Playground Safety Now More Than Ever.The great Greek philosopher Plato is quoted as saying, "You can learn more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation." Centuries later, his observations still reflect the importance of play. Safe places, where children of all ages and abilities can laugh, run, climb, swing, use their imaginations, interact with others, think, solve problems, and renew their spirits, are as important now as they ever have been. And they will be even more critical for future generations. As society continues to move faster and faster, play is essential for our total health and well-being. Fortunately, playgrounds are safer now than ever before, thanks in part to the National Playground Safety Institute. In 1993, the National Recreation and Park Association initiated the NPSI NPSI North Pittsburgh Systems (stock symbol) NPSI NCP (Network Control Program) Packet Switching Interface NPSI National Playground Safety Institute NPSI American National Straight Intermediate Pipe Thread as part of a commitment to providing the safest, most challenging play environments possible. This is accomplished in part by providing a continuing-education program that offers certification. In partnership with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the American Society for Testing and Materials, manufacturers, producers, risk managers, public agencies, and the National Program for Playground Safety and other organizations, playgrounds in the next century will be safer than ever. What are some of our visions for the future? Development of safety standards Safety standards are standards designed to ensure the safety of products, activities or processes, etc. They may be advisory or compulsory and are normally laid down by an advisory or regulatory body that may be either voluntary or statutory. for infants and daycare providers. Training and certification, installation, maintenance, and supervision. Accessibility standards accessibility standards (akses´abil´itē), n.pl the requirements designed by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), by which public places must provide disabled individuals with barrier-free access to and guidelines guidelines, n.pl a set of standards, criteria, or specifications to be used or followed in the performance of certain tasks. for all users. Electronic supervision and surveillance with cameras and videos. Mapping systems integrating demographics The attributes of people in a particular geographic area. Used for marketing purposes, population, ethnic origins, religion, spoken language, income and age range are examples of demographic data. with design and layout of playgrounds to meet the needs of specific areas. Universal language, codes, colors, and symbols for our diverse and ethnic users. Integrated school curricula and training programs for safer playground use. New surfacing systems with year-round impact attenuation Loss of signal power in a transmission. Attenuation The reduction in level of a transmitted quantity as a function of a parameter, usually distance. It is applied mainly to acoustic or electromagnetic waves and is expressed as the ratio of power densities. in cold climates. Environmental protection from sun, pollutants pollutants see environmental pollution. , and severe weather. New products and materials that are more durable and maintenance-free. Computerized computerized adapted for analysis, storage and retrieval on a computer. computerized axial tomography see computed tomography. inspections and audits for more efficient and thorough risk management. The need for safe playgrounds in the next millennium will be greater than ever. Looking back, we can take pride in the accomplishments we have made so far. Let's continue working toward a brighter future. Thomas M. Kalousek Chairman, National playground Safety Institute |
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