Playground Safety

Playgrounds are an essential element of child development and education. The State of California requires all public playgrounds meet the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) guidelines and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. 

To assist our member districts in meeting these requirements and keeping playgrounds available and safe for our students, SIA offers tools, services and resources. We also have Certified Playground Safety Inspectors available to assist with inspections.

PRINTED MATERIALS

Playground Signage - School playgrounds are often available for use by the public during non-school hours. These labels were designed to help the public use your equipment safely. The labels indicate the appropriate age range of the user, suggestions for safe play and direction for adult supervision and concerns. Each label is 5x7 inches and can be affixed directly onto the equipment. There are three age range options 2 to 5 years, 5 to 12 years and 2 to 12 years. Select the label that is most appropriate for the design of your equipment. 
 Download Order Form  

Playground Guidelines:  A Guide to the Initial Inspection - This useful booklet can be used with the Initial Inspection checklist. It provides brief narratives of the various elements that are to be inspected during the initial inspection.
 Download Booklet  

FORMS AND CHECKLISTS

Playground Initial Inspection - All public playgrounds in California are to be inspected by a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI). This checklist can be used to by a CPSI to conduct initial inspections of new equipment. The Playground Guidelines: A Guide to the Initial Inspection is a useful tool to use in conjunction with this checklist. 
 Download Checklist  

Low Frequency Inspection Form - Use this checklist to conduct your low frequency inspections. This form can be adapted for each of your playgrounds. 
 Download Form  

High Frequency Inspection Form - Use this checklist to conduct your high frequency inspections. This form can be adapted for each of your playgrounds. 
 Download Form  

 IPEMA third-party certification of playground equipment/surface materials -  The International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA) provides a third-party certification service in which an independent laboratory validates the manufacturer’s claims of conformance.  The IPEMA website provides an easy and free service to search by manufacturer, product line and specific product to identify and print out IPEMA Certificates of Compliance for play equipment and surface materials.
  IPEMA third-party certification of playground equipment/surface materials

 Installation and maintenance of engineered wood fiber (EWF) to meet ADA requirements -  Correctly installing and maintaining your EWF surface in playground areas is critical to keeping your surfacing both safe and ADA compliant.  This two-page document provides step-by-step information for both the original install and ongoing maintenance at your playgrounds.
  Installation and maintenance of engineered wood fiber (EWF) to meet ADA requirements

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