| Have you been by your neighborhood playground | | | | equipment. |
| recently? If so, did you notice any changes in the | | | | By 1981, the recommendations in the CPSC had |
| equipment and ground compared to ten years | | | | made most playground equipment obsolete. By |
| ago? Over the course of the beginning of the | | | | these standards, swing sets installed prior to 1981 |
| 21st Century, many old metal and wood | | | | could cause skull fractures, and certain protrusions |
| equipment has been removed because of | | | | or edges could cause lacerations. But, more |
| OSHA-issued safety violations. As a result, the old | | | | importantly, was the surfaces under the |
| equipment is being replaced with new "soft" | | | | equipment, as hard surfaces were the cause of |
| equipment made from plastic and wood not | | | | 57 percent of all playground-related injuries |
| painted with arsenic paint. On the internet, even | | | | recorded at hospitals. Playground surfaces now |
| blogs about old playground equipment have | | | | had to be softer. |
| popped up, each filled with photographs depicting | | | | To have playgrounds designed better and |
| old metal equipment covered in chipped, colorful | | | | maintained properly, the National Playground |
| paint. | | | | Safety Institute established in 1991 the first |
| Tracing the history of playground equipment to | | | | training program for owners, operators, and |
| the middle of the 20th Century, the first | | | | designers of playgrounds. Similarly, the CPSC |
| neighborhood and school playgrounds were | | | | handbook was revised and republished in 1991 |
| created in the 1940s and '50s, with the first | | | | with clearer standards. Most of the revisions in |
| playground equipment being a single piece - like a | | | | this edition address playground equipment for |
| large jungle gym - installed on concrete, asphalt, | | | | children in the two to twelve age range, rather |
| grass, or hard dirt. All of the play pieces were | | | | than the five to twelve range as in the previous |
| made from metal. But by the '60s and '70s, wood | | | | edition. As a result, playground equipment had to |
| materials began being used, as they were more | | | | be less prone to toddler injuries, including platform |
| environmentally friendly than metal and also | | | | heights being lowered and sizes of holes being |
| needed maintenance, which, often, metal | | | | smaller than a toddler's head. |
| playground pieces seldom got, causing rusting and | | | | Since then, the American Society for Testing and |
| breaking. In addition, the equipment itself became | | | | Materials (ASTM) has been developing materials to |
| mostly multi-use play systems with linking | | | | make playground equipment friendlier for |
| components. This change was financed by Land | | | | physically-challenged children. |
| and Water Conservation Funds and other | | | | In the scope of making playground equipment, |
| community development programs. Hard surface | | | | changing equipment to meet OSHA regulations is |
| play areas were still common, as they were | | | | another step in making a playground safer. |
| easier to clean. | | | | For purchasing playground equipment, whether for |
| Playground safety was officially addressed in 1975 | | | | a neighborhood or school playground or a |
| by an organization called the Consumer Product | | | | backyard, playground equipment still comes in the |
| Safety Commission (CPSC). After analyzing | | | | range of metal to plastic. Modern Swing sets, for |
| playground injuries, the organization created A | | | | example, can be made with heavy-duty metal |
| Handbook for Public Playground Safety. Although | | | | construction and a powder-coated finish, wood |
| the recommendations in the book were not | | | | treated to be resistant from decay and fungi, and |
| mandatory, the book was used as a standard for | | | | plastic. |
| injuries and lawsuits regarding playground | | | | |