6.2.1.7: Enclosure of Moving Parts on Play Equipment

All pieces of play equipment should be designed so moving parts (swing components, teeter-totter mechanism, spring-ride springs, and so forth) will be shielded or enclosed. Teeter-totters should not be used by preschool-age children unless they are equipped with a spring centering device and have an appropriate shock-absorbing material underneath the seats. Use of teeter totters is prohibited for infants and toddlers (1-3).

RATIONALE

Playground injuries often involve pinching, catching, or crushing of body parts or clothing by equipment mechanisms (4).

COMMENTS

For more information on play equipment with moving parts, see the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Public Playground Safety Handbook and ASTM International (ASTM) standards “F1487-07ae1: Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specification for Playground Equipment for Public Use” and “F2373-08: Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specification for Public Use Play Equipment for Children 6 Months through 23 Months.”

TYPE OF FACILITY

Center, Early Head Start, Head Start, Large Family Child Care Home, Small Family Child Care Home

REFERENCES

1. ASTM International (ASTM). 2008. Standard consumer safety performance specification for public use play equipment for children 6 months through 23 months. ASTM F2373-08. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
2. ASTM International (ASTM). 2007. Standard consumer safety performance specification for playground equipment for public use. ASTM F1487-07ae1. West Conshohocken, PA: ASTM.
3. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). 2008. Public playground safety handbook. Bethesda, MD: CPSC. http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/325.pdf.
4. Fiene, R. 2002. 13 indicators of quality child care: Research update. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. http://aspe.hhs.gov/basic-report/13-indicators-quality-child-care.