Facility Masters Webcast Series
Playground Safety and Best
Practices
To dial into the webcast audio from your phone:
(866) 740-1260 and enter 8168238#
If the 1st line is full, dial
(800) 550 7368
Facility Masters Webcast Series – “Playground Safety and Best Practices”
Structure of Today’s Seminar
• We will mute phones to prevent excessive noise
• We will monitor the chat
box and the “Raise Hand”
capability, so feel free to
let us know you have a
question
Today’s Speakers
Roger Young, Roger Young & Associates
David B. Parker, CPRP, CPSI
National Playground Safety Instructor – NRPA
member of NPSI Executive Committee and of the
American Society for Testing and Materials
subcommittee
David Kornegay, Community Mayor SchoolDude.com
Facility Masters Webcast Series – “Playground Safety and Best Practices”
Why Is Playground Safety
Important?
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Student Safety
Essential to Schools
Accessibility to All Children
Community Safety
Play Environment
Installation Policies Inconsistent
Risk Management
Accountability
Preventative Maintenance Critical
Recordkeeping Essential
Facility Masters Webcast Series – “Playground Safety and Best Practices”
Concepts to be Considered
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The safety of the users
The play environment
How we look to our community
Functionality
Inclusive Accessibility
Training and Documentation
Pro-Active vs. Re-Active Attitude
Advocating the value of play and demonstrating it
Best Practices begin in the environment
surrounding your playground
Compacted earth creates a
trip/fall exposure
Damaged pathways are a
problem to the play environment
Facility Masters Webcast Series – “Playground Safety and Best Practices”
The Playground is the focus of
the Play environment
• First impressions are lasting impressions
• Am I welcomed or turned off by the play
environment
• Is it maintained to foster the safety of
those invited to interact with the site
• Are there any accessibility issues
• Is the environment such that my
constituents further support my efforts
Poor maintenance practices are very obvious very fast and become a
reference point of your commitment to the community
Facility Masters Webcast Series – “Playground Safety and Best Practices”
Safety Surface
• Protect from severe head
injuries
• Lack of or improper or
poorly maintained
surfacing is the leading
cause of playground
injuries
• Needs attention – Be ProActive
• Supports Accessibility
This accessible ramp creates a barrier to the
user; ½ inch rise creates a barrier
Proper surfacing maintenance would
eliminate this barrier
Facility Masters Webcast Series – “Playground Safety and Best Practices”
Inspections should drive
maintenance
• Once the site and the surface are under
consideration management operations
have just begun
• Durability of the components is critical
• American Society for Testing and
Materials designation F1487 speaks to
Materials and Durability
• Consumer Product Safety Commission
addresses durability on Pub. 325
Is this as structurally sound as the manufacturer intended?
Torn/worn plastic coating exposes
raw metals to advance deterioration
Connectors are the weak link in
performance
Facility Masters Webcast Series – “Playground Safety and Best Practices”
Missing hardware = Big Problem
Missing secure pin
Watch for Wear and Tear
Check for Open Hooks and Bad
Bushings
You can’t manage what you can’t
measure
Facility Masters Webcast Series – “Playground Safety and Best Practices”
Entanglements Hazards
• Are the leading cause of fatalities
• Very important around elevated
equipment
• Need to be understood
• Need to be tested
• Require immediate action on your
part
Entanglement Hazards are Killers
Facility Masters Webcast Series – “Playground Safety and Best Practices”
Head & Neck Entrapments
• Another leading cause of injuries and
fatalities
• Quite common especially in pre-1991
equipment
• Measurable and manageable
• Key dimensions are openings between
3.5 and 9 inches
• Various probes are on the market
Facility Masters Webcast Series – “Playground Safety and Best Practices”
Head Entrapment – It’s
measureable
Be sure – measure it
Inform the User and Caregivers
Inform the User and Caregivers
Facility Masters Webcast Series – “Playground Safety and Best Practices”
Train and Document
• Get staff trained on the
standard and guideline
• Document all training
• Be sure your trainers
are up to the task
• Make the training fit
the need
• Don’t wait
• Redo your training on
playground safety at
the start of each school
year – “Out of sight, out
of mind”
• Measure the success
and appropriateness of
your training once
completed
• Document, Document,
Document
Facility Masters Webcast Series – “Playground Safety and Best Practices”
Train and Document
Train and Document
APPROPRIATELY
Facility Masters Webcast Series – “Playground Safety and Best Practices”
Certified Playground Safety
Inspector (CPSI) Training
• Offered through the National
Recreation and Park Association via the
National Playground Safety Institute
• The program is nationally and
internationally certified and recognized
as the premier playground safety
training in the USA and other countries
• Training founded in the ASTM Standard
and the CPSC Guideline
Look for these Logos to provide
the Expertise you’ll need
The National Recreation and Park
Association (NRPA) is a national
membership organization
dedicated to advancing park,
recreation and conservation
efforts that enhance quality of life
for all people.
