Playground Safety: A Shared Responsibility By Kenneth S. Kutska [Editor's note: The following is a slightly edited version of Kutska's general overview of most of the changes to the American Society for Standards and Testing (ASTM) F1487-11: Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specification for Playground Equipment for Public Use. A copy of the new 2017 version can be ordered online at www.astm.org. The full unedited version is available at http:// ow.ly/yFLV30cTShE.] The changes in playground equipment design and manufacturing techniques have brought about many innovative and cre12 Parks & Recreation ative play opportunities not even thought of a few years ago. Without stifling creativity, the new performance requirements address safety issues brought about by these advancements in design, materials and manufacturing. Designers and manufacturers have developed more inclusive play equipment, and a lot of this equipment is not static. As today's designers continue to push the paradigm of what traditional equipment types can and should be, the thought of putting children in motion does raise safety concerns for many owner/operators. Everyone involved in providing public play spaces has a re- | 2 0 1 7 P L AYG R O U N D G U I D E | W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R Ghttp://www.astm.org http://http:// http://www.ow.ly/yFLV30cTShE