November 2021 - Parks & Recreation - 10

WE ARE PARKS AND RECREATION
It's All About Play
By Cicely Enright
P
lay is children's work, and playgrounds are their workplace - a
place where they can learn and develop coordination, cooperation,
imagination and more.
In the ever-evolving marketplace, playground equipment is designed
to encourage various activities, as well as to reflect a certain look.
Alongside this evolution, the Consumer Safety Performance Specification for
Playground Equipment for Public Use (F1487) has supported children's safety
at play for almost 30 years. A subcommittee in the consumer products
committee (F15) oversees the F1487 playground standard and takes the
approach of furthering safety without limiting design.
" Instead of focusing strictly on
design criteria, we look at the hazards
associated with each type of
equipment, " says Lloyd Reese, vice
president of technical product management
at PlayCore. Reese works
on the subcommittee on playground
equipment for public use (F15.29) as
well as the subcommittee on playground
surfacing systems (F08.63),
which oversees standards for surfaces
around playgrounds.
Now, a revision of the F1487
playground
standard has been
completed that references additional
surfacing standards.
The Revision
The F15.29 subcommittee numbers
more than 250 stakeholders
- manufacturers, playground organizations,
labs, academia, government
agencies and others -
who completed the F1487 revision
this past spring.
Kenneth Kutska, executive director
at the International Playground
Safety Institute, LLC, and chair of
F15.29, offers his expert insight.
Of the new F1487, he says, " These
revisions help clarify changes occurring
internationally within the
industry. Most significantly, this
version addresses performance requirements
related to new equipment
types introduced in the marketplace
that are not covered in the
existing standard. "
Julie Boland, F15 member and
NRPA vice president of membership
and certification, adds, " All of these
changes will help to provide today's
youth with accessible, safe and challenging
play environments. "
Kutska
notes that the F1487
changes begin with the standard's
scope: " There was a basic change in
the scope to clarify and alert the users
of the standard that 'clearance
and use zone' requirements related
to the playground equipment and
its relationship to the protective
surfacing and three-dimensional
space around the equipment is considered
within the standard. "
One newly expanded section of
F1487 addresses both fixed and
flexible track/trolley rides, which
can have seats or a handlebar. The
standard includes factors, such as
speed and potential impact hazards,
by addressing clearance and
use zones throughout the path or
travel of a suspended seat. " Getting
these new requirements in this
revision was important because it
had gotten to the point where we
were seeing many different types of
these in the field, " Reese says.
Kutska adds, " We also added a better
explanation of what the manufacturer,
designer and/or owner needs
to do to verify that the playground
equipment and its protective surfacing
use zones comply with the minimum
performance requirements of this
standard. " According to the standard,
the verification shall be in writing by
The F1487 playground standard is about
keeping children safe and engaged in play.
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November 2021 - Parks & Recreation

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