Through its network of more than
21,000 recreation and park
professionals and citizens, NRPA
encourages the promotion of
healthy lifestyles, recreation
initiatives, and conservation of
natural and cultural resources.
For more information, visit
www.nrpa.org
The National Playground Safety
Institute (NPSI) is a program of
NRPA.
NRPA and NPSI are dedicated to
teaching the public how to provide
safe challenging play environments
for all children.
The cornerstone of NPSI is the
Certified Playground Safety Inspector
program, the premier playground
safety training and certification
program available nationwide.
The CPSI program is designed to
train participants to identify hazards
in and around play equipment, and
ensure the play equipment’s
compliance with the appropriate
standard of care.
Facility Masters Webcast Series – “Playground Safety and Best Practices”
Who is responsible for what?
• Manufacturers are to provide directions
for maintenance
• Manufacturers are to provide a list of
tools and equipment you’ll need
• Owner/Operators have the
responsibility to follow the directions
provided
• Owner/Operators are to provide and
maintain effective safety services
Various equipment will have
various needs
Various equipment will have
various needs
Various equipment will have
various needs
Various equipment will have
various needs
Various equipment will have
various needs
Facility Masters Webcast Series – “Playground Safety and Best Practices”
Focus
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Accept Responsibility
Implement Best Practices/Practices
Identify Preventative Maintenance Activities
Be Proactive
Make timely repairs
Document, Document, Document
Understand the Importance of Data
Inspect, inspect, inspect
Facility Masters Webcast Series – “Playground Safety and Best Practices”
DK's Topics
• Implementing Playground PM
schedules
• From the Calendar to the Field
• Tracking Playground Maintenance
SchoolDude’s Facility Interaction
PM Scheduling
Periodic Playground
Maintenance
Schedule
Work Orders and Equipment
Replace Equipment
in 2015
All Playground
Maintenance
Research, Resource and Survey Tool
Facility
Forecasting
Facility Masters Webcast Series – “Playground Safety and Best Practices”
PM Schedule and Templates
Facility Masters Webcast Series – “Playground Safety and Best Practices”
Playground PM Calendar
Resulting work
order to generate
0
Facility Masters Webcast Series – “Playground Safety and Best Practices”
Playground PM Work Order
Facility Masters Webcast Series – “Playground Safety and Best Practices”
Reactive Playground Work Order
Submission By Requester
Facility Masters Webcast Series – “Playground Safety and Best Practices”
Reactive Playground Work Order
Creation By Facilities
Facility Masters Webcast Series – “Playground Safety and Best Practices”
Playground Equipment
Facility Masters Webcast Series – “Playground Safety and Best Practices”
Reports
Playground Safety –
Remaining Questions
and Answers
A Discussion of Best Practices
In School Maintenance
We Want Your Feedback!
• When you close this seminar, you will
have a survey and comments
concerning:
– This seminar
– What you’d like to see in future seminars,
including future topics
• Also, you may enter comments in the
chat box
Contact Information
David B Parker - CPRP, CPSI
• [email protected]
Roger Young – Roger Young & Associates
• [email protected]
David Kornegay – SchoolDude.com
• [email protected] or [email protected]
Additional Resources
www.nrpa.org/npsi
Search for playground information once you are on the sites listed below
• www.cpsc.gov
• Public Playground Safety Handbook is the publication to look to
• www.astm.org – ASTM F1487-07aе1
www.schooldude.com/pm
and
www.myschooldude.com