Playground Guide - 2017 - 11

Application of Current Standards
to Natural Playgrounds
By Jeﬀ Barber, CPSI

I

n today's playground industry, the term " natural playground " has become very popular. It's used to describe
what the end user is looking for as well as for referencing
the designs offered by manufacturers. But, what exactly does
natural playground mean?
Natural is defined as " existing in or caused by nature, not
made or caused by humankind. " So, by definition, a natural
playground can only be an untouched piece of wood, a meadow, a hill, etc. However, our newly evolved definition of natural playgrounds takes two basic forms: from a manufacturer's
perspective, it's using wood, concrete, plastic and steel to create spaces that blend in or resemble items that are commonly
found in nature; from a designer and architect's perspective,
it's using natural elements, like rocks, plants, logs, trees, water,
etc., to create an experience that is similar to the true definition
above. However, these experiences are still created by humankind, which leads to the next point.
How do we apply the current ASTM standards and CPSC
guidelines to either of these? For manufactured, natureinspired playgrounds, they should be applied exactly the same
as any manufactured playground! Going through the International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA)
certification process ensures end users that what they are purchasing and installing is held to the highest standards available.
Even if the manufacturer does not go through IPEMA certification, the equipment should still pass a playground safety
audit before being pressed into service.
When natural elements are used to create play spaces, the
playground equipment still needs to be audited and inspected
according to safety performance requirements for public-use
playgrounds. The application of the standards and guidelines
is dictated by the type of use, not by the type of equipment
placed in the space. Simply because a designer choses to use
rocks, boulders, logs, water and planting elements would not
exempt the equipment from the application of these same standards. Major injuries can still be caused by entanglement, protrusions, crush and shear, falls, etc., and creating an exemption
for any of the standards and/or guidelines for public-use playgrounds should not be acceptable.
However, applying these standards to natural elements sometimes becomes tricky. The shear definition for " materials and
manufacture " can be argued when using an untreated log. My
opinion is, that in all cases of designing natural playgrounds

using only natural elements, a design professional should be
hired to oversee both the design and the construction to ensure
that most, if not all, elements comply. For the things that do
not comply, or physically cannot comply, the owner needs to
understand the risk and assess if they want to take on that risk.
We all know there is no injury-free playground, and owners
and public users should be aware of any risk before they take
on this new, exciting space.
No matter what equipment is designed, purchased or installed, there are very important factors that must be considered. Start by looking at the most basic definition of the space
you are creating. If you determine that the space is to be a
playground for public use, then you should be aware of all
things that apply. DOJ 2010 Standard for Accessible Design
should be followed for creating the space to be accessible and
inclusive. CPSC pub 325, ASTM1487 and ASTM1292, just to
name a few, should also be the reference manuals used to make
sure the public is safe. Natural playgrounds can be very important and exciting, so please keep creating!
Jeff Barber, CPSI, is the President of Playground Specialist Inc.
(jeﬀ@playspec.com).

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Parks & Recreation

9
Playground Guide - 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Playground Guide - 2017
