The flowering of playground safety.

Almost 25 years ago, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission named the National Recreation and Park Association to head a project that was to culminate in a set of safety standards for public playgrounds. The CPSC had responded to concerns regarding the large number of playground injuries in the United States that were severe enough to warrant visits to hospital emergency rooms. In 1974, the manufacturers had proposed a voluntary safety standard, which was rejected by the CPSC. Instead, the CPSC assigned NRPA to develop the project, and also appointed an advisory group of 12, the Safety Standards Panel, with membership drawn from consumers, playground operators, equipment producers, and others with a direct interest in playground safety. The final goal of the Safety Standards Panel was never achieved; instead, the CPSC developed the first federal guidelines. The Handbook for Public Playground Safety was dedicated to the provision of information about hazards associated with the use of public playground equipment and suggestions for helping to reduce the frequency and severity of injuries. This was published in early 1981, but it has taken two decades to gain the recognition necessary to involve schools, parks, daycare centers, and fast-food restaurants in playground safety. In 1981, the seeds of playground safety were sown, but the full garden has been long in development. Why?

Major resistance to change came not from the equipment manufacturers but from the playground operators and the community residents themselves. Constant cries included:

"Why is it hazardous? It's always been this way."

"I played on this as a child, and now my children can do the same thing."

"Broken bones are a part of growing up."

"We've always put our playgrounds on grass, dirt, or asphalt."

"Nobody has the kind of money it takes to upgrade all our playgrounds."

"What difference does it make? In this litigious society, we're going to get sued no matter what we do."

All of these statements are understandable, but none of them helps the seeds of playground safety to grow. There was a sharp rise in the number of lawsuits for playground injuries since the CPSC handbook had established the starting point for suit. It was that increase in lawsuits, coupled with the advent of the American Society for Testing and Materials into this arena, which really made the garden grow.

ASTM, as one of the two largest standard-setting bodies in the world, has long been concerned with safety standards on many different types of materials and products. In the case of playground safety, after being approached by the Playground Manufacturers' Section of the National School Supply Equipment Association, ASTM formed a committee to develop a safety standard for public-use playground equipment. That committee has met quarterly since 1988 to develop this standard and, in 1993, published F1487, the first ASTM safety standard to address public-use playground equipment. Since that time, the standard has undergone one revision and is in the process of publishing a second.

NRPA has been extremely active in the development of this garden. Alongside the work of standard development, the national certification program for playground safety inspectors was created. The National Playground Safety Institute provides a full two-day training course and certification test to qualify participants as playground inspectors and auditors. This program uses as its body of knowledge two leading textbooks in the field: the CPSC handbook and the ASTM standard F1487. Certification is based upon a formalized testing procedure and is provided under NRPA's National Certification Board. The liaison between CPSC, ASTM, and NRPA has provided the rich soil for the blossoming of the garden.

However, all gardens have pests and require weeding. Sometimes the gardeners are unskilled or overzealous. Any of these circumstances can cause problems that must be overcome. As the interest in playground safety grows, communities have begun to weed out the old, hazardous playgrounds and replace them with current, state-of-the-art environments. Existing playgrounds have been audited to identify and classify the levels of hazards. NPSI now has a quarterly newsletter that provides information and safety interpretations for Certified Playground Safety Inspectors. The playground equipment manufacturers have established a third-party certification program on their products. Through an independent testing lab, the International Playground Equipment Manufacturers Association has taken an active role in the development of the ASTM standard. Research and the dissemination of information on playground safety have expanded. Organizations such as Safe Kids and the National Program for Playground Safety have expanded the information network appreciably.

Where are we headed? How does our garden grow? Judge for yourself.

* Work will continue on updating the CPSC handbook and ASTM F1487 standard.

* The movement to replace playgrounds will continue.

* NPSI institutes will continue to grow.

There are now more than 30 institutes across the United States each year, boasting nearly 4,000 certified inspectors. Additional research will lead to in-depth study material.

* Surfacing will continue to be a top priority in making our playgrounds safer.

* Agencies and communities will become more sophisticated on this subject.

* Accessibility will continue to influence the design of playground equipment and play environments to serve all children.

Some of our more zealous inspectors have recommended the removal--rather than the repair--of playgrounds and equipment. We need to include common sense as a factor in addressing playground safety, and we need to do a better job in training inspectors on how to use common sense and professional judgment.

When does a garden wither? If we ignore playground safety, the seeds we have sown and the blooms that we have nourished will wither and die. With the current interest in playground safety, this no longer seems possible. Or we can work on replacing our playgrounds and installing acceptable safety surfacing, at which point the blooms may wither, but the garden will renew itself regularly. Hopefully, this is where we are headed.

How does the garden of playground safety grow? P&R guest editor Frances Wallach, Ed.D., CLP, CTRS, CPSI, the president of Total Recreation Management Services Inc. and author of many publications on playground safety, tells readers that if we continue working to replace hazardous playgrounds and install acceptable safety surfacing, "the garden will renew itself regularly." She also reminds us not to forget a sprinkle of "common sense" when planning play environments.