We offer a free playground planning service. We can meet with you, discuss your playground needs and plans, measure your space, and walk you through the steps to a successful project. If you are not ready to plan, but have some preliminary questions give us a call! We are helpful, unpushy folks.
Playground Planning checklist
Our representative would be happy to help you navigate through the process. Some of the things to start thinking about include:
- Available Space
- Age group
- Budget
- Desired features
- Surfacing
- Number of children
- Time frame
ADA and Playgrounds - An overview
Public playgrounds built today are required by law to be accessible. To meet accessibility guidelines, we evaluate and count play components.
- Elevated play events can be accessible either via a ramp or a transfer module.
- Ground level events you enter and exit, or play with at the ground level.
Fifty percent (50%) of elevated events must be accessible via a ramp or transfer.
If you have over 19 elevated events, 25% have to be accessible via a ramp.
The following chart shows how many ground level events are required based on the number of elevated events provided:
Number of Elevated Events
|
Ground Level Events Required
|
| 2-4 |
1 |
| 5-7 |
2 (at least 2 types) |
| 8-10 |
3 (at least 3 types) |
| 11-13 |
4 (at least 3 types) |
| 14-16 |
5 (at least 3 types) |
| 17-19 |
6 (at least 3 types) |
| 20-22 |
7 (at least 4 types) |
| 23-25 |
8 (at least 4 types) |
| over 25 |
8 plus 1 for each additional 3 over 25 or fraction therof (at least 5 types) |
If more than 50% of the elevated events are accessible via a ramp, no ground level events are required.
Standards/Guidelines for Playground Safety
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is an Independent Federal Regulatory Agency that works to save lives and keep families safe by reducing the risk of injuries and deaths associated with consumer products. Many publications are available on this site for download including playground safety tips, safety checklists and many more.
http://www.cpsc.gov
The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) "This consumer safety performance specification provides safety and performance standards for various types of public playground equipment. Its purpose is to reduce life-threatening and debilitating injuries." ASTM F1487-01e1 Scope (1.1)
http://www.astm.org
The Access Board is an independent Federal agency devoted to accessibility for people with disabilities. This site is a great resource for information on the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991 and its application in the playground industry.
http://www.access-board.gov