The Americans with Disabilities Act
ADA is a comprehensive civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. The ADA requires that newly constructed and altered State and local government facilities, places of public accommodation, and commercial facilities be readily accessible to, and usable by, individuals with disabilities. Recreational facilities,including play areas, are among the facilities required to comply with the ADA.
The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board - often referred to as the “Access Board” - has developed accessibility guidelines for newly constructed and altered play areas. The play area guidelines are a supplement to the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG). Once these guidelines are adopted as enforceable standards by the Department of Justice, all newly constructed and altered play areas covered by the ADA will be required to comply. These guidelines also apply to play areas covered by the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CPSC Playground Standards
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is an independent agency within the United States Federal Government with the authority to inform the public of current product safety performance information and recommended practices. The CPSC first published their guidelines for public playgrounds in 1981 and have updated their publication several times over the past 25 years, most recently in November, 2010. The current CPSC Handbook for Public Playground Safety, publication #325, is an excellent guide for owners and operators of public play environments. This publication on Public Playground Safety is available as a free PDF Download. The CPSC also offers many other publications regarding Playground Safety on their Playground Publication website.
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Washington, DC 20207
Website: http://www.cpsc.gov
E-mail address: info@cpsc.gov
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASTM Playground Standards
The American Society for Testing and Materials is an independent and world renowned developer of technical standards utilized in testing a multitude of products. ASTM's F15.29 committee, chaired by Dr. Francis Wallach, met consistently for over a decade in the continual development of the F1487 Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specifications for Playground Equipment for Public Use. The original standard, F1487-93 was published in 1993 and subsequently replaced in 1997, 2001, 2005 and by the current version F1487-07ae1. This publication can be purchased from ASTM's website or a complimentary copy can be provided upon request.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please call us toll free at 724-478-1775 in Apollo, Pennsylvania for a no-cost consultation on your next project, or to determine if your project might fast track through COSTARS.
