U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Statement from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on Home Playground Safety

In July 2009, the voluntary standards organization ASTM International published a revision to the standard for home playground equipment, Standard Consumer Safety Performance Specification for Home Playground Equipment, ASTM F1148-09. This revised safety standard prohibits the attachment of components such as swings, gliders and trapeze bars from monkey bars. This change in home playground design will reduce the likelihood of children falling from the monkey bars onto the swinging components and is applicable to all future production of outdoor play/gym sets.

For older equipment, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reminds parents to remove swings and other suspended components that are attached to monkey bars to lessen the chance that children will be hurt by a fall from the bars.

CPSC estimates that there are more than 200,000 injuries each year associated with playground equipment. Most of these injuries involve children falling from play sets.

CPSC is committed to reducing the high number of playground injuries and encourages all parents, school and community officials to order our free Handbook for Home Playground Safety or Handbook for Public Playground Safety (both PDF) before constructing or installing a new play set.