Playground Guide - 2017 - 18

requirements must also have a use zone of no less than 108
inches from the perimeter of the play structure, including a
72-inch use zone that shall not overlap the use zone of other
play structures.
Single-user rotating equipment, such as sand diggers, that
requires the user to maintain contact with the ground during
play, has no individual use zone requirements. However, sufficient space is needed between all adjacent structures and individual play equipment for the purposes of play and circulation.
Horizontal Rotating Equipment Use Zones
The use zone for equipment that rotates around a horizontal
axis and has a designated play surface greater than 30 inches
above the protective surface shall be no less than 72 inches
from the perimeter of the play structure. The use zone for
equipment that rotates around a horizontal axis and has a fall
height of 30 inches or less above the protective surface, such
as a log roll, shall be considered stationary play equipment.
No other play structure use zone shall overlap the use zone
of equipment that rotates around a horizontal axis and has a
fall height greater than 30 inches above the protective surface.
The fall height of horizontal rotating equipment shall be
measured from the highest designated play surface and the
protective surface below. The horizontal rotating equipment
surface that is intended to be stood on shall have a designated
playing surface less than or equal to 18 inches above the protective surfacing and provide hand gripping component(s),
between 0.95 inches and 1.55 inches in diameter, to aid in
mounting, dismounting and maintaining balance while in
use. Horizontal rotating equipment is not recommended for
use by preschool age children 2-5 years.

Suspended Components on
Manipulative Play Components
There have been many new types of manipulative play components with attached suspended components, particularly in the
area of musical instruments. Existing performance requirements
made compliance more difficult, especially for ground-level musical instruments. Pipe ends on chimes, tubes and other musical
instruments no longer need to be capped so long as they pass the
sharp edge test. Other suspended hazard requirements were modified to allow for connecting devices up to 24 inches long, such
as cable or chain, necessary to operate the equipment, such as
a small mallet, but not to be attached any higher than 27 inches
above the underlying surface. These manipulative parts are also
exempt from meeting the projection criteria using the large 3-inch
protrusion gauge, since falling on or running into a larger projection that could damage internal organs in the child's abdomen,
are highly unlikely. The use of the smaller gauges still applies.
Flexible Climbing Components
There are more flexible climbing components in the play environment as either free standing or part of a composite play
structures. These flexible climbers generally are comprised of
chain, cable or rope. The rigid components found on these play
components are primarily intended for structural support and,
for the most part, are not intended to be a climbing component.
Almost none of these structural support components would fit
the current handrail and hold requirements. Likewise, almost
none of the flexible climbing components are made of materials that fit within the current handhold dimension of 0.95
to 1.55 inches. Flexible hand-gripping climbing components
must be between 0.62 and 1.55 inches and must be securely connected at both ends. When they are connected to the
ground, the anchoring device shall be beneath the base of the
minimum required depth of the protective surfacing material
or the anchoring device must be vertically shielded. When unitary surfacing material is used, a maintenance access opening
is permissible, provided that the anchoring device is not accessible when tested with the 3.5 to 3 inches protrusion gauge.
Some cable nets are more susceptible to stretching over time
and require some tension adjustment. Tensioning devices are
not considered to be part of the anchoring device.

Changes to Other Specific
Equipment Type Requirements
Slides
The slope of the slide exit region can now be as much as minus
10 degrees as measured from horizontal. This should help mitigate drainage and user exiting issues.
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Parks & Recreation

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Playground Guide - 2017

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