Home » Guides » Retail And Restaurant » Sporting Goods » Playground Equipment Basics

Playground Equipment Basics

Consider playground equipment basics when you design and build a commercial playground

By Casey Holley
Designing and building playground equipment takes a lot of thought. Once you find a suitable location for the playground and decide on the surfacing, you will have to design the playground. It is important that you choose playground equipment that is safe and fun for the children, as well as easy to keep clean.

Take the following playground equipment basics into consideration when you design the playground and purchase the playground equipment:

1. Learn and follow the safety regulations concerning playground equipment in your area.

2. Choose playground equipment and accessories for the proper age group.

3. Ensure that the playground equipment you purchase is ADA accessible.

 

Keep children safe by adhering to safety guidelines about playground equipment

Playground equipment can be dangerous if safety guidelines aren't followed. Making safety a priority when you plan a playground helps to lessen the possibility of injury or illness for the children that play on the park equipment.
Try: The Environmental Protection Agency maintains a database, according to location, of rules, laws and regulations concerning environmental factors for playground equipment. Outdoor Fun Store has safety information concerning commercial and residential playground equipment. This company offers a guarantee that all of the equipment it sells meets current safety standards.

Know what type of playground equipment you need

Playground equipment is divided into indoor playground equipment and outdoor playground equipment. These two categories are further categorized into age levels, including ages six months to 12 years. When you are choosing playground equipment, you should pick a main unit that is appropriate for the majority of children that will play on it and add accessories for children of all ages.
Try: Kidstruction and PlaySetParts.com both sell playground equipment sets and individual components. Kidstruction specializes in home playground equipment. PlaySetParts.com specializes in park playground equipment, including indoor playground equipment.

Find playground equipment that complies with ADA accessibility guidelines

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) states that public playground equipment built or modified after January 26, 1991 must be accessible for people with disabilities. The ADA doesn't specify that all of the equipment has to be ADA accessible, but you must have a portion of the play area that is accessible.
Try: Playworld Systems has a playground planning tool that makes it easy to determine if you have suitable ADA accessible for your playground. AAA State of Play offers a varied selection of wholesale playground equipment and additions that are ADA accessible. ADA Accessibility Guidelines offers detailed explanations in an easy to understand format about ADA accessible playground equipment.

 

  • In most areas, commercial playground equipment must be inspected on a regular basis by code enforcement officers or other recognized inspectors.

Copyright © 2011 Business.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.