Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Industry Playground Safety Experts Highlight Benefits of Free Play, Playground Safety Resources during 2015 National Playground Safety Week

  • 04/20/15

Harrisburg, Pa., – The International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA), the playground industry's leading playground safety certification organization, will celebrate National Playground Safety Week (April 20-24) this week by highlighting the organization’s popular materials and resources to educate about playground safety and the scientific benefits about play.

"Through the efforts of many, the playground industry has continued to push the limits of creativity and innovation in design, while maintaining safety standards that help minimize risk,” said Richard Hawley, president, IPEMA. "The resources we offer, from the Play Pledge, to our surfacing guide and checklist, help remind parents, educators and playground owners and operators about ways they can encourage free, safer play every day. National Playground Safety Week is the ideal time to build momentum for play."

IPEMA’s resources for education about free play and play safety include:

  • The Play Pledge – by downloading and signing this simple pledge, parents and children are committing to making play a priority for at least one hour of outdoor play a day at home and/or at school.
  • The Checklist for Access – This checklist provided by IPEMA is intended to help owners of public play area’s understand how to use the Department of Justice’s 2010 Standards for Accessible Design. The Checklist provides everything you need to know about access route dimensions, surfacing requirements and play equipment ramps and transfer stations for playgrounds of all sizes.
  • The Surfacing Guide for ADA Compliance – the surfacing guide provides a complete source of regulations concerning proper installation and maintenance of all IPEMA certified playground surfaces, including: artificial turf, engineered wood fiber, interlocking tile, poured-in place and rubber mulch.

Playground Safety Tips and Resources
Additionally, IPEMA and the Voice of Play will be sharing research, facts and educational materials for parents and caregivers about helping to increase safety on the playground. Tips and information can be found on the Voice of Play website, and the organization's Facebook and Twitter pages. Tweets surrounding National Playground Safety Week will include the hashtag #SafePlay15 on Twitter.

Featured

  • University of Kentucky Reopens Scovell Hall

    The University of Kentucky recently reopened Scovell Hall, part of the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE), following comprehensive renovations to the 120-year-old facility in Lexington, Ky., according to a news release.

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey

    Spaces4Learning recently launched the 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey, which collects data on the previous year’s K–12 and higher education construction projects nationwide.

  • California High School Opens New Classroom Building for 7th-, 8th-Graders

    Santa Rosa City Schools in Santa Rosa, Calif., recently announced the completion of a new classroom building for Piner High School. As the campus transitions to a Junior/Senior High School, the facility will play home to the school’s new population of seventh- and eighth-grade students.

  • University of Rochester to Break Ground on New Student Life Center

    The University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., recently began construction on a new Student Life building, according to a news release. The first floor will contain campus-wide gathering, program, and rehearsal space; the second floor will play home to the Greenbaum Center for Jewish Life.