scope:

This Standard provides requirements for playspaces and equipment intended for use by children aged 18 months to 12 years.

Notes:

(1) The level of challenge required and desired by children varies enormously with age, physical development and emotional development. Consequently, it is almost impossible to design a piece of play equipment that meets the needs of all children. This Standard covers equipment designed for children aged 18 months to 12 years. It is generally accepted that children younger than 18 months and children aged 13 years and older do not usually use the equipment covered in this Standard.

(2) The sixth year of a child's life when the child is 5 years old) is accepted to be a transitional year. Consequently, the requirements in this Standard are split into two age groupings: 18 months to 5 years and 5 years to 12 years. The overlap of the 5 year old child is deliberate and acknowledges the transitional nature of the sixth year of life.

Since this Standard addresses the varied play needs of children with diverse ranges of physical and emotional development, it applies to a wide variety of playspaces and equipment.

This Standard contains recommendations on technical requirements and practices applicable to the design, manufacture/construction, installation, maintenance, and inspection of children's playspaces and equipment for use in public playspaces.

This Standard applies to new playspaces and equipment and to additions and replacement parts of existing playspaces and equipment.

The Standard provides requirements for all equipment in a playspace that is provided to be used by children at play, although this equipment may not be produced for that purpose (eg, a vehicle, a boat, tree trunks). Other objects or furnishings in a playspace, such as benches or tables which children often use as play equipment, are not considered in this Standard.

Note: The equipment configurations shown in the Figures in this Standard are examples only. Configurations, other than those shown, can be designed and built to meet the requirements specified in the Clauses of the Standard.

This Standard does not apply to the following

(a) sport, fitness, or gymnasium environments;

(b) swimming pools and slides that end in water and whirlpools;

(c) homemade or child-constructed play equipment;

(d) soft contained play equipment which has controlled public access, such as commercial establishments

(eg, restaurants, department stores, etc.) but not day cares or outside, fenced public playspaces; and

(e) play equipment intended for private backyard use and for amusement parks.

The values given in SI (metric) units are the standard. The values given in parentheses are for information only. For the purposes of conversion, 25 mm = 1 in.