Other Playground Safety Resources
There are many organizations and growing and governmental agencies that provide information on playground safety. Listed below are some of the more prominent resources.
National Recreation & Park Association
National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) is the leading advocacy organization dedicated to the advancement of public parks, recreation and conservation. It is dedicated to premoting children’s rights to play environments.
In the past twenty years, NRPA has developed two of the nation’s premiere training programs and resources for playground safety, including the Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) training and certification program and The Dirty Dozen guide to playground safety. Both initiatives have helped to train and inform professionals and the public on playground safety issues at the highest national standards — ensuring that children across the U.S. have access to safe, challenging, and fun play environments.
U.S. Consumer Safety Products Commission
The United States CSPC publishes a variety of educational resources on playground safety in both English and Spanish. Visit website.
ADA Compliance
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a comprehensive civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. The ADA requires that newly constructed and altered State and local government facilities, places of public accommodation, and commercial facilities be readily accessible to, and usable by, individuals with disabilities. Recreational facilities, including play areas, are among the facilities required to comply with the ADA. Access PDF.
ASTM Standards
ASTM International has developed and published a number of technical manufacturing standards related to public-use playground surfacing, equipment and more. ASTM F1292 is the primary standard related to playground surfacing. Learn more.
In the interest of public safety, IPEMA provides a product certification program for public play equipment and playground surfacing materials that validates a participant’s product(s) to one or more of the standards referenced here.
Playground Surfacing Impact certification
