park District and is a past president of NRPA. Kutska has been a presenter in dozens of playground safety workshops throughout the United States and has authored numerous articles on the subject for the Illinois Parks and Recreation magazine, as well as NRPA's P&R magazine. His article, "Playground Maintenance or Inspection: Which comes first?" is on page 92.